The number of civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan rose for the fifth year in a row in 2011, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) which put the number of civilians killed at 3,000 over the past year. 　　Fighters fighting occupation forces and the corrupt Karzai... More

　　Less than two months into 2012, the Iraqi government has executed at least 65 prisoners, as the country continues to slip into dictatorship with continued support from the U.S. 　　Many aspects of the government in Baghdad have spiraled out of control since the end of the U.S. military occupation, but... More

　　The Syrian city of Homs has been under attack for nearly a week, as government forces allied to President Bashar al-Assad try to regain control of opposition-held areas. 　　The city, in the centre of the country, has emerged as the capital of the uprising and its Revolutionary Council runs a... More

　　Destruction of Palestinian homes and settlements on Palestinian land are hitting record highs in recent years. 　　Israel on Wednesday approved the construction of 695 new housing units in and around the West Bank settlement of Shiloh, north-east of Ramallah. 　　Up to 121 of the housing units already exist – 93... More

　　Most American media accounts and commentary about the ongoing violent anti-American protests in Afghanistan depict their principal cause as anger over the burning of copies of the Noble Quran, except that Afghans themselves keep saying things like this: 　　Protesters in Kabul interviewed on the road and in front of Parliament... More

　　Palestinians are under increasing attacks from Israeli settlers, especially in the last few years, reports have found. 　　Fadi Quran is little different from any other Palestinian living in the West Bank, where violence from Israeli settlers is part of daily life. Hailing from the town of Al-Bireh, less than one... More

　　Winter still clings to the ancient cultivated hillsides of the northern Syrian province of Idlib. Nights are chillingly cold; mornings alternate between mist and feeble sun. Under the gnarled olive trees, the soil is naked and neatly raked. 　　Tens of thousands of trees in rows follow the contours of the... More

　　As the 16 civilian victims of a US sergeant's shooting spree in southern Afghanistan are buried, new details of the horrific episode are emerging. Nine of those killed were children. Three were women. 　　The residents of Panjwai district in the volatile Kandahar province said they showed no resistance during the... More

　　More than 8,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began a year ago, and many more injured. Fearing ill-treatment at official hospitals, demonstrators have sought help at underground clinics. One Damascus surgeon tells his story. 　　I was at home, looking out of the window, watching a demonstration,... More

　　People detained by the Syrian authorities are being systematically and routinely tortured, an Amnesty International report alleges. 　　The rights group says officials are using techniques including suspending and then beating detainees with fists and rifle butts. 　　Many of those from whom Amnesty gathered testimony said children were among the torture... More

　　The past year saw a sharp rise in the number of civilians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a human rights group said. 　　An annual report from the Jerusalem-based B'Tselem showed that in 2011 Israeli forces killed a total of 105 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, of whom 37 were confirmed... More

　　The U.S. Army sergeant accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians is believed to have carried out the rampage in two stages, returning to base after the first shootings and then going out to kill again, a U.S. official said on Saturday. 　　The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not... More

　　A one-state solution in Palestine/Israel is a subject being increasingly discussed and debated. One way in which the conversation has emerged is through an analysis of the current situation as a de facto one state, a regime which privileges Jews above Palestinians (the latter being granted or denied different rights... More