Middle East

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Israel's Contact Tracing System Creates Confusion Among Thousands Of Israelis

4:15pm July 06, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

Israel hoped tracking people's cellphones would help contain the coronavirus as the country reopened. But the tracking system has displayed major flaws, and cases are now on the rise.

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News Brief: Trump Rhetoric, Pandemic Research, Israeli COVID-19 Cases

7:07am July 06, 2020

In speeches, the president painted a picture of a divided America. Scientists examine other ways COVID-19 can spread. And, Israel criticized for focusing on West Bank annexation rather than COVID-19.

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Syrian Oscar-nominated filmmaker Feras Fayyad answers journalists' questions outside a courtroom during a break in a trial against two Syrian defendants accused of state-sponsored torture in Syria, on April 23, in Koblenz, Germany.

World News

Syrian Filmmaker Speaks Out On Torture: 'I Was Holding This Pain For A Long Time'

2:33pm July 01, 2020

by Deborah Amos

Oscar-nominated documentary maker Feras Fayyad delivered the first witness testimony in a crimes against humanity trial against a former Syrian government official in Germany.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seen earlier this month in Jerusalem, has yet to decide publicly about the annexation of parts of the West Bank, despite a target date arriving Wednesday.

World News

Delay Appears Likely In Israel's Plans To Annex Parts Of West Bank

11:59am July 01, 2020

The proposal, which has Trump administration support, has hit resistance both inside and outside Israel in recent weeks. "It seems unlikely to me that this will happen today," says one Cabinet member.

People wait for COVID-19 tests at a hospital in Baghdad on June 4.

In Iraq, Rising Virus Cases And Oxygen Shortages Stoke Outrage, Fears Of 'Chaos'

10:50am July 01, 2020

by Jane Arraf

Crowds have seized supplies for ill relatives, and officials warn the health system could collapse. "This is a war against the coronavirus and we have lost the war," says an Iraqi official.

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Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (right) and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, at a session of the 40th Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December.

World News

Opinion: Israel's Annexation Plan Dims Hope For Better Ties With Gulf Arab States

6:17pm June 30, 2020

No Gulf Arab country will seriously contemplate normalizing ties with Israel unless Saudi Arabia does it first. The Saudis, who officially condemned the annexation plan, are nowhere close to doing so.

A Spike In Coronavirus Cases Causes Outrage In Iraq

6:06pm June 30, 2020

by Jane Arraf

A spike in coronavirus cases and a shortage of medical resources has led to panic and unrest in Iraq. Some hospitals are filling, and family members have seized oxygen tanks for loved ones.

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World News

Turkey's Claims For Drilling Rights In Mediterranean Sea Lead To Threats From Greece

3:51pm June 30, 2020

by Peter Kenyon

A long-running dispute over the exploration of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is heating up again. Turkey's new claims for drilling rights have led to hostile talk with Greece.

President Trump is among three dozen U.S. officials for whom Iran has issued arrest warrants in the Jan. 3 airstrike killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Trump Tops Iran's List Of U.S. Officials Wanted In Killing Of Top General In January

7:24pm June 29, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

Iran issues arrest warrants for 36 officials, including President Trump, in the Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Trump faces little threat of being arrested.

World News

Israel To Clarify Its Plans For Annexing Occupied West Bank Lands

5:33pm June 29, 2020

by Daniel Estrin

Israel is expected to clarify its plans for annexing occupied West Bank. EU says Israel would face repercussions if it annexes, and Arab allies say their warming ties with Israel would be affected.