Saturday, November 7, 2009

Middle East

Adversities Await Iraqis Who Return Home

By JOHN LELAND

More than half a million Iraqi families have left their homes since 2003, and one international group has identified fewer than 60,000 who have returned.

Yemeni Rebels and Saudis Clash at Border

By ROBERT F. WORTH

Saudi military and Yemeni rebels both claimed to have inflicted casualties and captured enemy soldiers as border clashes continued.

Group Documents Sexual Assaults in Iran Postelection Crackdown

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Human Rights Watch says one of the cases appeared in an official report, but was dropped by the government.

U.N. Panel Accuses 2 Iranians of Breaking Darfur Arms Embargo

By REUTERS

Two businessmen were linked to video surveillance devices that were sold to Sudan and used by drones.

Lebanon’s Opposition Said to Agree to Government

By REUTERS

Lebanon’s opposition, including Hezbollah, agreed to join a unity government proposed by Saad al-Hariri, a senior opposition source said.

Recent Features on the Middle East
Mahmoud Abbas, who said Thursday that he would not run again to be Palestinian president, is said to be upset by peace talks.

Top Palestinian Rules Out Race for Re-election

By ETHAN BRONNER and MARK LANDLER

Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to resign before, but his statement showed his frustration with the state of Mideast diplomacy.

A militia member clashed with protesters Wednesday at Haft-e-Tir Square in Tehran.

Dissidents Mass in Tehran to Subvert an Anti-U.S. Rally

By ROBERT F. WORTH

Protesters in Tehran tried to turn a government rally into a protest against the election.

Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector U.S. Sees as Useless

By ROD NORDLAND

Iraqi security forces at hundreds of checkpoints have been relying on a hand-held wand.

News Analysis
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran faces opposition to a uranium enrichment deal that he has said Iran should accept.

Iran’s Politics Stand in the Way of a Nuclear Deal

By MICHAEL SLACKMAN

The equivocating by Iran may be as much a product of a political crisis as it is a negotiating tactic, experts said.

A qat vendor assembled bags of the mild narcotic for a customer in the capital, Sana.

Thirsty Plant Dries Out Yemen

By ROBERT F. WORTH

Even as a water crisis threatens the very survival of Yemen, farmers are turning increasingly to growing a narcotic called qat because it is the only way to make a profit.

Muhi Mohammed Hussein trimmed an eagle-shaped topiary sculpture at the entrance to his home in Baghdad on Friday.

Fanciful Gardens Emerge in a City of Tan and Gray

By JOHN LELAND

Topiary gardens are emerging in Baghdad as fanciful displays of foliage amid concrete blast walls and security checkpoints.

More News

At War
At War

Notes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and other areas of conflict in the post-9/11 era.

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Briefings from the Middle East

The Lede Blog

Video of Protests in Iran on Anniversary of Embassy Seizure

By JACK HEALY

State-sponsored demonstrations marking the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the United States Embassy in Tehran were met today by opposition protests, which in turn were broken up by police and paramilitaries.

Opinion

The Hinge of History

By ROGER COHEN

Iran is experiencing a brutal clampdown, but memories of 1989 suggest that the dam must break when a repressive regime and the society it rules march in opposite directions.

From Week in Review
EYES WIDE OPEN A correspondent, leaving Baghdad for Kabul, is struck by the need to see a war-torn society as it is, not as we might wish it to be.

From Iraq, Lessons for the Next War

By ALISSA J. RUBIN

A longing to find in another country a mirror of ourselves can push aside the stark reality.

Multimedia
Slide Show
A Moderate Path in a bin Laden Birthplace

What Western media have portrayed as Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland is a historic center of Sufism, a mystical strand within Islam.

Video
Iran: The Nuclear Question

The Times's David E. Sanger discusses the issues surrounding the discovery of the Iranian enrichment site near the holy city of Qum.

Slide Show
Fervent Believers

Some Israeli settlers believe that there is a divine plan requiring them to hold the land, many of them armed. They live by the slogan “Never forget! Never forgive!”

News from AP & Reuters »
Saudi Says Swine Flu Shots Advised for Pilgrims
8:25 a.m.
Russia's Medvedev Leaves Door Open to Iran Sanctions
7:33 a.m.
Iran: 109 Detained at Opposition Rally
7:24 a.m.
Rival Lebanon Factions Agree on Unity Government
6:59 a.m.
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