Libyans in Tripoli's seaside Martyrs Square have marked the first post-Muammar Gaddafi celebration of Eid al-Fitr, coming out in huge numbers to revel in newly gained independence. 　　At dawn, thousands of men and about 200 women gathered on huge green carpets to make the special dawn prayer, intoning praise for... More

　　Anwar Haraga was 26 when men from Libya's Internal Security agency came to his door in Tripoli one night. 　　It was 1989. Haraga was newly married and had just returned from five years of study in England. He was heading toward a promising career in computer engineering. 　　But Haraga had... More

　　The Palestinians have came under intense pressure to drop a bid for UN membership as diplomats worked behind the scenes to head off a looming clash. 　　Riyad al-Maliki, Palestinian foreign minister, said he was "amazed" by the US efforts to persuade other countries to not to support the Palestinian bid.... More

　　Two weeks ago, an announcement appeared on a French website, calling for "militants with military experience" to participate in a solidarity trip to Israel between September 19 and 25. "The aim of this expedition is to lend a hand to our brothers facing aggression from the Palestinian occupiers, and to... More

　　While outsiders debate when or if the Syrian opposition will turn to arms, on the ground it is clear that elements of the opposition have used armed resistance against the security forces from early in the uprising in response to the regime's harsh crackdown. 　　Over a period of seven weeks,... More

　　Syrian protesters have been denied access to public spaces, such as the squares that have become famous in Yemen and Egypt. This has led to mosques playing an even greater role than they already would have. 　　With the number of dead from the uprising reaching possibly five thousand, funerals have... More

　　One thousand and twenty-seven Palestinians for one Israeli - this is the deal made between Hamas and Israel last week. 　　The agreement has been dubbed "the Shalit swap deal" - named after Gilad Shalit, the 25-year-old Israeli soldier who has been held in the Gaza Strip for more than five... More

　　Hazem Asili, from the West Bank, was 25 years old when he was jailed by Israel in 1986. Abdelhakim Hnaini, also from the West Bank, was 27 years old when he was incarcerated in 1993. On October 11, a deal was brokered exchanging 1,027 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel for... More

　　The attack by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on an air force intelligence base in the suburbs of the capital Damascus on November 16 has raised the profile of the band of army deserters, who are seeking to end President Bashar al-Assad’s long rule. 　　Depending on whom you believe, the... More

　　The streets of Egypt are teeming with the telltale signs of an upcoming election. 　　Campaign posters fill the once-barren spaces on the sides of buildings, and billboards featuring the faces of candidates vying for a role in the new Egypt loom over the crowded streets of Cairo. 　　However, what many... More

　　Seven years after the U.S. invasion of Fallujah, there are reports of an alarming rise in the rates of birth defects and cancer. But the crisis, and its possible connection to weapons deployed by the United States during the war, remains woefully under-examined. 　　On November 8, 2004, U.S. military forces... More

　　This weekend, Pakistan ordered the closure of the US drone base after a US attack killed 26 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border. This news will be welcomed by the people of Waziristan, where communities have borne the brunt of the "collateral damage" of the US covert drone war. But... More

　　As parliamentary elections begin in Egypt, Reprieve's Life After Guantanamo team is working against the clock for the luckless Egyptian ex-Guantanamo prisoner Adel al-Gazzar, now re-imprisoned in Cairo. Like that of most Egyptians, Adel's future hangs in the balance, as does his liberty, and everything depends on whether Egypt is... More