Middle East
Israel presses on with Gaza bombardments, including in areas where it told civilians to flee
Israeli warplanes have struck parts of the Gaza Strip in relentless bombardments including some of the dwindling slivers of land Palestinians had been told to evacuate to in the territory鈥檚 south.
Six Palestinians are killed in the Israeli military鈥檚 latest West Bank raid, health officials say
Palestinian health officials say Israeli forces stormed into a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank to arrest Palestinian militants and unleashed fighting with local gunmen in which six Palestinians were killed.
Observers see OPEC 鈥榩anicking鈥� as COP28 climate talks focus on possible fossil fuel phase-out
Veteran climate negotiation observers say the oil industry is starting to sweat as United Nations climate talks heat up and threaten to plug fossil fuel-belching wells for good.
A rocket attack targets the US Embassy in Baghdad, causing minor damage but no casualties
U.S. and Iraqi officials say a rocket attack at the sprawling U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has caused minor damage but no casualties.
Protests during UN climate talks have 鈥渟hocking level of censorship鈥�
Protesters at the United Nations鈥� COP28 climate summit are demonstrating for several causes, but all are limited in what they can say, where they can go and what their signs can portray.
On sidelines of COP28, Emirati 鈥榞reen city鈥� falls short of ambitions, but still delivers lessons
A bold, innovative project begun nearly a generation ago to erect a 鈥済reen-city鈥� in the United Arab Emirates has run into realities and largely missed its mark.
2023 in books: Protests, bannings and the rise of AI helped shape the story of publishing
The publishing world made plenty of news in 2023, but not only because of the books themselves. Bannings continued to soar in the U.S., the Middle East war impacted everything from authors events to the National Book Awards and numerous authors took legal action in the hopes of containing AI.
Israeli troops round up Palestinian men in northern Gaza as UN warns aid operation is 鈥榠n tatters鈥�
Desperate Palestinians fleeing Israel鈥檚 expanding ground offensive crowded into an ever-shrinking area of the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third month.
Saudi Royal Air Force F-15SA fighter jet crashes, killing 2 crew members aboard
A Saudi Royal Air Force F-15SA fighter jet has crashed, killing its two crew members on board. The state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting military spokesperson Brig. Gen.
Journalists鈥� rights group counts 94 media workers killed this year, most of them in Gaza
The International Federation of Journalists says 2023 has been an unprecedented year for the number of media workers killed on the job.
Families had long dialogue after Pittsburgh synagogue attack. Now they鈥檝e unveiled a memorial design
Preliminary designs are being released for an outdoor memorial to the 11 victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack.
Putin continues his blitz round of Mideast diplomacy by hosting the Iranian president
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in the Kremlin. That meetings continues a blitz round of Middle East diplomacy a day after he visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Rights groups file legal challenge with UK court, urging a halt on British arms exports to Israel
Legal and human rights groups have filed a legal challenge with Britain鈥檚 High Court, calling for the U.K. to stop granting licenses for weapons exports to Israel.
A Danish court orders a British financier to remain in pre-trial custody on tax fraud
A British hedge fund trader extradited from the United Arab Emirates to Denmark where he was wanted for allegedly orchestrating a more than 9 billion kroner ($1.3 billion) tax fraud has been ordered to remain in custody until his Jan. 3 trial.
Rights groups say Israeli strikes on journalists in Lebanon were likely deliberate
Two international human rights groups say two Israeli strikes that killed a Reuters videographer and wounded six other journalists in south Lebanon nearly two months ago were apparently deliberate and a direct attack on civilians.
Live updates | Widening Israeli offensive in southern Gaza worsens dire humanitarian conditions
The Israeli military hit Rafah in southern Gaza overnight, residents say, as United Nations officials warn there are no safe places left in the besieged territory.
Desperation grows among Palestinians trapped with little aid as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza
Israeli forces struck the southern Gaza town of Rafah twice overnight, sowing fear in one of the last places where civilians can seek refuge.
