Category: Middle East

Syrian President Sworn in for Fourth Term in War-Torn Country

DAMASCUS, Syria—Syrian President Bashar Assad was sworn in Saturday for a fourth seven-year term in the war-torn country. The May elections were described by the West and Assad’s opposition as illegitimate and a sham. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the presidential palace and attended by clergymen, members of parliament, political figures, and army officers….


Officials, Taliban Strike Ceasefire Deal in Western Afghanistan, Says Provincial Governor

KABUL—Government officials in a western Afghan province said on July 15 that they had negotiated “an indefinite ceasefire” with the Taliban to prevent further attacks on the capital of the province. The move came after the terrorist group secured complete control over all the districts in Badghis Province, reflecting wider gains by the Taliban over…


Lebanon’s PM-designate Steps Down After Months of Deadlock

BEIRUT—Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stepped down Thursday, citing “key differences” with the president after nine months of political wrangling that failed to put together a government for the crisis-ridden country. The development is likely to plunge Lebanon further into chaos and uncertainty amid an unprecedented economic breakdown—and also dim prospects for a recovery package…


Bush Warns of ‘Consequences’ as US Withdraws From Afghanistan

Former President George W. Bush believes there will be consequences for the United States pulling out of Afghanistan. Bush, a Republican who was responsible for the 2001 invasion of the Middle Eastern country, told Deutsche Welle that withdrawing is a mistake. “Because I think the consequences are going to be unbelievably bad and sad,” he…


FINA Suspends 2 Russian Swimmers for Tokyo Olympics

LAUSANNE, Switzerland—Two Russian swimmers set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics were provisionally suspended on Wednesday for anti-doping violations by world governing body FINA. Alexandr Kudashev and Veronika Popova Andrusenko were suspended based on evidence supplied by the World Anti-Doping Agency, according to FINA. It said the evidence came from WADA’s examination of materials recovered…


Police Raid Bahrain Victorious Team at Tour de France

The Bahrain Victorious team competing at the Tour de France was raided by French police on the eve of Thursday’s stage as part of a doping investigation, according to judicial and police officials. The team confirmed in a statement that riders’ rooms were searched by officers at the hotel it stayed in in the southwestern…


Pakistan Bus Blast Kills 13 Including 9 Chinese

A blast on a bus killed 13 people in north Pakistan on Wednesday, including nine Chinese nationals in what Beijing said was a bomb attack but Islamabad called a vehicle failure. Two Pakistani soldiers were also among the dead after the explosion sent the bus over a ravine, local government and police sources told Reuters….


Biden Names Jeff Flake as Ambassador to Turkey

President Joe Biden will nominate former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake as his ambassador to Turkey, choosing a Republican to lead one of the U.S.’ most important and delicate foreign relationships. Flake, who served as a Arizona senator from 2013 to 2019 and vocally supported Biden over former President Donald Trump, said he was “honored and humbled” in…


Iraqi Health Officials: 64 Dead in Fire at Coronavirus Ward

BAGHDAD—The death toll from a catastrophic blaze that erupted at a coronavirus hospital ward in southern Iraq the previous day rose to 64 on Tuesday, Iraqi medical officials said. Two health officials said more than 100 people were also injured in the fire that torched the coronavirus ward of al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in the city…


Death Toll Rises to 92 in Blaze at Coronavirus Ward in Iraq

NASIRIYAH, Iraq—The death toll from a fire that swept through a hospital coronavirus ward in Iraq climbed to 92 on Tuesday as anguished relatives buried their loved ones and lashed out at the government over the country’s second such disaster in less than three months. Health officials said scores of others were injured in the…