At least 17 civilians and soldiers were killed in car and roadside bomb attacks across Iraq on Wednesday, police and medics said. No group claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, but Sunni Islamists and other insurgents have been regaining ground in a violent campaign to...
Lebanon's army on Wednesday arrested a senior al Qaeda-linked militant described by security sources as a "mastermind of car bombs" that have targeted several Shi'ite areas in recent months. Security sources said the arrest of Naim Abbas could help uncover radical jihadi cells in...
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the streets of the Iranian capital and cities around the country to mark the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. In Tehran, huge crowds thronged central Azadi square on Tuesday for a speech by the president Hassan Rouhani, his...
Plane crashes in mountainous area in eastern Oum El Bouaghi province killing at least 99 people, local radio reports. A military transport plane has crashed in eastern Algeria, killing at least 99 people, Algerian radio has announced. The C-130 Hercules aircraft, which...
Secular activists arrested last month on the third anniversary of the revolt against Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak say they have been tortured, some with electric shocks, relatives and lawyers who have seen them said. The Interior Ministry denied any abuses. If independently...
The Egyptian presidency on Monday denied a report that it had upheld the death penalties of 14 people convicted of attacking police in North Sinai in 2011. The state news agency MENA had earlier reported that the presidency had upheld the sentences handed down to the men, all from...
The speaker of Iraq's parliament narrowly escaped death on Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy close to the northern city of Mosul, his office said. Usama al-Nujaifi, one of Iraq's most senior Sunni Muslim politicians, was visiting al-Salam area south of Mosul when...
Noble Energy Inc ( NBL.N ) slashed the risks to its colossal Israeli natural gas project by selling a stake to Australia's largest oil producer and sealing a crucial supply deal with a Palestinian power company in one of the world's political flash points....
Presidential panel agrees to transform the country into "federal state of six regions", state news agency reports. A presidential panel has agreed to transform Yemen into a six-region federation as part of its political transition, state news agency Saba reported. The final...
An Arab-Iranian poet and human rights activist, Hashem Shaabani, has been executed for being an "enemy of God" and threatening national security, according to local human rights groups. Shaabani and a man named Hadi Rashedi were hanged in unidentified prison on January 27, ...
Iran has agreed to take seven "practical steps" as part of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a joint statement of Iran and IAEA said Sunday. Based on the agreement, Iran will allow IAEA access to a uranium mine and yellow cake complex in the central...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the recent easing of sanctions on Iran has not only failed to moderate its policies, but is fuelling its aggression, a statement from the prime minister's house said. "What is happening here is that the international community...
A sleeping family of eight were killed in an attack on the home of two pro-government militia leaders in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan region on Sunday, officials said. The victims included women and children and the two brothers, who helped to lead a local pro-government militia...
The social media has been circulating messages that commended the royal decree issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, imposing stiff punishment on Saudis taking part in civil wars abroad and joining terrorist outfits inside and outside the Kingdom. The king’s...
An Iranian naval officer said a number of warships had been ordered to approach U.S. maritime borders as a response to the stationing of U.S. vessels in the Gulf, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday. "Iran's military fleet is approaching the United States' maritime...
A new militant group has claimed responsibility for two bombings that targeted the Egyptian police on Friday and has vowed to carry out more attacks, according to a statement posted on a Facebook page set up in its name. The group called Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt,...
Russian President Vladimir Putin and embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich held a one-on-one meeting in Sochi on the day of the opening of the Winter Olympics, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Saturday. The meeting between Putin and...
With lights, floats and flying, Russia kicked off the opening ceremony in Sochi as the world turns its attention to the costliest Olympic Games in history. Spectators from all over the world watched the introduction of athletes that marked the official start of...
Two explosions have been heard in the space of two minutes in a busy district near Egypt's capital. Al Jazeera sources, quoting the security directorate, said the two blasts occurred in Giza and went off on Giza Bridge near where Central Security Forces vehicles were parked....