Middle Orient

UN warns Iraq risks disintegration BAGHDAD, June 17, (Agencies): Fighting erupted at the northern approaches to Baghdad Tuesday as Iraq accused Saudi Arabia of backing militants who have seized swathes of territory in an offensive the UN says threatens its very existence. Washington deployed some 275 military personnel to protect …

Status will be known after probe LAGOS, June 17, (AFP): Nigeria’s military said on Tuesday that they had detained more than 460 people travelling from the country’s north to the south, reportedly on suspicion of being Boko Haram members. Army spokesman Brigadier General Olajide Laleye said 462 people, including eight …

Kenyatta says politics not insurgents behind attacks MPEKETONI, Kenya, June 17, (RTRS): Somali-linked Islamist militants killed at least 15 people and torched houses in a second night of attacks on Kenya’s coast. Kenya’s president shifted blame to domestic rivals on Tuesday for two attacks that killed 65 people on the …

KARACHI, June 17, (AFP): Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific is to suspend flights to and from Pakistan, officials said Tuesday, following last week’s brazen attack on Karachi airport which left 38 people dead including the 10 attackers. “The airline is ceasing its operations in Pakistan for an indefinite time for both …

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is heading back to Middle East for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders that peace talks hit a point of critical make-or-break.

The Geneva negotiation process is “crucial for achieving a genuine political transition in Syria,” the EU and US stated in a joint statement after their summit in Brussels Wednesday afternoon. “The onus is on the Syrian regime to engage constructively with the process and take part in

US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II Wednesday in a fresh bid to keep his Middle East peace bid on track, amid fears Israel may renege on a vow to free Palestinian prisoners.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish fighter jets had shot down a Syrian warplane which had violated its airspace on Sunday. Addressing his supporters at a rally on Sunday, Erdogan congratulated his air force on its actions on Sunday and

Hard—line Islamic rebels captured a small town in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border as part of their offensive in the rugged coastal region that is a bastion of support for President Bashar Assad, activists said Monday. Fighters from an array of armed opposition groups, including the al—Qaida—linked Nusra Front, …

Shootouts between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad died down in Tripoli, northern Lebanon on Friday after heavy fighting in the past 24 hours, three deaths.