Alice Fordham

The Islamic State is a Sunni Muslim group. Yet many Sunnis have abandoned their homes and fled areas where ISIS has taken over in Iraq. But that doesn't mean Shiites welcome them with open arms.

Despite the attack on the beach last week, many tourists say they're going to finish their vacations in Tunisia as a sign of solidarity with the country.

Tunisian authorities ordered some mosques closed and banned some fringe Islamist political parties. Some Tunisians support the moves, while others fear the government is overreacting.

The self-declared Islamic State claimed responsibility for Friday's attack, which killed 38 people at a beach resort in Tunisia. Most of the victims were foreigners, many of them British tourists.

A soldier blames poor leadership for the recent loss of Ramadi. A pair of generals blame everything from corruption to a lack of training and weapons. Will this ever be an effective fighting force?

Al-Qaida's Yemen affiliate announced on Tuesday that its leader Nasir al-Wahishi was killed by a U.S. drone strike last week. He was also the second-in-command to overall chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.

A year after the Iraqi city of Mosul was captured by self-declared Islamic State militants, there's indication the Iraqi government and its U.S. ally are ready to try to take it back.

The Islamic State remains in full control a year after capturing the city. Relatively few ISIS fighters are visible, but they have imposed strict rules on all aspects of life.

Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's former foreign minister, dies in jail in Iraq. He was 79.

Veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi has taken on tough gigs, but being an envoy to Syria during the civil war topped them all. He now works with The Elders, a group of global leaders working for peace.

In northern Lebanon, a complex of sweeping buildings designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer reminds people of more peaceful times.

The dirt roads on the border between Syria and Lebanon wind across a mountain range dotted with little wild flowers.

It's windswept and deserted except for a few hilltop outposts with clumps of gray tents, machine-gun nests and flags that fly the green and gold colors of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

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No one ever said marriage was easy, but in Lebanon, it's even harder: The country has 15 sets of matrimonial laws for 18 different religions and sects. Activists want the right to civil marriages.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has taken the Syrian city of Palmyra, known for its well-preserved antiquities. It also has gas fields and roads across the Syrian desert.

With a victory in Ramadi, the Islamic State controls a city just 70 miles from Baghdad. Many civilians are on the move, and Iraq's armed forces are again looking weak.

In the past, Iran has helped out with credit lines. But now, an Iranian official has instead encouraged the Syrians to "develop a resistance economy" like Iran's sanctions-strapped fiscal management.

After four years of ebbs and flows in Syria's civil war, rebel fighters are pushing back the president's forces. He's having trouble replacing soldiers. And his allies may be providing less support.

Yemenis whose lives have been torn apart by factional fighting and the Saudi-led bombing campaign hope for relief.

Fleeing Iraqi civilians say Shiite militias unleashed sectarian revenge in recaptured areas in and around Tikrit that has included burning, looting and the arrest of Sunni men.

The city has reduced its water consumption 6 percent since the drought started. The new meters can detect illegal watering in real time, and they've helped to cut some homeowners' use by 80 percent.