Middle East News
PM Benjamin Netanyahu agrees on Israeli new coalition
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed on a deal with Israeli opposition Kadima party, avoiding the early general election he had sought. Kadima's recently-elected leader,...
Israel: PM Benjamin Netanyahu calls for early general election
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an early general election in Israel in four months' time. The vote is expected to take place in...
Activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja wins retrial in Bahrain
Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Bahrain's jailed opposition activist, is to have his case retried, an appeal court has ruled. The retrial will take place in a civil...
Saudi Arabia shuts embassy in Egypt following protests over detained lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawi
Saudi Arabia has decided to shut its embassy and consulates in Egypt following protests over Egyptian lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawi, who has been detained in...
Syria: at least 70 people killed in a massive explosion in Hama
Syrian activists say at least 70 people have been killed in an attack on a house in Hama. They said several houses in the Mashaa at-Tayyar...
Iran is building a copy of RQ-170 Sentinel, the US surveillance drone captured last year
Iran has begun building a copy of RQ-170 Sentinel, the US surveillance drone it captured last year, after breaking its encryption codes, Tehran officials...
Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix has taken place despite continuing anti-government protests
Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix has taken place despite continuing anti-government protests and the race track has been heavily guarded by police, dogs and...
Man shot dead in Bahrain protests ahead of Formula 1 Grand Prix
Activists in Bahrain say a man has been found dead with gunshot wounds after overnight clashes with police a day before Sunday's Formula 1...
Prince Salman of Bahrain backs Formula 1 Grand Prix despite protests
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain says the weekend's Formula 1 Grand Prix will go ahead despite protests. "Cancelling the race just...
Clashes near Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix exhibit in Manama
Stun grenades have been fired by Bahraini security forces as protesters gathered outside a cultural exhibition in Manama ahead of Sunday's Formula 1 Grand...
Ten candidates barred from the Egyptian presidential poll
Ten candidates from the Egyptian presidential poll, including former spy chief Omar Suleiman and the Muslim Brotherhood's Khairat al-Shater, have been barred by election...
Iran and P5+1 nuclear talks begin in Istanbul
Iran and P5+1 are meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, for talks aimed at ending the deadlock over Tehran's nuclear programme. Envoys from the US, UK, France, China,...
Olympics 2012: Iran has blocked access to London 2012 official website
Access to the official website for the London 2012 Olympic Games appears to be blocked in Iran. Users in Iran have tweeted that they are...
Barack Obama’s Facebook page swamped with comments from Hazem Abu Ismail’s supporters
President Barack Obama's Facebook page has been swamped with comments from supporters of Hazem Abu Ismail, a candidate in Egypt's presidential election. It follows news...
Five things Princess Basma of Saudi Arabia would like to change about her country
Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia spoke out during an interview with BBC about the many changes she would like to...
Turkey accuses UN Security Council of indirectly supporting the oppression of the Syrian people
The United Nations Security Council has been accused by Turkey PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan of indirectly supporting the oppression of the Syrian people by...
Borat spoof anthem played during a medal ceremony at 10th Arab Shooting Competition in Kuwait
Kazakhstan's shooting team has been left stunned after Borat spoof anthem was played during a medal ceremony at the 10th Arab Shooting Competition in Kuwait instead...
EU set to impose travel ban and asset freeze on Syria First Lady Asma al-Assad
EU foreign ministers are set to impose a travel ban and asset freeze on Syria First Lady Asma al-Assad, diplomats say. The UK-born wife of...
At least 23 people have been killed in series of attacks on Iraqi cities
At least 23 people have died in a series of attacks on Iraqi cities, officials say. Two car bombs in the predominantly Shia city of...
Heavy firefight between rebels and Bashar al-Assad forces in Damascus
Damascus bomb blasts over the weekend have been followed by firefight between the rebel Free Syria Army and the forces of President Bashar al-Assad. Witnesses...
Syria: two explosions hit security compounds in Damascus killing civilians and police officers
Several civilians and police officers have been killed in two separate explosions in the Syrian capital Damascus, state TV announced. A broadcast described the blasts...
Syria: at least 47 people killed in a new pro-government militia attack in Homs
At least 47 people have been killed in an attack by pro-government militia in the embattled Syrian city of Homs, according to human rights...
Dozens of Iraqi Emo youths reportedly killed by conservative militias
Over ninety teenagers have been killed in recent months by Iraqi militias who consider them to be devil worshippers, human rights activists claim. The young...
Egypt: Cairo military court cleared virginity test army doctor
Egyptian army doctor Ahmed Adel, who was accused of carrying out forced "virginity tests" on women protesters, has been acquitted by a military court...
Palestinian militant leader Zohair al-Qaisi killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza
Two people, including a senior Palestinian militant leader, have been killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources. Zohair...
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