Kurds ‘take key Syrian base’ from IS
Craig TaylorKurdish forces in northern Syria say they have captured a military base from IS north of the militants’ self-declared capital of Raqqa. BBC News – Middle East
Middle East
IS fighters ‘laying mines in Palmyra’
Activists say Islamic State fighters in Syria are planting bombs in Palmyra, an ancient city that has some of the Middle East’s most important ruins. BBC News – Middle East
Yemen peace talks stall in Geneva
Peace talks in Geneva between Yemen’s warring factions fail to produce a ceasefire agreement after a week of diplomacy. BBC News – Middle East
World’s displaced ‘hits record high’
The war in Syria fuelled a record 60m people displaced by conflict or persecution around the world in 2014, a UN report says. BBC News – Middle East
Blasts hit mosques in Yemeni capital
A series of explosions in the Yemeni capital causes dozens of casualties, officials say, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. BBC News – Middle East
Top al-Qaeda commander confirmed dead
Al-Qaeda confirms that a key commander – Nasser al-Wuhayshi, who headed Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – has been killed in a US drone strike in Yemen. BBC News – Middle East