Palestine

Jerusalem: sweeps in wake of attack

Israeli authorities revoked permits for Palestinians to enter Jerusalem and Israel in response to a deadly attack in East Jerusalem's Old City, rounding up hundreds in mass arrests.

Syria

Syria slides closer to Arab-Kurdish ethnic war

Clashes broke out between Syrian rebel factions and Kurdish fighters in Aleppo province, as Arabs and Kurds are further pitted against each other by Great Power manipulation.

Central America

Taiwan sacrificed to Central America geopolitics

Panama is the latest Central American nation to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Bejing—under pressure of China's fast-growing economic presence on the isthmus.

North Africa

Arab-Berber unity in Morocco protests

Protests continued for a second week in Morocco's neglected Rif region, and spread to cities throughout the country—bringing together Arabs and Berbers to demand democratic reform.

North Africa

Libya: Saif al-Islam Qaddafi released from prison

Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, son of late Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi, was released from prison under a new amnesty law, according to the militia that has held him for the past five years.

Afghanistan

Women excluded from Afghanistan peace talks

The "Kabul Process" peace talks opened in Afghanistan's capital—but with no representatives from the Taliban or other insurgent groups, and practically no presence of Afghan women.

Iraq

Iraq: Kurdistan to vote on independence

Authorities in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region announced that a referendum on independence will be held in September—drawing immediate harsh criticism from Baghdad.