Afghan police attack women protesting against Taliban edict to shut beauty parloursHair salons and beauty parlours are last refuge for women otherwise confined to their homes by regimeThu Jul 20 2023 - 15:53
Iraqi PM makes first visit to Syria since 2011, strengthening close ties between countriesMohammed Shia al-Sudani and Bashar al-Assad discuss reopening key oil pipeline and returning Syrian refugeesMon Jul 17 2023 - 19:13
Iran president seeks to appeal to anti-colonialism and opposition to western sanctions on Africa tourTehran running lengthy campaign to end isolation by strengthening bilateral relations with friendly countriesSun Jul 16 2023 - 10:00
Syrian border crossing reopens to allow aid into jihadi-held area of northwest Idlib provinceDamascus indicates operations could resume ‘in full co-operation and co-ordination with the Syrian government’Fri Jul 14 2023 - 16:07
Turkey-Syria border crossing closes after dispute between Russia and UN Security Council membersDelivery of humanitarian to estimated 2.7m people is interrupted due to disagreementWed Jul 12 2023 - 18:09
UN warns of ‘devastating impact’ as Iraq’s marshlands in danger of drying Alarming fall in water levels in Euphrates and Tigris rivers during worst heat wave for 40 yearsTue Jul 11 2023 - 16:58
Jenin residents remain defiant as they pick up the pieces of lives shattered by Israel’s latest invasionAt least 12 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli operation, including five aged under 18, and 143 were injured, of whom 20 are in a critical conditionThu Jul 06 2023 - 16:23
Jenin: a martyrs’ capital and a hornets’ nestCity has become the main West Bank stronghold of Palestian resistanceMon Jul 03 2023 - 16:52
Recruitment of child soldiers in Syria rising despite fighting winding down – UN report Almost 19,000 children were recruited, killed, maimed, subjected to sexual violence and abducted last year with 7,622 serving as soldiersThu Jun 29 2023 - 19:00
Wagner mutiny unlikely to upset Arab governments’ relations with Russia State-backed private military force has played a significant role in Middle Eastern internal conflicts – particularly in SyriaWed Jun 28 2023 - 14:36
Some 2.5m Muslims converge in Mina valley outside Mecca for annual Hajj pilgrimageOrganising the pilgrimage and the timely performance of rituals for pilgrims from widely different backgrounds is a major logistical enterpriseMon Jun 26 2023 - 20:47
Lebanon’s children facing dire situation, Unicef warnsCrises are ‘breaking their spirits, damaging their mental health and threatening to wipe out their hope for a better future’Thu Jun 22 2023 - 19:00
Saudi high-level visit to Iran first in two decades in effort to promote regional securityRelations between two countries severed in 2016 when Riyadh executed dissident Saudi Shia cleric and Iranian protesters ransacked Saudi embassy in TehranMon Jun 19 2023 - 18:08
EU pledges €2bn in aid at conference of Syria donors Germany promises to provide €1bn in humanitarian assistanceThu Jun 15 2023 - 18:43
Lebanon fails to elect president for 12th time in eight monthsFormer finance minister Jihad Azour received 59 votes while his main rival, Suleiman Frangieh, won 51 and 15 MPs cast protest ballotsWed Jun 14 2023 - 14:38
Iran’s hypersonic missile could be a game-changer in the Middle EastThe new weapon could give Tehran a military advantage over international and regional foesSat Jun 10 2023 - 19:16
Antony Blinken arrives in Riyadh amid efforts to restore strategic co-operationUS Secretary of State to discuss durable ceasefire in Sudanese conflict and an end to conflict in YemenTue Jun 06 2023 - 17:57
Efforts to restore Iran nuclear deal gain momentumRegional tensions have eased since March when China brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi ArabiaFri Jun 02 2023 - 19:00
Kurds in Syria fear threatened Turkish offensive following Erdogan’s re-election President stoked ethnic Turkish nationalism during campaign, and many are worried he may reconcile with Syrian leader Bashar al-AssadTue May 30 2023 - 16:49
Taliban may end ban on women working for aid agencies in AfghanistanLeadership is finalising guidelines on reversing the prohibition, according to the Norwegian Refugee CouncilWed May 24 2023 - 19:14
First Arab woman astronaut reaches space stationRayyanah Barnawi’s flight to stardom follows the lifting of some Saudi restrictions on women, but others remain in forceMon May 22 2023 - 20:55
For Syrians in survival mode, there’s always the sunTimes are hard, but there is a refusal to be crushed by adversitySun May 21 2023 - 20:45
Could Friday’s summit be Arab League’s first major transformational gathering in 20 years? Summit will determine if Saudi Arabia succeeds in steering the Arab world toward independent policies rather than following Washington’s leadThu May 18 2023 - 15:36
