Middle East

Lebanon

Former Lebanese prime minister Karami dies aged 80

The former two-time prime minister of Lebanon, Omar Karami, has died peacefully in hospital in Beirut aged 80. He initially served as PM for two

01/01/2015

Syria

Syrian President visits soldiers in Damascus in rare public appearance

In a rare public appearance in recent times, and complete with patriotic music, Syrian state television has shown footage of its embattled president

01/01/2015

Egypt

Retrial of Al Jazeera journalists must lead to freedom, says Amnesty

Egypt’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, has ordered a retrial of three jailed Al Jazeera journalists citing flaws in last year’s trial

01/01/2015

Israel

HarperCollins wipes Israel off the map

01/01/2015

Egypt

Egyptian court orders retrial of Al Jazeera journalists

01/01/2015

Gaza

Abbas signs up to International Criminal Court after UN loss

The International Criminal Court may soon be able to try crimes committed in Palestinian lands. It comes after the Palestinian President, Mahmoud

31/12/2014

West Bank

Palestinian Authority moves towards International Criminal Court

The Palestinian Authority has signed on to 20 international agreements a day after a bid for independence failed at the United Nations Security

31/12/2014

Yemen

Suicide bomb attack at cultural centre in Yemen leaves more than 20 dead

More than 20 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in Yemen. It happened at a cultural centre where

31/12/2014

Israel

Netanyahu expected to easily win Likud party primary ahead of elections

Israel’s election race is taking off with a primary vote for Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party. The Prime Minister is widely expected to

31/12/2014

Saudi Arabia

Saudi King undergoing medical tests in Riyadh hospital

31/12/2014

Bahrain

More violent clashes in Bahrain following extended detention of opposition leader

Bahraini police fire tear gas rounds at Shia youths after opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman is detained for a further week following his call for 'political change'.

30/12/2014

Bahrain

Bahrain court gives police killers death sentences

A court in Bahrain sentenced two Shi’ite Muslim men to death and handed a third a life sentence on Monday after they were convicted of killing a

29/12/2014

West Bank

Palestinian teenager shot dead by Israeli soldiers for throwing rocks

A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank. The youth was part of a group accused of throwing rocks at

29/12/2014

Syria

Syria ready to discuss Russia peace plan talks

Syria said on Saturday it is willing to participate in “preliminary consultations” in Moscow aimed at restarting peace talks next year to end its

27/12/2014

Egypt

Egypt bans 'Exodus' film because of 'historical inaccuracies'

Egypt has banned the Hollywood film “Exodus: Gods and Kings” because of what it describes as “historical inaccuracies.” The country’s cultural

26/12/2014

Turkey

Schoolboy arrested for 'insulting' Turkish president released

A Turkish teenager who was arrested at his school on Wednesday for allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been released from police

26/12/2014

Syria

Syria: 'civilians killed' in government raids near Aleppo

Dozens of civilians have been killed and wounded in government air raids near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, according to unconfirmed reports.

26/12/2014

Turkey

Turkey and Iraq to boost military cooperation against ISIL

Turkey and Iraq have vowed to expand military cooperation against fighters from the group that calls itself the Islamic State. It came as Iraqi

26/12/2014

Saudi Arabia

Saudi women drivers referred to terrorism court

Two Saudi women detained for nearly a month in defiance of a ban on females driving have been referred to a court established to try terrorism cases

25/12/2014

Israel

Israel approves 243 new homes in 'illegal' West Bank settlement

Israel has given preliminary approval for 243 new homes in the Ramot settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. There are updated plans for 270

25/12/2014

Syria

Father of Jordanian pilot captured by ISIl pleads for his release

The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State militants in Syria has appeared on TV pleading for his son’s release. Safi al-Kasaesbeh

25/12/2014

Egypt

Coptic Christians in Egypt on alert for attacks

Catholic Copts in Egypt are marking Christmas amid tight security after threats from Islamic extremist groups. The Christmas Eve Mass at the Coptic Catholic Church in Cairo was packed despite the aler

25/12/2014

Israel

Christians in Bethlehem reminded of the need to rebuild Gaza

At a Christmas Eve mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, believers were reminded of the need to rebuild the Gaza Strip following the 50 day war last summer.

25/12/2014

Gaza

Hamas fighter killed by Israeli forces in clashes along Gaza Strip border

Hamas has described an attack by Israel which killed at least one Hamas member as a “grave escalation.” A firefight erupted along the border with the

24/12/2014

Syria

ISIL downs coalition warplane and captures pilot

Jordan has confirmed that ISIL militants shot down a coalition warplane over Syria and captured the pilot.

24/12/2014

Israel

High security in Bethlehem as people gather for Christmas eve celebrations

There is high security in the West Bank town of Bethlehem for the height of the festive season

24/12/2014