BEIRUT, Lebanon — Banks across Lebanon have shut their doors this week to protect employees from angry customers demanding their dollars. So that anger has been redirected at the A.T.M.s outside, which are also refusing to give out dollars regardless of how much customers have in their accounts. “I want my dollars,” Sonia Badran, a […]

JERUSALEM — Hamas, the militant group that runs the Gaza Strip, has been trying for over a year to keep a lid on its conflict with Israel, to improve the abysmal quality of life for the two million Palestinians under its control, and to keep millions of dollars in cash coming in each month from […]

The Yarsan faith is of one of the oldest in the Middle East. Also known as Ahl-e Haqq (People of the Truth), it is estimated to have between one and three million followers in Iran, most of whom live in western, predominantly Kurdish provinces. Another 120,000 to 150,000 live in Iraq, where they are commonly […]

Despite India-Pakistan tensions, hometown of Sikhism’s founder draws thousands of Sikhs from India and around the world. Nankana Sahib, Pakistan – When Sikh devotee Gurmit Singh crossed the Indian border to visit Sikhism’s holiest sites in Pakistan this month, he set out on the journey alone. At 67, Gurmit Singh had hoped his family in the […]

Mystery surrounds the death of a former British soldier who backed Syria’s White Helmets rescue group after his body was found in the street days after the Kremlin accused him of being an MI6 agent with terrorist connections. James Le Mesurier (48) is thought to have fallen from a balcony at his Istanbul home. British […]

Three members of a theatre group have been stabbed during a live performance in Saudi Arabia, reports say. Video posted on social media appeared to show a man wielding a knife rushing into performers on stage at the King Abdullah Park in the capital, Riyadh. He was chased and tackled by another man as performers […]

IAEA confirms Tehran’s announcement last week that it began refining uranium, while EU considers reimposing sanctions. Iran has begun enriching uranium at its underground Fordow site in the latest breach of its deal with major powers, the United Nations nuclear watchdog confirmed on Monday, adding that Tehran’s enriched uranium stock has continued to grow. Iran […]

The King of Jordan has announced the end of a lease agreement that gave Israelis access to two border enclaves. Under a 1994 peace treaty, Israeli farmers could cultivate land in the Jordanian areas of Naharayim and Tzofar – known as Baqura and Ghamr in Arabic. The lease governing them was for 25 years, but […]

BEIRUT (WASHINGTON POST) – In the month since Turkey intervened to drive US-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters from a broad swathe of northern Syria, proxy forces backed by Ankara have been blamed for a growing ledger of abuses against the local population, residents say, undermining Turkey’s stated goal of creating a “safe zone” for civilians. More […]

Current level exceeds 3.67 percent limit for uranium enrichment set by troubled 2015 nuclear deal. Iran said on Saturday that it is now enriching uranium to five percent, after stepping back from its commitments under the troubled 2015 accord with significant powers. The deal four years ago set a 3.67 percent limit for uranium enrichment, […]