( The Guardian )- Iraqi forces have retaken almost all of Tal Afar, Islamic State’s stronghold in the north-west of the country, the military has said. Fighting was ongoing in al-Ayadiya, a small area just outside the city. Iraqi forces were waiting to retake the city’s surrounding areas...

( The Guardian )- Several hundred Gazans went to the cinema on Saturday for the first time in more than 30 years, albeit for one night only. The long-abandoned Samer cinema in Gaza City, the oldest in the strip but closed for decades, hosted a special screening of a film about Palestinians...

Israel has prevented vital solar panels from operating in Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, a report has found.  Villagers in Jub al-Dib have been deprived of basic necessities since before the Israeli occupation began more than 50 years ago. That began to change when...

Proposed tighter U.S. sanctions on Hezbollah have been altered enough to allay fears of major damage to Lebanon's economy, a sign Washington is taking concerns about Lebanese stability seriously, banking and political sources said. But banking figures told Reuters Lebanese authorities should...