Lebanon’s lights may go off as cash for electricity runs out
Lebanon‘s lights may go off this month because cash for electricity generation is running out, a lawmaker said on Thursday, as the country grapples with...
Middle East
European powers tell Israel to stop settlement expansion amid tension in Jerusalem
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain urged Israel on Thursday to halt settlement-building in the occupied West Bank. The joint statement came as tensions mounted...
Qatar finance minister arrested over alleged embezzlement
Qatar Finance Minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi was arrested for questioning over allegations of embezzlement, abuse of power and crimes related to the public sector, a statement...
Netanyahu’s two main rivals seek chance to form government after he fails
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s two main political rivals each asked the president on Wednesday for the chance to try to form a government, after...
Syria says Israeli raids target Mediterranean port region of Latakia
Syrian air defences downed several Israeli missiles during pre-dawn raids on the Mediterranean port city of Latakia, the Syrian army said on Wednesday, a rare attack...
U.S. State Department denies reports of prisoner swap with Iran (Updated)
he U.S. State Department on Sunday denied reports of a prisoner swap with Iran after Tehran confirmed a Lebanese television report that an exchange was...
Israel observes day of mourning for religious festival dead
Israel observed a day of mourning on Sunday for 45 people crushed to death at a Jewish religious festival, with flags lowered to half-staff and...
Crush at Israeli religious festival kills 44
At least 44 people were crushed to death at an over-crowded religious bonfire festival in Israel on Friday, medics said, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described...
Saudi crown prince softens Iran rhetoric in balancing act
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has taken a more conciliatory public stance towards Iran, trying to balance long-held animosity with economic considerations and bridge differences with...
Palestinian elections appear headed for delay amid Jerusalem dispute, Fatah infighting
The first Palestinian elections in 15 years appeared to be headed for a delay on Tuesday amid a dispute over voting in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem and...
Israeli ministers at odds over how swiftly to open up to tourism
Israel‘s Tourism Ministry said on Tuesday it wanted to open up to vaccinated foreign tourists starting in May after a dramatic drop off in Israeli coronavirus...
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of ‘apartheid’ crimes against Palestinians
An international rights watchdog accused Israel on Tuesday of pursuing policies of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians – and against its own Arab minority – that amount...
Unconfirmed reports of vessel attacked off Saudi Arabia (Updated)
Dryad Global is receiving “unconfirmed reports” that a vessel, possibly the NCC Dammam oil tanker, has been attacked off the Saudi Red Sea port of...
Syrian refugees face Ramadan penury amid Lebanon’s economic ruin
Hussein al-Khaled and his family have lived in a makeshift hut in Lebanon for a decade since fleeing the war in neighbouring Syria, but this...
At least 27 dead in fire at Baghdad hospital for Covid patients
At least 27 people were killed and 46 injured in a fire on Saturday at a hospital in southeastern Baghdad that had been equipped to house COVID-19...
Clashes on Gaza border as Ramadan violence flares in Jerusalem
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired dozens of rockets into Israel on Saturday drawing retaliatory air strikes, the Israeli military said, after nightly Ramadan...
Violence erupts in Jerusalem; Israeli nationalists chant ‘Death to Arabs”
After a night of violence in Jerusalem, Israeli police made over 50 arrests and Palestinian medics said 100 were injured during Ramadan clashes in the...
Israel retaliates after Syrian missile lands near nuclear reactor
A Syrian surface-to-air missile exploded in southern Israel on Thursday, the Israeli military said, in an incident that triggered warning sirens in an area near...
Nearly 100 people injured after train derails in Egypt
Ninety-seven people were injured on Sunday when some train carriages derailed in Egypt‘s Qalioubia province north of Cairo, the health ministry said in a statement. More...
Syria to hold presidential election, slammed by opposition, on May 26
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi Syria will hold a presidential election on May 26 that is virtually certain to return President Bashar al-Assad for a third term...