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...

An Alawite village in the central province of Hama was seized by Islamist fighters on Sunday, Reuters news agency reported, adding that the fighting was “part of an offensive to try to cut off supply routes from Damascus to the north of the country.” The fighters, battling...

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, ...