Latest in Region Highlight
Latest in Region
South Sudan government, rebels set for ceasefire talks
Fighting erupted in South Sudan 15 December, when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup.
Lebanon arrests head of Qaeda-linked group: minister
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry also confirmed that Majid, a Saudi citizen, was on a list of 85 suspects wanted by the kingdom.
Syria misses deadline to remove chemical weapons
Syria had been due to turn over some of the deadliest chemicals in its arsenal to ships by the end of the year, for delivery to a US boat which is to destroy them at sea.
Kerry launches 2014 with all-out bid for Mideast peace
US Secretary of State John Kerry hurtles into 2014 with a trip to the Middle East Wednesday, hoping to make this the year Israel and the Palestinians seal a long-elusive peace deal
Syria, Iraq, and Egypt most dangerous countries for journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists released a report naming the three Middle East countries as having the most journalist deaths
Lebanon mourns ex-minister killed in bombing
The bombing raised fears about the fragile situation in Lebanon, which has seen the war in neighbouring Syria regularly spill over.
Israel hits back after rockets fired from Lebanon
The Israeli government accused the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah of being behind the rocket fire and threatened an even tougher response to any further attacks.
Protests target Turkish PM assailed by graft scandal
Calling for Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign
5 dead in Beirut bomb including Hariri adviser: state news agency
More than 50 injured
Beirut car bomb kills adviser to former premier
Mohammad Chatah was assassinated when a car bomb targeted his convoy in the city centre
Huge blast rocks Lebanese capital
Television channels showed pictures of thick smoke near the Serail, where Lebanon’s prime minister has his offices
Palestinian prisoner freed after hunger strike
Thousands of Palestinians came out to celebrate his return to Issawiya, honking car horns and waving flags of different Palestinian groups, witnesses said.
300 dead in 8 days of air raids on Syria’s Aleppo: NGO
Aleppo has been split between opposition and government forces since a massive rebel assault in the summer of 2012.
Iraq journalists killed in suicide assault on TV: police
Some journalists managed to escape the building, while others were still trapped inside.
Unrest grips south Yemen after tribal chief death
Schools and public offices were closed and shops shuttered in the south on the second day of the protests.
Israeli troops shoot, wound Gaza Palestinian
Witnesses said the shooting happened when several young Palestinians who were hunting birds approached the security fence separating the territory from Israel and came under fire.
Iraq general among 15 soldiers killed in raid on Qaeda
Violence elsewhere killed five policemen, including the police chief of Al-Sharqat district northwest of Baghdad, and wounded five others, police and a doctor said.
South Sudan fighting escalates, US plane shot at
At least 500 people have been killed in Juba alone in six days of fighting, while tens of thousands have been displaced
Syria defends jailing of British doctor who died in prison
The death of British doctor Abbas Khan in custody just days before he was to be handed over to a British lawmaker sparked a diplomatic row with London, which accused President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime of effectively murdering the 32-year-old surgeon.
Swiss extend freeze on Ben Ali, Mubarak assets
The aim is to give investigations in Tunisia and Egypt more time and to take account of the political transition in the two countries
Deadly blast at Hezbollah post in Lebanon: security
The vehicle was packed with 60 kilos (130 pounds) of explosives and the blast left behind a crater three metres (10 feet) wide
Three years on, Tunisia uprising marked by muted demos
Around 1,000 unionists and left-wing opposition activists gathered in Sidi Bouzid, the impoverished central town where Mohammed Bouazizi staged his iconic protest on 17 December 2011, for a demonstration against the lack of progress since the revolution.
Syria peace talks to open in Montreux: UN
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month finally set January 22 as the date for the talks, which have been repeatedly postponed since June.
Israel fire on Lebanon in retaliation for soldier killing
The army said the soldier was shot by Lebanese troops as he was driving a civilian vehicle along a section of the border near Rosh HaNikra on the Mediterranean coast.
South Sudan says coup defeated after heavy fighting
The clashes broke out in a barracks close to the city centre shortly before midnight and spread across the city, diplomats and witnesses said, adding that heavy machine guns and mortars were used.
‘Barrel bomb’ raids in Syria’s Aleppo kill 76
A Syrian security official said the army prefers the TNT-packed barrels because they are cheaper than regular bombs, which they need import from Russia.
Tunisia’s PM-designate is a little-known newcomer
The opposition accuses the current government of failing to rein in militants who have stepped up attacks, and failing to deal with an economic malaise that has led to a rise in strikes and protests.
Syria’s moderate opposition in ‘serious difficulty’: France
The talks are scheduled for 22 January in the Swiss city, but Fabius said there were doubts over whether they would make progress towards ending the civil war that has now raged for more than two and a half years and killed more than 126,000 people.
Iran says nuclear talks continue despite US blacklist
The United States blacklisted a dozen overseas companies and individuals on Thursday for evading its sanctions imposed on Iran to halt what the West sees as its bid to build a nuclear bomb.
Assailants stab Japan diplomat in Yemen capital
The spokesman said he had been driving ahead of the consul, but when he arrived at the embassy, the consul was no longer following.