CNN – Europe/Mideast/Africa

By Sebastian Shukla and Jomana Karadsheh, CNN In the central Syrian desert, an oil field has become a makeshift torture chamber. An unarmed man writhes in the dust, howling in pain. Four men in military fatigues pin him down and smash his hands and feet with a sledgehammer. As he cries out for help, they

By Kara Fox and Nic Robertson, CNN Three rockets landed in two different areas near the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, as President Ashraf Ghani joined other high ranking officials for prayers to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Images shown on national broadcaster Tolo TV showed Ghani and the group

By Anna Chernova and Zahra Ullah, CNN Russian President Vladimir Putin got a sneak peek of a new fifth-generation lightweight single-engine fighter jet at an air show just outside of Moscow on Tuesday. Russian aircraft makers unveiled a prototype of the stealth fighter dubbed “Checkmate” for the 68-year-old leader at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and

By Mohammed Tawfeeq and Aqeel Najm, CNN ISIS have claimed responsibility for an suicide attack that ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing 30 people and wounding 50. Children and women were among the dead and wounded, according to health and security officials. The attacker detonated his explosive vest in

By Jack Guy and James Frater, CNN Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose depiction of the prophet Mohammed wearing a turban made out of a bomb sparked a wave of violence in 2006, has died at the age of 86. Danish newspaper Berlingske reported Westergaard’s death on Sunday, citing information from his family. The cartoonist died

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the Tour de France. July 1-24, 2022 – The 109th Tour de France takes place. Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard wins his first Tour de France title. June 26-July 18, 2021 – The 108th Tour de France takes place. Tadej Pogacar wins his second consecutive Tour de France title.

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the life of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric. Personal Birth date: August 4, 1930 Birth place: Mashhad, Iran Birth name: Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani Father: Sayyid Mohammad Baqir, a religious scholar Mother: Name unavailable publicly Marriage: Information unavailable publicly Children: Muhammad Rida al-Sistani –

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at Lebanon, a Middle Eastern country bordering Syria, Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. About Lebanon (from the CIA World Factbook)Area: 10,400 sq km (slightly larger than Connecticut) Population: 5,296,814 (2022 est.) Median age: 33.7 years Capital: Beirut Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% Religion: Muslim 67.8%,

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN At least 189 people are dead and hundreds more remain missing after catastrophic flooding hit large swaths of western Europe, with tens of thousands unable to return to their homes and many still left without access to power and drinking water. The flooding, caused by unprecedented rainfall, has hit parts of

By Denise Hruby and Jennifer Hansler, CNN Austrian authorities said they are investigating reports that US diplomats in Vienna have experienced symptoms of a mystery illness known as Havana Syndrome. “We take these reports very seriously and, according to our role as the host state, are working with the US authorities on a joint solution,”

By Vasco Cotovio, Atika Shubert and Ivana Kottasová, CNN In Altenahr in western Germany, even the dead were not spared in this week’s devastating flood. The village cemetery was swept away, headstones damaged and toppled by the force of the muddy water. Antoinnette Steinhoff stands at the edge of the flooded graveyard, crushed by the

By Andrew Carey and Abeer Salman, CNN A small boy sits on a hillside in the occupied West Bank. Like the adults around him, he trains a green laser beam on a group of prefabricated housing units on a hilltop a few hundred meters away. It is an act of defiance. The buildings had been

By Angela Dewan, Nadine Schmidt and Ulrike Dehmel, CNN European officials have said climate change contributed to this week’s extreme flooding, which has left entire towns submerged and more than 120 people dead. Scientists have for decades warned that climate change will make extreme weather events, including heavy rain and deadly flooding, more likely. Around

By Nadine Schmidt, Schams Elwazer, Barbara Wojazer, Sharon Braithwaite, Joseph Ataman and Vasco Cotovio, CNN Catastrophic flooding in western Europe has killed more than 120 people, with hundreds more missing, authorities said Friday, as large-scale rescue efforts continue amid rising water, landslides and power outages. Shocking images of the devastation in Germany and Belgium showed

By Mostafa Salem, CNN The Middle East and North Africa is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases aggravated by the Delta variant of the virus — and it may get worse over coming weeks — according to the World Health Organization (WHO). An increase in coronavirus cases has been reported in Libya, Iran, Iraq and