Middle East

The Alawites of Syria, Caught in the Death Corridor
StoryThe Alawites of Syria, Caught in the Death Corridor

Finally, my phone rings. From the depths of the device come harsh, lifeless words—like the bodies piled in the morgues of Jableh, choking the air on the roads of Latakia, or swallowed by yawning pits. Barely are these words spoken, barely written, when a distant, frantic finger on the other end of the line, in Syria, erases them. I ...

Pope out of Danger, Talk Turns to Return Home
Pope out of Danger, Talk Turns to Return Home

Pope Francis was reported to be in good spirits Tuesday after the Vatican declared he was out of danger and could even be discharged in the near future after almost one month in hospital with pneumonia. The 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14 with pneumonia in both lungs and has suffered ...

Israel says Three Palestinian Militants Killed in West Bank
Israel says Three Palestinian Militants Killed in West Bank

The Israeli military said its forces shot dead three Palestinian militants during an operation in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, while Palestinian sources reported a woman killed. During a raid in the areas of Qabatiya and Jenin, Israeli forces "encountered several armed terrorists who had barricaded themselves inside a structure in Jenin," ...

Ukraine, US Discuss Partial Truce in War with Russia
Ukraine, US Discuss Partial Truce in War with Russia

Ukraine and the United States began talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with a partial ceasefire with Russia on the table, just hours after Kyiv conducted a major drone attack targeting the Moscow area. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga were attending the meeting, with President Donald Trump ramping up ...

Ukraine Fires Largest Drone Barrage at Russia
Ukraine Fires Largest Drone Barrage at Russia

Ukrainian drones smashed into high-rise apartment blocks on the outskirts of Moscow in the early hours of Tuesday, with both sides saying it was the largest attack on the Russian capital of the three-year conflict. The Kremlin condemned the attack, which comes just hours before top US and Ukrainian officials sat down for talks in Saudi Arabia and ...

Growing Up Masked: The Psychological Challenges of a Confined Childhood
SpotlightGrowing Up Masked: The Psychological Challenges of a Confined Childhood

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted societies on an unprecedented scale, deeply altering ingrained customs and daily social interactions. Children, navigating crucial phases of their psychological and identity development, were confronted with a world of masked faces, limited social interactions and new anxieties. For infants, the human face is the ...

Arab Nations Condemn Israel's Gaza Electricity Cut
Arab Nations Condemn Israel's Gaza Electricity Cut

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan on Tuesday condemned Israel's decision to cut electricity supply to the war-battered Gaza Strip, calling in separate statements for the international community to take action. Israel announced on Sunday it was disconnecting the only power line to a water desalination plant in Gaza, in an effort to pressure ...

UN Migration Agency in Turmoil after US Aid Freeze
UN Migration Agency in Turmoil after US Aid Freeze

Hit hard by US aid funding cuts, the UN migration agency is battling claims from current and former staff of now pandering to Washington and providing cover for mass deportations. Like many humanitarian agencies, the International Organization for Migration has been reeling since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, ...

Arrest of a Pro-Palestinian Activist From New York's Columbia Sparks Outrage
Arrest of a Pro-Palestinian Activist From New York's Columbia Sparks Outrage

Protesters in New York and rights groups expressed outrage Monday over the arrest of a leader of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, as President Donald Trump vowed further crackdowns. Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate and one of the most prominent faces of the university's high-profile protests, was arrested by US ...

Syrian State Media Reports Israeli Air Strikes in South
Syrian State Media Reports Israeli Air Strikes in South

Syrian state media reported multiple Israeli air strikes in the southern province of Daraa on Monday night. Since the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria. "The Israeli occupation aircraft carried out several strikes on the surroundings of the towns of Jbab and Izraa in ...