(Wall Street Journal)- Egypt’s central bank said Thursday it would freely float the local currency, in a move aimed at eliminating a flourishing black market for dollars after the cash-strapped government secured loans to boost its reserves. The National Bank of Egypt, the country’s...

(Middle East Eye)- At least 170,000 Syrian babies have been born in Turkey since refugees started coming into the country from Syria, a Turkish aid agency said on Wednesday. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said it also provided special meal options to pregnant...

(Time)- The Russian president on Wednesday offered a new unilateral humanitarian pause for Syria’s war-ravaged Aleppo, urging rebels to use it to leave the city’s eastern, besieged districts. The Syrian rebels quickly dismissed Vladimir Putin’s initiative. Later in the day, at least...

 Extremist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on his fighters to resist as Iraqi forces were poised Thursday to enter the city of Mosul where he declared a "caliphate" two years ago. The appeal was made in an audio recording released on the Internet and purported to be by the elusive...