Latest Middle East News
Mormon church selects British man who converted to the faith as an adult for top governing body
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Friday that a man raised in England who converted to the faith as an adult will be the newest member of its top governing body, filling a vacancy created when a member died last month. Patrick Kearon,...
2023 in books: Protests, bannings and the rise of AI helped shape the story of publishing
NEW YORK (AP) — Book publishing in 2023 was a story of cooling sales and rising conflict, marked by legal action, protests, censorship and the impact of forces well beyond the industry. Print book sales continued to recede following the pandemic-era surge, but fiction remained...
Putin continues his blitz round of Mideast diplomacy by hosting the Iranian president
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Iran’s president Thursday as part of a blitz round of Middle East diplomacy that also included visits to United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in efforts to raise Moscow’s profile as a power broker in the region. Putin has...
AP PHOTOS: In 2023, calamities of war and disaster were unleashed again on an unsettled Middle East
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — War and natural disasters ravaged an increasingly unsettled Middle East throughout 2023, further straining countries already hit by worsening economic conditions and affected by extreme weather fueled by climate change. By the end of the year, a...
Russia's Putin is visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seeking to bolster Moscow's Mideast clout
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a lightning tour intended to raise Moscow's profile as a Middle East power broker, even as his war in Ukraine grinds on. Putin landed in Abu Dhabi,...
A French investigating judge hands terror-linked charges to a man accused of killing tourist
PARIS (AP) — A man accused of fatally stabbing a tourist and injuring two other people over the weekend near the Eiffel Tower was placed under investigation Wednesday on charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist organization, the prosecutor's office said. ...
Hanukkah message of light in darkness feels uniquely relevant to US Jews amid war, antisemitism
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Preparing for Hanukkah — Judaism’s celebration of finding light in the darkness — feels uniquely somber yet defiant this year for the diverse Jewish community in Miami-area towns that many consider a welcoming home for their faith. Even here, daily...
Top US and Chinese diplomats agree to build on recent progress in ties
BEIJING (AP) — The top U.S. and Chinese diplomats agreed Wednesday to keep building on recent progress in bilateral ties and work together to keep the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza from spreading. Both Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken...
Generation after generation, Israeli prison marks a rite of passage for Palestinian boys
NABI SALEH, West Bank (AP) — For all Palestinian parents, Marwan Tamimi said, there comes a moment they realize they're powerless to protect their children. For the 48-year-old father of three, it came in June, when Israeli forces fired a large rubber bullet that struck the head of...
Streisand talks acting, music and destiny after release of her memoir 'My Name is Barbra'
NEW YORK (AP) — Before she's ready to talk about her memoir, Barbra Streisand needs to pull herself away from current events. “I'm watching (expelled Rep.) George Santos, and worrying about the world and democracy," she says at the start of a telephone interview, when asked...
