Iraq protests death toll rises to 319 with nearly 15,000 injured
At least 319 people have been killed in Iraq since the start of anti-government protests in October, according to the Iraqi Parliamentary Human Rights Committee. ...
Russia deploys helicopter patrols along Syria, Turkey border
On Friday Russian forces deployed helicopters to patrol the Syrian-Turkish borders along the area where Turkey carried out the operation to evacuate People’s Protection Units (YPG) terrorists, Russian news agency, Interfax, reported. ...
Iran earthquake: Five killed and hundreds injured
At least five people have been killed and hundreds more injured in an earthquake in north-western Iran, officials say. ...
Iran cancels accreditation of IAEA nuclear inspector
Iran has cancelled the accreditation of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector who was prevented from entering a nuclear facility last week. ...
Young Iraqis and Lebanese aren't just demanding better societies. They're creating them at protest sites
An elderly woman in an SUV snakes through a crowd of young people on Beirut's main highway, known as "the Ring." "You shouldn't have let her pass!" protester Amir Baroudy, 26, yells at a group of youths, apparently distracted from the task at hand: forcing a road closure. ...
Protest Roadblocks in Lebanon Disrupt Traffic, Force School Closures
From taxi drivers to frustrated parents hoping to get their children to school, people in Lebanon have found that protesters' roadblocks have changed their daily lives since the start of the uprising three weeks ago to oust the political elite blamed for corruption and poor public services. Lebanese troops deployed Tuesday throughout the country to reopen roads and main thoroughfares closed by anti-government protesters. ...
Protests in Iraq reveal a long-simmering anger at Iran
In years past, Iraqis have beaten their shoes against portraits of Saddam Hussein in a sign of anger and insult. In 2008, an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at a ducking President George W. Bush during a news conference to vent his outrage at the U.S.-led invasion. ...
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: IS leader's sister 'captured by Turkey'
The sister of former Islamic State group (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been captured in northern Syria, Turkish officials say. ...
Iran nuclear deal: Uranium enrichment to resume at underground facility
Iran will begin enriching uranium at its underground Fordo facility on Wednesday, rolling back another commitment under a 2015 nuclear deal. ...
Iraq unrest: Protesters attack Iranian consulate in Karbala
At least three people were shot dead when protesters attacked the Iranian consulate in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala on Sunday night. ...
Tal Abyad car bomb: At least 13 killed in Syrian border town
At least 13 people were killed by a car bomb in the northern Syrian border town of Tal Abyad, Turkish authorities said. ...
Iraq protests: Capital Baghdad blocked as unrest escalates
Protesters have blocked the main thoroughfares in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, as mass anti-government protests continue. ...
Turkey says it will send ISIS prisoners back to home countries
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Saturday Turkey would send captured ISIS members back to their home countries, and he complained about European inaction on the matter. ...
Iraq protests: PM Adel Abdul Mahdi 'will resign if replacement is found'
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi will resign if political parties can agree on his replacement, the president has said, as mass protests continue. ...
Islamic State group names its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi
The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has for the first time confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and named his successor. ...
Iraq's Shiite Clerics Condemn Attacks on Protesters
Iraq's Shiite religious establishment on Friday condemned attacks on peaceful protesters after a month of massive anti-government demonstrations in which security forces have killed at least 250 people. ...
Lebanon crisis: President asks Hariri to stay on as caretaker PM
Lebanon's president has asked the cabinet to continue in a caretaker capacity, a day after PM Saad Hariri resigned in response to mass protests. ...
Syria war: UN-backed talks on new constitution begin in Geneva
One-hundred-and-fifty delegates representing Syria's government, opposition and various sectors of civil society are meeting in Geneva to try to draft a new constitution. ...
At least 14 killed in Iraq protests
At least 14 people have been killed and 865 wounded overnight after Iraqi security forces opened fire on protesters in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala, medical and security sources say. ...
US forces return to north Syria after withdrawal
Over 500 US troops along with military vehicles and logistical equipment arrived at military bases in northern Syria today, despite their withdrawal only weeks earlier. ...