An Australian travel-blogging couple who were detained in Iran on spying charges have been released and returned home, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Saturday. Perth-based Jolie King and Mark Firkin had been documenting their journey from Australia to Britain on social media...

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man Friday during weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel border, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. About 6,000 Palestinians gathered along the frontier, the Israeli military said, and some in the crowd hurled explosive devices and grenades...

Police snipers fired at demonstrators in Baghdad Friday, as the death toll rose to 60 people in three days of violent national protests against government corruption. Premier Adel Abdul-Mahdi called for calm but protesters scorned his promises of political reform. The country’s...

"We're not infiltrators", Sayyed said over and over again as he marched Friday to Baghdad's iconic Tahrir Square after Iraqi officials accused "aggressors" of being behind four days of anti-government protests. Despite pleas from embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi for a "return...

The Palestinian Authority will receive a transfer of 1.5 billion shekels ($430 million) from Israel, officials from the two governments said Friday, in a step towards resolving a months-long standoff between them. Israel will continue to deduct money from the transfers to account for...

Protesters clashed with anti-riot police Friday in Iraq despite the premier?s pleas for patience and an internet blackout on the fourth day of mass rallies that have left 44 dead. Many were awaiting a signal in the midday sermon of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's highest Shiite...

Iraq's Supreme Anti-Corruption Council on Thursday dismissed 1,000 civil servants, who were convicted of public integrity crimes, amid widespread protests across the nation.   Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi chaired a meeting of the council amid ongoing protests to discuss a...

 Egypt is discussing possible further assistance from the International Monetary Fund to help it carry out structural reforms once its current three-year IMF program ends next month, its central bank governor said on Thursday. "The government and the IMF are reviewing to see if there...

Israel's 1948 Palestinian citizens protested and held a general strike Thursday to call on police to stop a wave of violence in their communities, a situation the country's president labelled a "national emergency." Lawmakers from the community of 1948 Palestinian citizens in Israel...

Bahrain called on its citizens Thursday not to travel to Iraq for the time being due to security tensions, state news agency reported. The foreign ministry statement also called all Bahraini citizens in Iraq to leave immediately as a precautious step.

Lebanon's central bank governor said Thursday that increased imports could have raised the demand for dollars in the country, noting this has pushed money changers to charge higher exchange rates. In a televised speech, Riad Salameh also raised doubts over whether increased imports were...

Satellite images released on Thursday show that a once-detained Iranian-flagged oil tanker sitting off the coast of Syria has been approached by a smaller Iranian tanker, an indication the ship could be preparing to transfer its cargo. Images released by Maxar Technologies show the Jasmine...

In a country fractured along sectarian lines, the unusually wide geographic reach of protests over Lebanon’s dire economy on Sunday suggests deepening anger with an entire class of politicians who have jointly led it into crisis. While the protests were not big - Lebanon’s divisions make...

The internet was down across most of Iraq Thursday, the third day of protests called for on social media, with a monitor saying "intentional restrictions" by major providers caused the near-blackout. Iraqis protesting in the capital and southern cities have struggled to communicate with...

Israel's parliament will be sworn in Thursday without a new government formed as a deadlocked general election leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambling to find a path to extend his long tenure in power. Members of parliament elected in September 17 polls will take their oaths of...

Israeli forces rounded up 13 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military. A Thursday statement read that the individuals had been arrested for “suspected involvement in popular hostile activities", without elaborating about...

Eleven people were killed during protests overnight in two southern Iraqi cities, including a policeman, police and medical sources said Thursday, raising the death toll to 18 since anti-government protests turned violent two days ago. Seven protesters and a policeman died in Nassiriya...

 France's top diplomat judged Wednesday that Iran and the United States had just over a month to try to start a dialogue on easing tensions in the Middle East, before another expected move by Tehran to ramp up its nuclear activities. The comment by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian...

 A child was killed Wednesday in renewed clashes between demonstrators and Iraqi security forces, a day after at least two people were killed and 200 wounded in protests over unemployment, corruption and poor public services. At least eight protesters were wounded in the Zafaraniya...

A top Iranian constitutional body has approved a law allowing Iranian women to pass their nationality to their children, state media reported on Wednesday. Human rights experts have said the measure could help thousands of children living in legal limbo by letting them acquire citizenship...