Middle East

World News

Egyptian Court To Hear Journalists' Appeals On Jan. 1

12:17pm December 30, 2014

by Leila Fadel

Egypt and Qatar are trying to repair relations ahead of the appeals by the Doha-based Al Jazeera journalists. The 3 were arrested and convicted on terrorism charges, causing an international outcry.

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Blind Syrian Refugee Writer Seeks To Make New Home In Sweden

12:13pm December 29, 2014

by Joanna Kakissis

An aspiring writer who has fled the civil war is now adjusting to life in Sweden. She longs for home, but for now receives the assistance she needs — housing, language courses, transportation.

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Iranian General Reportedly Killed By ISIS Sniper In Northern Iraq

12:07pm December 28, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Brig. Gen. Hamid Taqavi, a veteran of the brutal Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, was killed while training Iraqi troops and Shiite militiamen, Iran says.

An Iraqi Christian prays inside a shrine on the grounds of the Mazar Mar Eillia Catholic Church in Irbil, in northern Iraq. Irbil has become home to hundreds of Iraqi Christians who fled their homes as the Islamic State advanced earlier this year.

With Each New Upheaval In Iraq, More Minorities Flee

11:10am December 27, 2014

by Deborah Amos

"We like Iraq, but Iraq doesn't like us," says a displaced Christian man. He's just one of example of religious minorities who have been dislodged from parts of Iraq where they have ancient roots.

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Citing 'Historical Inaccuracies,' Egypt Bans 'Exodus' From Theaters

11:10am December 27, 2014

The movie Exodus: Gods and Kings has been banned in Egypt on the grounds of "inaccuracies" and a "Zionist view of history."

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Already Bleak Conditions Under ISIS Deteriorating Rapidly

4:55pm December 26, 2014

Liz Sly of The Washington Post speaks with Audie Cornish about how the so-called Islamic State's attempt to govern and administer services like a state is breaking down, with food and power shortages.

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For Iran And The West, A Rocky Year For Nuclear Diplomacy

4:26pm December 26, 2014

by Peter Kenyon

Next year could be a make-or-break moment for efforts to ensure Iran can't acquire a nuclear weapon. But experts said the same about 2014. Instead, two deadlines came and went with no progress.

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A Saudi woman poses in this picture to illustrate driving a car in Jiddah as part of a June 2011 protest. An advisory council recently recommended for the first time lifting a ban on female drivers.

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Saudi Women Reportedly Referred To Terrorism Court For Driving

1:18pm December 26, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The two women were arrested as they tried to cross the border from UAE, where they had legally obtained driver's licenses. The two also are said to have been active online against the ban.

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Turkish President's Aggressive Behavior In 2014 Gets More Notice

7:52am December 26, 2014

by Peter Kenyon

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used 2014 to assert new powers but found no clear path for handling the militant threat next door in Syrian and Iraq.

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Father Of Jordanian Pilot Held By ISIS Issues Plea For His Release

3:33pm December 25, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The father of 26-year-old Flight Lt. Moaz al-Kaseasbeh, urged his son's Islamic State captors to treat him well and set him free because "we are all Muslims."