Middle East

FILE - People supporting Iranian women hold a banner at the stands during the group B match between Morocco and Iran at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the St. Petersburg Stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 15, 2018.
Middle East
Allow Iranian Women to Attend Matches, Says Asian Soccer Official
Iranian women have long been barred from watching men's teams play
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By Reuters
August 20, 2019
FILE - People hold signs reading "Stop executions in Egypt" during a demonstration against death penalties in Egypt, in front of the Egyptian consulate in Istanbul, March 2, 2019.
Middle East
UN Postpones Conference on Torture After Rights Groups' Criticism
Rights activists were outraged by the UN decision to hold the conference in Cairo, saying President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has presided over the worst crackdown on freedoms in Egypt's modern history
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By Reuters
August 20, 2019
Smoke billows during pro-regime bombardments in the area of Maar Hitat in Syria's northern Idlib province, Aug. 20, 2019.
Extremism Watch
As Fighting Intensifies, Islamist Militants Leave Key Town in Syria's Idlib
Pullout comes after days of intense bombardment by Syrian and Russian warplanes targeting rebel positions inside the town of Khan Sheikhoun and nearby villages
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By Sirwan Kajjo
August 20, 2019
Murzuq, Libya
Middle East
Scores of Civilians Killed, Injured in Libyan Oasis Town
Airstrikes by planes and drones, indiscriminate rocket attacks, shelling, and ground fighting also have displaced thousands in Murzuq
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By Lisa Schlein
August 20, 2019
Two Israeli Sa'ar 5 class corvettes (L) and the U.S. Navy's USS Donald Cook guided missile destroyer (R) are seen during an exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 7, 2019.
Middle East
Israeli, US Militaries Simulate Ship Hijacking Amid Tensions
Drill, held last Wednesday, comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran in the Persian Gulf
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By Associated Press
August 20, 2019
Fighters from a militia known as the Security Belt, that is funded and armed by the United Arab Emirates, head to the frontline in an area called Moreys, in Yemen's Dhale province, Aug. 5, 2019.
Middle East
Yemeni Separatists, Government Forces Clash in South
The fighting between the two sides — ostensible allies in the Saudi-led coalition that for years has been fighting Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, based in the north — has added another layer to the complex civil war in the Arab world's most impoverished country
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By Associated Press
August 20, 2019
A crew member checks the new name of Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya, formerly known as Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar.
USA
US Warns Against 'Facilitating' Freed Iranian Tanker
The State Department message follows decision by Gibraltar to free the Adrian Darya 1 despite US objections
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By VOA News
August 20, 2019