Middle East
345,000 Gazans face ‘catastrophic’ hunger: UN
Some 345,000 Gazans face “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter after aid deliveries fell, a UN-backed assessment said yesterday, warning of the persistent risk of famine across the Palestinian territory.
Bangladesh to initiate safe return of citizens from Lebanon
The government has taken an initiative to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshis in phases, who got stuck in troubled Lebanon, with the first batch's likely arrival on October 21
Israeli air strikes hit Beirut, south Lebanon
An Israeli airstrike yesterday destroyed the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon, killing the mayor and at least five others as they met to coordinate aid for those suffering from war.
Strikes hits south Beirut after Israeli military evacuation order
Strikes hit south Beirut on Wednesday, an AFP journalist saw, less than an hour after the Israeli military ordered residents to leave part of the Lebanese capital
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 50 Palestinians
Israeli military strikes killed at least 50 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces tightened their squeeze around Jabalia in the north of the enclave yesterday, amid fierce battles with Hamas-led fighters.
Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli targets
Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli naval base yesterday, a day after a drone strike killed four soldiers in the deadliest attack on Israel since the war in Lebanon began.
Israel steps up military pressure in north Gaza
Palestinian medics said yesterday that at least 10 people were killed and 30 injured by Israeli tank shells that hit a food distribution centre in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, with casualties including women and children.
IMAGES OF LIVING THINGS in afghanistan / Taliban vow to enforce media ban
Afghanistan’s Taliban morality ministry yesterday pledged to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced.
Must not lose sight of two-state solution: Merkel on Israel-Palestine conflict
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday implored Israel not to “lose sight” of the need to establish a Palestinian state, as she wrapped up a two-day farewell visit.
UAE, Syria agree to enhance economic cooperation
The United Arab Emirates’ economy ministry said on Sunday that the Gulf state and Syria had agreed on future plans to enhance economic cooperation and explore new sectors.
Record low voter turnout mars Iraqi parliamentary polls
Turnout hit a record low for parliamentary elections in war-scarred Iraq, early figures showed yesterday, amid widespread disillusionment about a political elite seen as inept and corrupt.
More News
Iraq has captured the alleged finance chief of the Islamic State group, Sami Jasim al-Jaburi, who was sought by the United States, in an operation abroad, Iraqi authorities said yesterday.
Top leader of Islamic State group arrested: Iraq PM
Iraq said on Monday it has detained a top leader of the Islamic State group and a longtime al-Qaida operative in a cross-border operation.
Iraq election: 41% participation rate, says electoral commission
Initial turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election on Sunday was 41 percent, the electoral commission said, in a sign of dwindling trust in political leaders although participation was not nearly as low as election officials had earlier feared.
Iran reports it has 120 kg of 20pc enriched uranium
Iran has enriched more than 120 kilogrammes of 20-percent enriched uranium, the head of the country’s atomic energy agency said on state television Saturday evening.
Five killed in Yemen blast targeting Aden governor
Five people have been killed in a car-bomb attack targeting the governor of Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government,
Car bomb targeting officials leaves 4 dead in Aden, sources say
A car bomb targeting the governor's convoy shook Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Sunday killing at least four people, a Reuters witness and a security source said.
Voting begins in Iraq's general elections
Iraq closed its airspace and land border crossings on Sunday as voters headed to the polls to elect a parliament that many hope will deliver much needed reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement.