A loud blast rocked northern Tehran near the headquarters of the state broadcasting company in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to security authorities speaking to official state media. The explosion of an unidentified object happened inside Mellat Park, a vast and popular green space in the capital adjacent to the headquarters of Islamic […]

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) – Israel will this year double its supply of water to Jordan and encourage Amman to export more to the Palestinians, Israeli officials said on Thursday (July 8) after a source told Reuters the new Israeli prime minister had secretly met the Jordanian king. Jordan is a key security partner for Israel but […]

VIENNA (REUTERS) – Iran has given notice of concrete steps to produce uranium metal enriched to up to 20 per cent purity for reactor fuel, the UN atomic watchdog said on Tuesday (July 6), describing a move that is likely to anger Western powers in talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal. Iran has been […]

JERUSALEM — In an early setback for Israel’s three-week-old government, it lost a parliamentary vote early on Tuesday to extend a contentious law that effectively bans citizenship or permanent residency for Palestinians from the occupied territories if they marry Israelis. Fifty-nine lawmakers voted in favor and 59 against, in a draw that was not enough […]

DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN (REUTERS) – More than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the border into Tajikistan on Sunday (July 4) after Taleban advances in northern Afghanistan, the Tajik border guard service said, while dozens of others were captured by the insurgents. The crossings underscore a rapidly deteriorating situation in the country as foreign troops near […]

ISMAILIA, Egypt (REUTERS) – The owners and insurers of the Ever Given container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March said on Sunday (July 4) a formal settlement had been agreed in a compensation dispute, and the canal authority said the vessel would be allowed to sail on July 7. The Suez Canal Authority […]

NICOSIA (REUTERS) – Four people were found dead as a huge fire raged for a second day in Cyprus, razing tracts of forest in a blaze one official called the worst on record. The blaze, fanned by strong winds, affected at least 10 communities over an area of 50 sq km in the foothills of […]

JEDDAH (NYTIMES) – A commercial ship that was previously owned by an Israeli-led company was attacked in the Indian Ocean on Saturday (July 3) in what appeared to be the latest tit-for-tat in a shadowy regional conflict between Israel and Iran. The ship, which had been owned until recently by Zodiac Maritime, a London-based company […]

MOSUL, Iraq — The palm trees were the last straw. In a UNESCO competition to restore Mosul’s most famous landmarks, there they were, in the winning design. Neither the palms nor the Gulf-style design are indigenous to the historic city, Iraqi architects complained. At stake were not only the $50,000 award and the contract for […]

BAGHDAD (REUTERS) – Thousands of Iraqi paramilitary fighters, including powerful Iran-backed factions, marched at a military base in eastern Iraq on Saturday (June 26) showcasing tanks and rocket launchers in their biggest formal parade to date. The event, attended by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, marked seven years since the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) were […]