Who are the Houthis and why hasn鈥檛 the US retaliated for their attacks on ships in the Middle East?
When Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched missiles and hit three commercial ships in the Red Sea, it triggered an immediate question: Will the U.S. military strike back?
Climate talks shift into high gear. Now words and definitions matter at COP28
The mood is about to shift, the hours grow longer and the already high sense of urgency somehow amp up even more as United Nations climate talks head into its final week.
In 2023, calamities of war and disaster were unleashed again on an unsettled Middle East
War and natural disasters ravaged an increasingly unsettled Middle East throughout 2023, further straining countries already hit by worsening economic conditions and affected by extreme weather fueled by climate change.
UN chief uses rare power to warn Security Council of impending 鈥榟umanitarian catastrophe鈥� in Gaza
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has used a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending 鈥渉umanitarian catastrophe鈥� in Gaza and urged its members to demand an immediate cease-fire.
Senior UN official denounces 鈥榖latant disregard鈥� in Israel-Hamas war after many UN sites are hit
The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says there鈥檚 no safe haven in Gaza for civilians 鈥� not even U.N. shelters and 鈥渟afe zones鈥� designated by Israel.
The Justice Department is investigating the deaths and kidnappings of Americans in the Hamas attack
Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department is investigating the deaths and kidnappings of Americans during the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7.
Cargo ship breaks down in Egypt鈥檚 Suez Canal and crashes into a bridge. Traffic is not disrupted
Egyptian authorities say a cargo ship broke down in the Suez Canal and crashes into a bridge over the crucial waterway.
Hanukkah message of light in darkness feels uniquely relevant to US Jews amid war and antisemitism
Preparing for Hanukkah feels uniquely somber yet defiant this year for the Jewish communities in and around Miami Beach.
Activists say their voices are stifled by increasing rules and restrictions at COP28 climate talks
This year鈥檚 United Nations climate talks may have seen record numbers registered to attend, but activists who have spent years demonstrating at the annual event say their space to voice their demands is shrinking year on year.
Iran arrests a popular singer after he was handed over by police in Turkey
Iranian media say authorities have arrested a popular singer who had criticized the government after he was handed over by police in Turkey.
Iran says it sent a capsule capable of carrying animals into orbit as it prepares for human missions
Iran says it sent a capsule into orbit capable of carrying animals as it prepares for human missions in coming years.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas rages in Gaza鈥檚 second-largest city, blocking aid from population
Israeli troops say they are battling Hamas militants in the center of the Gaza Strip鈥檚 second-largest city, Khan Younis.
After a fast start, COP28 climate talks now in murky middle of hope, roadblocks
After a first-day blur of rare quick action and agreement, negotiators at a critical United Nations climate conference Wednesday are finishing up their first week in a more familiar place for them: the murky middle where momentum and roadblocks intertwine.
Russia鈥檚 Putin is visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seeking to bolster Moscow鈥檚 Mideast clout
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a one-day lightning tour intended to raise Russia鈥檚 profile as a Middle East power broker, even as his war Ukraine grinds on.
UN food agency stops deliveries to millions in Yemen areas controlled by Houthi rebels
The United Nations food agency says it鈥檚 stopping food distribution in areas of war-torn Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, a move that will impact millions of people.
In a rare action against Israel, US says extremist West Bank settlers will be barred from America
In a rare punitive move against Israel, the State Department says it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
At COP28 summit, activists and officials voice concern over Gaza鈥檚 environment, devastated by war
As leaders, officials and activists descend on Dubai for United Nations climate talks to discuss saving Earth, another environmental crisis is nearby.
Streisand talks acting, music and destiny after release of her memoir 鈥楳y Name is Barbra鈥�
Her book is called 鈥楳y Name is Barbra鈥� and it runs nearly 1,000 pages. You expected less from Barbra Streisand?
Senior EU official warns of huge security risk in Europe over Christmas as Israel-Hamas war rages
European Union Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson is warning that Europe faces 鈥渁 huge risk of terrorist attacks鈥� over the Christmas holiday period.