middle-east

Pope Invites Israeli, Palestinian Leaders to Vatican for Peace Talks

Kelly Conaboy · 05/25/14 10:45AM

At the end of an outdoor Mass on Sunday in the West Bank, Pope Francis invited the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to travel to the Vatican for a "peace initiative." It was the second day of his three-day trip to the Middle East.

Anthony Is Dead

Nathan Deuel · 01/18/14 12:27PM

It was one of the first warm evenings of spring when my new neighbor Steve—leaning over his balcony and through the bougainvillea—suggested we should take the kids to Faraya, a ski town a few hours from what was starting to look like a war in Syria.

Middle East Embassy Shutdown Extended Over "Credible Threat"

Max Read · 08/05/13 07:47AM

Prompted by intercepted "chatter" of terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, U.S. embassies across the Middle East and North Africa will be shut down through August 10—an extension of yesterday's previously announced closure and a global travel alert from the State Department.

Obama Kicks off Historic Mideast Trip with First State Visit to Israel

Maggie Lange · 03/20/13 08:13AM

President Obama arrived in Israel today on his first state trip to the country and the first leg of his tour of the Middle East. He is expected to discuss the crisis in Syria and Iran's disputed nuclear program with the leaders of Israel. He also plans to go to the West Bank on Thursday to meet with Palestinian officials, but there are not many expectations for progress towards peace.

Algerian Military Allegedly Kills 34 Hostages, Including Americans, in Botched Helicopter Strike (Updates)

Max Read · 01/17/13 08:55AM

Algerian militants are claiming that as many as 34 hostages, including at least six foreigners, and 15 of their kidnappers were killed on Thursday in a helicopter attack undertaken by the Algerian military as the hostages were being moved to another location. A day earlier, 41 foreigners — including Norwegian, Japanese, British and American citizens — and more than 100 Algerians had been kidnapped at a natural gas complex in the southern part of the country. Sources in the British government describe the 34 figure as "high." According to the Algerian military, the operation is "ongoing."

Kim Kardashian Kasually Kaused a Kerfuffle in the Middle East

MTanzer · 12/02/12 10:03AM

Famous sex tape lady Kim Kardashian just wrapped up her trip to the Middle East. No, she wasn't there to educate herself on worldly matters or to solve any crises, Ms. K was there to open a couple branches of the L.A. chain Millions of Milkshakes. Some of her fans apparently paid up to $1,200 to attend her appearance at a mall.

13 Powerful Images of Muslim Rage

Max Read · 09/17/12 11:19AM

"MUSLIM RAGE," screams Newsweek's new cover story about last week's violent anti-American protests. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the well-known anti-Islam activist, is here to tell "us" (The_West) how to "end it." And it's true, isn't it? All Muslims are constantly raging about everything. So to pay tribute to Ali's article — which describes the protesters as "the mainstream of contemporary Islam" — and the subtle, smart cover that accompanies it, we've collected 13 striking, powerful images of MUSLIM RAGE.

Iraqi Militants Stone 14 Emo Kids to Death

Louis Peitzman · 03/10/12 01:10PM


American emo kids who think they have it rough should take note of this story out of Iraq: at least 14 young people have been stoned to death over the past three weeks, apparently for wearing "emo" clothes and haircuts.

Saudi Arabian Writer Faces Possible Execution Over Tweets

Danny Gold · 02/10/12 10:57PM

Hamza Kashgari, a writer from Saudi Arabia, thought he was simply tweeting a few observations about his love and respect for the Prophet Muhammad. Instead, he might have been securing his own death sentence.