Lebanon's parliament voted Friday in favour of a sweeping financial audit of state institutions, a week after a consultancy firm terminated its contract to audit the central bank over missing data. The International Monetary Fund and France are among creditors demanding an audit of...

 Iran on Friday announced that all government offices will effectively close and operate with only essential staff, further tightening coronavirus measures as the country struggles to contain its most widespread wave of infection yet. Starting this Saturday - the first day of Iran’s...

One person was shot dead and 49 wounded on Friday in clashes between anti-government protesters and supporters of a firebrand cleric in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, medics said. Followers of Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr turned out in Baghdad and Nasiriyah on Friday, rivalling the...

To the sound of drums and flutes, a freshly coiffed Palestinian groom dances with his brothers, cousins and friends, anxiously waiting for his veiled bride to arrive in her shimmering gown. It might have been a normal Gaza wedding, except for the venue -- not a luxurious seaside hall, but a...

An Iranian diplomat goes on trial in Belgium on Friday accused of plotting to bomb an opposition rally outside Paris, in a case that has stoked tensions with Tehran. The case shines another uncomfortable light on Iran's international activities just as it hopes to ease tensions with the...

France will host a video conference on December 2 with international partners to discuss humanitarian aid for Lebanon, three sources aware of the matter said on Thursday. The meeting, in conjunction with the United Nations, will aim to have the highest-level representation possible with the...

A Turkish court on Thursday jailed 337 former pilots and other suspects for life over a failed bid to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a court document obtained by AFP showed.  They were convicted of crimes including murder, violating the constitution and attempting to assassinate...

Israeli authorities on Thursday released Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras, who had been on a hunger strike for 103 days. "The occupation authorities have released Maher al-Akhras, and preparations are underway to transfer him from the [Kaplan] Israeli Hospital to the [Najah National]...

Israeli security forces fatally shot a Palestinian at a checkpoint outside Jerusalem on Wednesday after he allegedly tried to run down a border policeman, the Israeli police said. The driver, from Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, tried to flee an inspection at the checkpoint, hitting and...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed have been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize following the normalisation deal the pair signed. "Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Lord David Trimble today nominated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for...

The United States on Wednesday will impose Iran-related sanctions on four entities, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Elliott Abrams said, accusing the entities in China and Russia of activities promoting Iran’s missile program. Abrams warned that Washington would continue to apply pressure on...

Salma al-Najjar, a petrol station attendant in the Gaza Strip, sees her part-time job in larger terms than the traditional act of filling a customer's tank. The 15-year-old trailblazer is the first female to work at a gas station in the Palestinian territory, which has been controlled by...

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday a jailed Kurdish leader has "blood on his hands", scotching some hopes that a reform plan could lead to wider liberties for the opposition and dissidents. Erdogan promised a slate of judicial and economic reforms two weeks ago, leading to...

Dozens of families of victims of the Beirut port blast staged a protest near the parliament over the delay in investigations. The protesters raised pictures of their relatives who were killed in the explosion and banners with slogans condemning the delay. They also held the political...

Iran’s president reiterated his hope Wednesday that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden would return America’s Iran policy to where he left things as vice president four years ago, state TV reported, rejoining Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Hassan Rouhani said that if Iran and the U.S....

The United Arab Emirates has stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries, including Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Somalia, according to a document issued by a state-owned business park. The document, which was sent to companies operating in the park and was seen...

Iran's supreme leader dismissed the prospect of new negotiations with the West on Tuesday, even as the Tehran government spoke optimistically about the return of foreign companies in "the absence of Trump" and his sanctions. President-elect Joe Biden's victory has raised the possibility...

When Manal Saab heard that a massive explosion had struck Beirut, she grabbed her phone, frantically trying to reach loved ones there. The news she received was good: Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, both of whom live not far from the Lebanese capital’s port that was devastated by the...

Meeting with the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Monday, Israel’s defense minister expressed his country’s readiness to engage in talks with Palestinian group Hamas aimed at improving conditions in the blockaded Gaza Strip. On Twitter, Benny Gantz expressed his...

The mounting number of coronavirus infections in densely-populated Gaza is spinning out of control, Palestinian health officials warned Monday. "The virus is spreading and the situation is getting out of control," Dr. Ahmad al-Jadba, an official at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, told AFP....