The Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a wedding party in Kabul on Saturday night in which at least 63 people were killed. A statement by the militant group posted on an IS-linked website on Sunday said a Pakistani IS fighter seeking martyrdom targeted the large […]

Ever since the upsurge of popular unrest – the so-called “Arab Spring” – erupted in the Middle East just over eight years ago, the region has undergone profound change. In many cases authoritarian rule was never seriously challenged. In other places it was restored quickly, as in the case of Egypt, or more slowly and […]

Qatar-based network welcomes move, says it hopes Sudan will support media freedom and protection of journalists. Authorities in Sudan have allowed the reopening of Al Jazeera Media Network’s office in the capital, more than two months after ordering its closure during months-long pro-democracy demonstrations in the country. Security officers in late May had informed Al Jazeera […]

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has rejected Israel’s offer to allow her to make a “humanitarian” visit to her grandmother in the occupied West Bank. Ms Tlaib said that she could not comply with the “oppressive conditions” being imposed. A critic of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, she had been blocked by Israel from making an […]

Israel is blocking two US Democratic lawmakers and prominent critics of Israel from visiting. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib were due to visit the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem next week. Both have supported the boycott movement against Israel and Israeli law allows supporters of the campaign to be banned from visiting. President Trump […]

The opposition-held province of Idlib in north-western Syria could become the scene of the final, and perhaps bloodiest, showdown between the government and armed groups seeking its overthrow. The UN says the result could be a humanitarian catastrophe. What’s so important about Idlib? The province, along with adjoining parts of northern Hama and western Aleppo, […]

A Turkish military base is a designated ‘active military zone’ but from next year it will be an open-air museum. Turkey’s government is encouraging tourists to visit an ancient city which was controlled by fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group, not so long ago. The ancient city […]

A crisis has erupted between Iran and Western countries – in particular the UK and US – after a series of incidents in and around the Gulf, a strategically important waterway in the Middle East. Both sides are blaming the other and there are fears it could lead to war. What is the crisis about? […]

The image of the Singapore flag projected on the facades of the world-renowned Burj Khalifa and Dubai Festival City Mall(far left) last Friday to celebrate Singapore’s National Day. The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai also conveyed National Day greetings on electronic road signs, according to a Facebook post by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs […]

WASHINGTON — After 18 years of war, the United States is once again preparing to unveil a plan for peace in Afghanistan. Months of dialogue between American diplomats and the Taliban have yielded a framework agreement that is expected to be announced in days. That agreement, in turn, seeks to smooth a path for direct […]