US ‘war on terror’ has resulted in death toll of at least 4.5m, says reportResearch focuses on ‘many kinds of deaths’ in conflicts since 9/11 attacks of 2001Wed May 17 2023 - 17:10
Erdogan’s bid for re-election rejected in north CyprusMainlanders and Turkish Cypriots overwhelmed by economic distress imported from TurkeyTue May 16 2023 - 19:00
UN marks the 75th anniversary of Palestinians’ mass displacementHistoric commemoration of what Palestinians call al-Nakba, the Catastrophe, that followed Israel's establishmentMon May 15 2023 - 17:51
Sweet victory: How chocolate-makers overcame the Syrian warTheir factory was destroyed in fighting, but a Damascus couple’s perseverance has paid offTue May 09 2023 - 14:43
Syria faces obstacles to normalisation despite return to Arab LeagueArab League members hosting refugees are eager for Syrians to return homeMon May 08 2023 - 16:02
Amid shifting regional relations, Iran president visits Syria to solidify ties Ebrahim Raisi hails Bashir al-Assad for overcoming sanctions and achieving ‘victory’ in Syria’s civil warThu May 04 2023 - 12:36
Momentum builds for Syrian return to Arab LeaguePolitical rehabilitation of Assad regime continues despite EU and US sanctionsTue May 02 2023 - 19:00
Aleppines are tough traders who know how to survive, but their situation is perilousLooming over Aleppo’s trading hub, the city’s citadel is a symbol of strength after surviving warfare and recent earthquakesMon May 01 2023 - 13:42
Survival and solidarity in Aleppo after earthquakes’ devastating whims February’s earthquakes brought death and suffering to a city previously afflicted by war, now people there are striving to rebuild livesWed Apr 26 2023 - 13:16
Scars of war and children at play on the road from Damascus to AleppoSyria Letter: As the fasting month of Ramadan ends, conflict is temporarily forgottenSun Apr 23 2023 - 16:39
Road to Damascus is paved with good intentionsA journey from Lebanon to Syria tells a tale of two countries united in adversityThu Apr 20 2023 - 19:00
Syrian regime makes effort to end diplomatic isolationMeetings with Saudi and Tunisian ministers could lead to end of suspension from Arab LeagueWed Apr 19 2023 - 14:27
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman intensifies efforts as peacebroker Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh visit kingdom while Saudis aid prisoner swap between Yemeni factions and seek accord on overturning Syria’s suspension from Arab LeagueMon Apr 17 2023 - 17:44
Poison gas attacks on Iranian schoolgirls resume amid hijab crackdownMore than 7,000 children poisoned in incidents across country since last NovemberThu Apr 13 2023 - 16:19
UN warns of ‘appalling choice’ after Taliban bans female staffUN agencies provide basic health, shelter and food aid to 28.3 million Afghans, more than half the populationWed Apr 12 2023 - 19:00
Peace talks raise hopes of end to eight-year Yemen warHouthi rebel leaders are reported to have reached agreement with Saudi officials, writes Michael JansenTue Apr 11 2023 - 16:53
Iranian clerics adopt plan to pressurise women to wear hijabsCompliance to be monitored and rule breakers finedMon Apr 10 2023 - 18:27
Talks on reconciliation between Syria and Turkey described as ‘frank and direct’Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov urges flexibilityWed Apr 05 2023 - 15:27
Saudi Arabia to end Syria’s regional isolation with invitation for Assad to attend summitAssad’s presence at summit will revoke Syria’s suspension after crackdown on 2011 Arab Spring protestsMon Apr 03 2023 - 18:05
Saudi Arabia agrees to join Shanghai Co-operation Organisation as ‘dialogue partner’Decision seen to tighten ties to Beijing and strengthen Riyadh’s pivot eastThu Mar 30 2023 - 15:13
Iraq election law poses threat to small parties and independents Amendments adopted by parliament favour large parties and blocsTue Mar 28 2023 - 18:15
Saudi Arabia and Syria ‘close’ to reopening embassies Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed by Riyadh in 2012Fri Mar 24 2023 - 17:45
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party delivers election blow to ErdoganDecision not to run a candidate boosts prospects of opposition ahead of May pollThu Mar 23 2023 - 15:58
Saudi and Iranian reconciliation may bring Syria back into the foldRepaired relations could facilitate further regional agreementsTue Mar 21 2023 - 16:18
Washington’s victory in Iraq did not liberate but imprisoned the country in warfareTwo decades after the US war on Iraq began, the disastrous consequences of the conflict are still being feltSun Mar 19 2023 - 16:00
Lebanon’s central bank governor facing corruption charges as financial crisis intensifies Riad Salameh, his brother Raja, and an assistant accused of misappropriating $350 million from the sale of bank assetsThu Mar 16 2023 - 16:06
Iran pardons 22,000 detained during protestsProtesters must apologise and pledge not to repeat actions which led to detentionTue Mar 14 2023 - 16:56
