Christians in the Middle East have had a hard time this year – especially in Iraq and Egypt. Their numbers are dwindling and in certain instances they’ve faced discrimination or worse. Still, this hasn’t stopped one of the world’s oldest religious minorities from celebrating Christmas – which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ – on 25 th December.

Israeli officials say a fire on a passenger train traveling through central Israel injured more than 100 people Tuesday. Authorities say most victims suffered from cuts and smoke inhalation, but at least five passengers sustained moderate injuries. The Israel Railways train was traveling from Nahariya to Tel Aviv. Investigators say an initial probe indicates the fire started in a rear engine then began to spread. The Jerusalem Post says authorities believe an electrical short caused the blaze, but have not ruled out the possibility that terrorists tampered with the engine ...

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday marked two years since Israel's devastating invasion of the coastal enclave at a time of renewed high tensions with the Jewish state. In Jabaliya, just north of Gaza City, about 1,000 people attended a rally organised by the Islamic Jihad movement to commemorate the start of Israel's Operation Cast Lead, chanting for "resistance" against Israel. The Islamist Hamas movement which rules the Gaza Strip put on a musical and theatrical performance at Gaza City's main cultural centre. "There were 366 sons of the ...

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) was launched in December 2004 under the theme: Bridging Cultures. Meeting Minds. DIFF is held under the honorary Chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. DIFF is a not-for-profit cultural event, presented and organised by the Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority. As the previous editions of DIFF have demonstrated, the Festival not only presents cinematic excellence from around the world, but is also an important high-profile platform for aspiring home-grown talent. The Muhr Award for Excellence in ...

Iraq's parliament has approved a new government including all major factions, ending nine months of deadlock after inconclusive elections. In a special session, MPs voted for the 29 ministerial candidates nominated by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a Shia, who was reappointed for a second term. But doubts persist about whether all the political groups can work together. The key ministries of interior, defence and national security remain unfilled because nominees could not be agreed. US President Barack Obama called the approval of the cabinet a "major step forward in advancing ...

The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram. It is commemorated by Shiites Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam "Hussein ibn Ali", the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 2, 680 CE). In some Shiite countries and regions such as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Bahrain, the Commemoration of Imam Hussein has become a ...

This year reports extreme weather across the globe: A storm is brewing in the Middle East, from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Palestine/ Israel.

In some parts of the globe women gained sufferage around the time of the World Wars, while in others they came by this right more recently. Either way a whole array of women are exerting their voting rights today internationally.

Beirut: Lebanon was hit by a heavy winter storm on Saturday, disrupting flights at its international airport and destroying small training planes, an airport official said. The winds, which reached 100 km/h, destroyed the four planes parked at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport. The wind overturned some of the aircraft and rammed others into a nearby electricity pole, but no one was hurt.

Thousands of firemen and rescue workers fight to control blazes in which 41 have already died. The fires are the worst in Israel's 62-year history.

The Darfur Conflict is an ongoing guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing or committing genocide against black Africans in favor of Arabs. One side of the conflict is composed mainly of the official Sudanese military and police, and the Janjaweed, a Sudanese militia group recruited mostly from the Arab Abbala tribes of the northern Rizeigat ...