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Middle East

Israel to transfer tax funds to Palestinians
Israel says it is transferring tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority that were frozen last year. A government statement on Wednesday says it is ...
Iran Zoroastrians celebrate ancient feast of fire
Followers of Iran's minority Zoroastrian religion gathered after sunset to mark Sadeh — an ancient mid-winter feast dating to Iran's pre-Islamic past ...
Senate confirms Kerry nomination for State Dept.
The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Barack Obama's choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, with Republicans and ...
Egypt army chief warns state could collapse
Residents of this Mediterranean coastal city burying their dead from Egypt's wave of political violence vented their fury at Egypt's Islamist ...
Peace envoy says Syria is 'being destroyed'
The international envoy to Syria told the Security Council on Tuesday that "Syria is being destroyed bit by bit" and his mediation effort cannot go ...
Who's who in Egypt's latest political crisis
Following are the main players in Egypt's latest political crisis, which began around the time of the second anniversary of the start of the uprising ...
Syrian activists say 65 bodies found in Aleppo
The bodies of at least 65 people, some with hands tied behind their backs, were found in Syria's northern city of Aleppo Tuesday as the government and ...
Sunday Times apologizes 'unreservedly' for cartoon
The acting editor of Rupert Murdoch's Sunday Times newspaper apologized "unreservedly" on Tuesday for a cartoon depicting Israeli leader Benjamin ...
Egypt clashes spill into landmark Cairo hotel
Looters broke into a Nile-side luxury hotel in the Egyptian capital early Tuesday, taking advantage of clashes in the streets outside to trash shops ...
UN seeks major aid boost for Syrian 'catastrophe'
International aid officials are framing their latest gathering on Syria's humanitarian crises in terms not seen in the region since the height of the ...
Yemen seizes ship carrying weapons
Yemeni authorities have seized a ship in the nation's territorial waters carrying explosives and weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, the state ...
Egypt cruise ship runs aground, all aboard safe
Egyptian police officials say a cruise ship has run aground on the Nile River near the southern city of Aswan, but all 120 people aboard survived.
Israel central bank chief to step down in June
The governor of Israel's central bank, widely credited with steering the nation's economy safely through years of world financial turmoil, resigned ...
Graham threatens to block Hagel pick over Libya
A Republican senator is threatening to block the nomination of Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon unless Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testifies about ...
Palestinian fighter, rebel dies in Damascus
A hard-line Palestinian military commander who rebelled against leader Yasser Arafat to form his own rival party died in Damascus on Tuesday, ...
Israel is a no-show at its UN human rights review
Israel became the first nation to skip a U.N. review of its human rights record without giving a reason — and then won a precedent-setting deferral ...
Turkish police release footage of missing US woman
The husband of a New York City woman who went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul was interviewed by police Tuesday in hopes of helping the ...
Obama authorizes $155 million more in aid to Syria
President Barack Obama authorized an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid for the Syrian people Tuesday, as his administration grapples for a ...
UN: Syrian refugees overwhelm Jordan camp
A wave of 21,000 Syrian refugees in the past week, moving into northern Jordan at about five times the usual daily rate, has overwhelmed this crowded ...
Tunisia beefs up security at desert oil sites
Tunisia is reinforcing the security around its oil and gas facilities in this North African country's southern deserts following an attack in Algeria, ...
Israel angered over Argentina-Iran bombing probe
Israel summoned the Argentinian ambassador on Tuesday in protest over an agreement between Iran and Argentina to jointly investigate the bombing 19 ...
Israel's comatose Sharon shows brain activity
Seven years after a massive stroke removed him from office and left him in a vegetative state, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is able to ...
Soldier who lost 4 limbs has double-arm transplant
On Facebook, he describes himself as a "wounded warrior...very wounded." Brendan Marrocco was the first soldier to survive losing all four limbs in ...
Masked 'Black Bloc' a mystery in Egypt unrest
An unpredictable new element has entered Egypt's wave of political unrest: a mysterious group of masked young men called the Black Bloc who present ...
White House: Egypt's democracy on 'difficult path'
Egypt is on a "difficult path" to a peaceful democracy, the White House said Monday as months of lukewarm political support for the conservative ...