A human rights activist who wrote about his experiences as a Coptic Christian in Egypt has gone on trial on the charge of spreading false news. Patrick George Zaki is a researcher on gender issues for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). He was arrested in February 2020 at Cairo airport upon his return […]
By Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East Editor, Helmand The interior of the house made of mud bricks was cool, clean and calm. A man called Shamsullah, who had a small son clinging to his leg, ushered his visitors into the room where they received guests. A rug covered the floor and cushions ran along the […]
Syrian civil war At least 350,209 people have been killed in 10 years of war in Syria, the UN says in its first official death toll since 2014. Its human rights chief cautioned the figure is “certainly an under-count of the actual number of killings”. A leading but unofficial UK-based monitoring group recently put the […]
Israel’s army says it has recaptured the final two of a six man Palestinian group who tunnelled out of a high-security jail almost two weeks ago. The pair – both members of militant group Islamic Jihad – were arrested after being surrounded by security forces in the West Bank city of Jenin, Israel’s Defense Forces said. […]
Four convoys carrying Iranian fuel have arrived in Lebanon under an initiative by the militant group Hezbollah to ease the country’s crippling energy crisis. Eighty lorries with 4m litres (1.1m gallons) of diesel on board crossed the border from Syria, where a tanker is docked, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said. The fuel is being imported via […]
Iran nuclear deal Iran has agreed to allow the UN nuclear watchdog to service cameras used to monitor Iranian nuclear sites. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors will also be allowed to replace the cameras’ memory cards, and they will be kept in Iran. Iran had previously said it would only hand over camera […]
Four of the six Palestinian inmates who escaped from a high-security jail earlier this week have been captured, Israeli police say. Two were found at a car park in the early hours of Saturday, police said. The other pair was seized near the city of Nazareth on Friday. A manhunt was launched on Monday after the […]
Israeli troops searching for six Palestinian militants who escaped from a high-security prison have reportedly detained several of their relatives. Five members of Mahmoud Ardah, Munadil Infaat and Mohammed Ardah’s families were taken into custody overnight, a Palestinian prisoners group said. The arrests happened in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank, it added. […]
Yemen crisis Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted three missiles and three drones fired by Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen. One was destroyed over the eastern city of Dammam, where falling shrapnel injured two children and damaged buildings, the defence ministry said. The Houthis – who frequently mount such cross-border attacks – said they […]
Coronavirus pandemic Israel’s booster vaccination programme – offering a third shot to over-40s – has begun to show signs of success. But the country’s recent spike in cases has ignited debate about the future of the vaccination programme and the ongoing pandemic. It had virtually returned to normal life by this spring, cases stayed low […]
