The Iraqi army, bolstered by U.S. air power, is attempting to dislodge the Islamic State from the city where it declared its caliphate. The forecasts point to a long, tough battle.
Secretary of State John Kerry spent much of the weekend meeting with his counterparts from Russia and European countries, looking for a route to a peace, or at least humanitarian aid access, in Syria.
Egypt's financial crisis has led to double-digit inflation with lasting repercussions. Rising prices make marriage unaffordable for tens of thousands of Egyptians — and not only those who are poor.
The Saudi-led coalition warplane bombed a crowded funeral hall in Yemen's capital Sanaa. An investigation has concluded that the coalition believed it was a gathering of rebel leaders.
International laws and treaties forbid the execution of an offender who was a juvenile at the time of the crime. Zeinab Sekaanvand was 17 when she was charged with stabbing her husband to death.
The U.S. fired missiles into Yemen as a response to Navy warships being fired upon. Steve Inskeep talks to Stephen Seche, a former U.S. ambassador to Yemen, to understand what's at stake there.
Despite the U.S. strike, the Obama administration still hopes to keep America's role in Yemen's war offshore, with Saudi Arabia and other Arab militaries doing the actual fighting.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is 81, a heavy smoker and has a history of health problems. He was elected more than a decade ago, and it's not clear how he would be replaced.