Middle East

By Agencies

Thousands of people fled Gaza's eastern district of Shujayea as heavy bombardment from the Israeli army continued into the morning, with the Palestinian death toll over the last 13 days reaching 400.

Read more: Thousands flee Israeli shelling on east #Gaza

By Agencies

Security officials say at least 15 Egyptian troops have been killed in an attack by armed men on a checkpoint in the country's western desert.

Read more: #Egypt soldiers killed in western desert

By Agencies

Syrian government forces have launched a counterattack to recapture a gas field seized by the Islamic State group, activists say, even as the death toll from three days of fighting there rises to 270.

Read more: Reports: #Syria trying to retake gas field

By Agencies

A series of bombings, including three over a span of less than 10 minutes, have killed at least 27 people across the Iraqi capital, officials say.

Read more: Dozens killed as bombings rock Baghdad

By Agencies

Fighters from the Islamic State group killed 270 soldiers, guards and staff when they captured a Syrian gas field earlier this week in the bloodiest clashes between the al-Qaeda splinter group and President Bashar al-Assad's forces, a monitoring group said.

Read more: 'Hundreds killed' in Syrian gas field capture

By Agencies

At least 34 people have been killed in Gaza after Israeli army bombardment intensifies on the second day of a ground offensive it says is aimed at destroying Hamas' cross-border tunnels.

Read more: Toll mounts as #Israel shells northern #Gaza

By Agencies

Christian families have abandoned their homes and fled Mosul after the Sunni rebel group, the Islamic State, threatened them with death if they did not convert to Islam or pay tax.

Read more: Christians flee from Islamic State threats

By Agencies

Israel has warned it could "significantly widen" a Gaza land offensive but was cautioned by its main ally, the United States, about the risks of further escalation as Palestinian civilian deaths mounted.

Read more: US cautions Israel on civilian casualties

By Agencies

Iran and six world powers have agreed to a four-month extension of negotiations on a nuclear deal with Tehran after failing to meet a July 20 deadline due to "significant gaps" between the two sides, the European Union and Iran said on Saturday.

Read more: #Iran nuclear talks given four month extension

By Agencies

The Islamic State group has threatened Christians in the Iraqi city of Mosul with death if they do not to convert to Islam or pay a tax.The Sunni rebel group issued the orders in a letter after Friday prayers.

Read more: #Iraq Christians told to convert or face death