Middle East
Latest stories
Annan Optimistic after Assad Talks despite 'Tough' Mission

International peace envoy Kofi Annan emerged optimistic on Sunday from a second round of talks with President Bashar al-Assad, but warned that ending the bloodshed in Syria would be "tough."

"It's going to be tough, it's going to be difficult, but we have to have hope. I am optimistic," Annan told reporters in Damascus after the meeting.

W140 Full Story
Egypt Court Acquits 'Virginity Test' Military Doctor

An Egyptian military tribunal has acquitted an army doctor of an accusation of public obscenity filed by a protester who claimed she was forced to undergo a virginity test while in detention.

Samira Ibrahim won a civilian court ruling last year that affirmed the tests were taking place at military jails and ordered they be halted.

W140 Full Story
Report: U.S., Allies Mulling Military Intervention in Syria

The Obama administration and its allies are engaged in serious discussions about potential military involvement in Syria, The Washington Post quoted officials as saying.

“Possibilities include directly arming opposition forces, sending troops to guard a humanitarian corridor or “safe zone” for the rebels, or an air assault on Syrian air defenses,” according to the officials from the U.S. and other nations opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

W140 Full Story
Iraqi 'Emos' Victims of Brutal Killings

Iraqi teenagers widely perceived to be gay are being brutally killed in Baghdad with Shiite militias distributing lists of targets warning of further assaults, officials and human rights groups say.

At least 15 teenagers, described as "emos" for their tight-fitting black clothes and alternative hairstyles, have been stoned, beaten to death or shot dead in the past month, medics say.

W140 Full Story
Gunmen Kill 5 Family Members North of Baghdad

Gunmen using silencers killed a town mayor's bodyguard and four of his women relatives in a house north of the Iraqi capital, security officials said on Sunday.

"Gunmen attacked the house of a bodyguard of the mayor of Tarmiyah," said police First Lieutenant Uday Sarhan. "They attacked the house at around 11:30 pm (2030 GMT) and killed five people."

W140 Full Story
Syrians Flee into Turkey after Idlib Assault

Dozens of Syrian refugees have fled across the border into Turkey since Syrian troops stormed the rebel stronghold of Idlib near the border, a Turkish government official said Sunday.

At least 189 Syrians have crossed into Turkey since Saturday, the official told Agence France Presse, adding the figure tended to increase.

W140 Full Story
Netanyahu Says Gaza Strikes to Go on 'as Long as Necessary,’ Toll Reaches 18

Israel will continue air strikes against Gaza "as long as necessary," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, giving no indication that a ground operation was likely for now.

"We extracted a high price from them and will continue to do so," he said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "We will act as long as necessary."

W140 Full Story
U.S. 'Deeply Concerned' by Israel-Gaza Violence

The United States expressed concern Saturday over deadly violence between Israel and Palestinians across the Gaza border and urged both sides to restore calm.

"We are deeply concerned by the renewal of violence in southern Israel," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in a statement. "We call on both sides to make every effort to restore calm."

W140 Full Story
U.N. Urges Iran to Reconsider Death Penalty

The United Nations called on Iran to ban the death penalty in cases that do not meet standards of "serious crime" as defined by international law, according to a report to be published Monday.

In the report, special U.N. rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed "urges the Government to prohibit the death penalty for cases that do not meet the standard of 'serious crime' as defined by international law, and recommends that authorities commute capital sentences for individuals whose crimes do not meet that standard".

W140 Full Story
Israel Warns against Reprisals after Deadly Gaza Raids

Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Saturday that Israel will continue to hit Palestinians who attack its citizens, after air strikes on Gaza left 15 Palestinians dead.

W140 Full Story