*News and analysis

Baghdad — A presidential guard shot dead a senior Iraqi journalist during an argument in Baghdad Saturday and then fled, briefly sparking a standoff in which Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki demanded he be handed over. It was not immediately clear what sparked the altercation outside a heavily guarded presidential complex …

Israeli soldiers opened fire on a house in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank early Saturday, killing at least three Palestinians including a 17-year-old, officials said. A large contingent of occupation forces surrounded the northern West Bank home in attempt to abduct Hamza Abu al-Heja, a 22-year-old member …

Twelve people were killed Saturday in clashes between Yemeni forces and rebel Houthis on the outskirts of the northern city of Amran, a local official and tribal sources said. The rebels, known as Houthis or Ansarullah, had traveled to Amran to take part in a demonstration, but shooting erupted when …

A court in Egypt adjourned the mass trial of more than 1,200 supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohammed Mursi after a brief hearing on Saturday, state media reported. The country’s biggest trial since the army removed Mursi last July after a turbulent single year in office was adjourned until Monday. …

An Egyptian court sentenced 26 members of the Muslim Brotherhood to death on charges of forming a “terrorist cell” aimed at attacking the Suez Canal. The 26 defendants have been sentenced in absentia. Meanwhile, the Northern Cairo Criminal Court sentenced a 27th defendant to 15 years in prison. The accusations …

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia may revise its stance in the Iranian nuclear talks amid tensions with the West over Ukraine, a senior diplomat warned Wednesday. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to the Interfax news agency, that Russia didn’t want to use the Iranian nuclear talks to “raise …

TEHRAN, Iran — Last week, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, a close ally of Tehran, visited the Qatari capital of Doha to meet his ally and comrade Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, according to sources close to Shalah. It is rare that someone like Shalah visits Doha, given the tight …

Egyptian authorities have refused to renew prominent Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook’s residency permit, a Hamas spokesman said. It is now believed that Abu-Marzook may be deported when his permit expires next month. Speaking to the Jordanian newspaper Al-Sabeel, Hosam Badran called on the Egyptian authorities to review their decisions relating …

On 13 March 2014, an awards presentation ceremony was held in Quetta. Its sole purose was to honor those Takfiri Deobandis who have dedicated their lives in promoting and justifying the Shia genocide in Pakistan. To all intents and purposes, it was the First Shia Genocide Awards Ceremony. The head …

Alaa Moussa remembers a time when Akka’s old city looked much different. Over the last decade, he has watched his hometown’s fabric change significantly: new restaurants, bars, hotels and youth hostels are now wedged between the historic stone buildings, homes and cultural landmarks. Situated on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea …