Saudi Arabia to end Syria’s regional isolation with invitation for Assad to attend summitAssad’s presence at summit will revoke Syria’s suspension after crackdown on 2011 Arab Spring protestsMon Apr 03 2023 - 18:05
Saudi Arabia agrees to join Shanghai Co-operation Organisation as ‘dialogue partner’Decision seen to tighten ties to Beijing and strengthen Riyadh’s pivot eastThu Mar 30 2023 - 15:13
Iraq election law poses threat to small parties and independents Amendments adopted by parliament favour large parties and blocsTue Mar 28 2023 - 18:15
Saudi Arabia and Syria ‘close’ to reopening embassies Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed by Riyadh in 2012Fri Mar 24 2023 - 17:45
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party delivers election blow to ErdoganDecision not to run a candidate boosts prospects of opposition ahead of May pollThu Mar 23 2023 - 15:58
Saudi and Iranian reconciliation may bring Syria back into the foldRepaired relations could facilitate further regional agreementsTue Mar 21 2023 - 16:18
Washington’s victory in Iraq did not liberate but imprisoned the country in warfareTwo decades after the US war on Iraq began, the disastrous consequences of the conflict are still being feltSun Mar 19 2023 - 16:00
Lebanon’s central bank governor facing corruption charges as financial crisis intensifies Riad Salameh, his brother Raja, and an assistant accused of misappropriating $350 million from the sale of bank assetsThu Mar 16 2023 - 16:06
Iran pardons 22,000 detained during protestsProtesters must apologise and pledge not to repeat actions which led to detentionTue Mar 14 2023 - 16:56
Saudi Arabia-Iran deal could be a game-changerThe deal could end Israeli ambitions to draw the Saudis into an anti-Iran allianceMon Mar 13 2023 - 17:07
Iraqi authorities fear backlash following measures to enforce a ban on alcoholAuthorities fear backlash from Iraqis following measures to enforce 2016 lawWed Mar 08 2023 - 17:52
‘Very concrete, very tangible’ steps made towards nuclear deal with Iran, IAEA chief saysReactivation of agency cameras in Iranian facilities and access to sites agreed, Rafael Grossi saysMon Mar 06 2023 - 17:58
Turkey’s opposition coalition splits over choice of candidate to take on ErdoganGood Party leader refuses to back head of largest opposition group in poll scheduled for MayFri Mar 03 2023 - 19:35
Authorities in Iran investigate series of gas poisonings at 30 girls’ schoolsMore than 700 pupils hospitalised as repeated attacks cause schools to closeWed Mar 01 2023 - 15:59
Saudi Arabian judges charged with treasonTen prominent judges to be tried for failing to impose harsh sentencesTue Feb 28 2023 - 15:51
Ukraine war: Why Middle Eastern countries did not join West’s military allianceTrade, diplomatic relations and geopolitical perspectives on democracy make many players feel closer to Moscow than KyivSun Feb 26 2023 - 15:26
Earthquakes ‘heighten threat’ of hostility against Syrian refugeesLawyer says desperation caused by the earthquake, combined with racism and hate speech, has seen a deepening resentmentWed Feb 22 2023 - 19:45
Michael Jansen: Earthquakes in Syria have reopened doors between Assad and Arab rulers Syrian president has been isolated as wars damage his country, but there’s a sign of softening attitudes in Saudi ArabiaTue Feb 21 2023 - 16:42
Lebanon protests: Demonstrators block roads in Tripoli as 80% of population plunges into povertyPeople rally outside banks as tensions rise in country facing financial and political corruption crisesFri Feb 17 2023 - 18:07
Iran’s president signs multiple agreements with China on three-day visitEbrahim Raisi urges ‘greater steps’ in implementing co-operation agreement signed by Beijing and Tehran in 2021Thu Feb 16 2023 - 17:03
Cyprus’s president-elect makes reunification of island his top priorityNicos Christodoulides seeks to form broad, gender-balanced cabinet and says he will reach out to Turkish CypriotsMon Feb 13 2023 - 18:29
Unesco begins review of damage to heritage sites in Turkey-Syria quake regions UN cultural body says priority on the ground now is to save people and it will take a lot longer to get precise view of situation at heritage sitesFri Feb 10 2023 - 18:38
Syria bears brunt of economic devastation caused by quakeWar-torn country is in far weaker position than Turkey to deal with aftermath of disasterWed Feb 08 2023 - 17:35
US and EU offer disaster aid with caveats in Syria’s government-controlled areas Washington says it will not provide earthquake relief services directly to Assad regime due to ongoing civil warTue Feb 07 2023 - 22:28
Greek Cypriots to vote in first round of republic’s presidential electionAs no candidate is expected to secure over 50% the vote the two leading candidates will compete in a run-off round on February 12thFri Feb 03 2023 - 14:59
Saudi Arabia: sharp rise in executions under Salman rule, says reportAnnual average of death sentences since 2015 has increased by 82 per cent, according to Reprieve and the European Saudi Organisation for Human RightsWed Feb 01 2023 - 16:43
Three-quarters of Arabs identify with Palestinian cause, according to 2022 surveyOpinion poll commissioned by US-based Arab Center finds 84% see Israel as the greatest threat to the Arab worldTue Jan 31 2023 - 20:58
Lebanon state prosecutor says he wants to avoid ‘blood on the streets’Ghassan Oueidat has delayed the investigation into the Beirut port explosion in 2020Fri Jan 27 2023 - 15:55
Protests in Lebanon over pace of investigation into Beirut port explosionDemonstrations take place against stalling of inquiry into explosion which killed 218 people in 2020Thu Jan 26 2023 - 17:00
Former Lebanon prime minister charged with homicide over Beirut port explosionFormer ministers charged over massive blast which killed 218 people and wounded 6,000 in August 2020Tue Jan 24 2023 - 16:26
Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections to take place a month early, says ErdoganPresident, who is seeking re-election, tells youth conference that ‘seasonal conditions’, determined change of dateMon Jan 23 2023 - 17:08
Saudis optimistic of progress on Yemen war agreementRemarks by foreign minister suggest Riyadh has given up on a military solutionThu Jan 19 2023 - 16:05
Three leading aid agencies resume work in AfghanistanTaliban’s ban on employment of female workers by non-governmental organisations had led four agencies to suspend operationsWed Jan 18 2023 - 14:58
Power struggle may have led to execution of Iranian-British man Execution of dual national Alireza Akbari for spying may have its roots in Iranian political rivalryMon Jan 16 2023 - 16:42
Istanbul’s mayor facing allegations of corruptionLegal case against Erdogan’s rival could prevent him from running in June’s presidential electionThu Jan 12 2023 - 17:48
UN condemns Iranian executions amid fears of more to comeAppointment of hardline new police commander interpreted as sign of mixed messages from Iran’s regimeWed Jan 11 2023 - 17:11
Ukraine war causes cost-of-living crisis in EgyptGovernment’s suggestion that people consume chicken feet soup for protein prompts outrageSun Jan 08 2023 - 15:20
China launches direct shipping line to Iran’s sole oceanic port on Gulf of OmanSenior Iranian officials and military officers vow ‘harsh revenge’ for US assassination three years ago of Revolutionary Guard Quds commander Qassem SoleimaniWed Jan 04 2023 - 18:00
At least 220 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in 2022, report findsLast year saw highest number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territories since 2005Tue Jan 03 2023 - 17:04
Syrian and Turkish defence ministers meet in MoscowRussia hopes to restore relations severed by Turkey’s involvement in Syrian conflictsThu Dec 29 2022 - 17:00
Iran stands firm as protests continueWhile hardliners remain determined to crush dissidence, they have been criticised by senior clericsWed Dec 28 2022 - 18:51
Aid groups cease operations in Afghanistan as Taliban bans women staffBan on women working in NGOs could disrupt humanitarian assistance to millionsMon Dec 26 2022 - 14:14
Afghan women refused entry to universities as Taliban ban comes into forceSince retaking power in August 2021, the Taliban has systematically cancelled the rights gained by girls and womenWed Dec 21 2022 - 19:55
Pressure builds on all sides to return to Iran nuclear dealRow over discovery of traces of uranium at thee sites is complicated by Iran’s suppression of protests and support for Russia in Ukraine warTue Dec 20 2022 - 13:58
Morocco’s World Cup run flagged wider political issues Palestinian cause and pan-Arab opposition to peace with Israel came into playFri Dec 16 2022 - 14:36
More than 11,000 children killed or maimed in Yemen warUN report says hundreds of thousands of children remain at risk of deathWed Dec 14 2022 - 14:34
Lockerbie bombing: New arrest may ease trauma inflicted on US Suspect detained in connection with 1988 attack on airliner which claimed 270 victimsMon Dec 12 2022 - 18:34
Xi hails ‘new era’ in Chinese-Arab relations on visit to Saudi ArabiaWarm welcome for Chinese leader contrasts with cool reception for US president Joe Biden earlier this yearFri Dec 09 2022 - 19:25
Crackdown fails to silence Iranian protestersBadri Hosseini Khamenei, the ayatollah’s sister, condemns “despotic caliphate” of Ali Khamenei.Wed Dec 07 2022 - 17:14
Erdogan repeats determination to create ‘security zone’ in SyriaTurkish president has been unable to convince Russia to back planned offensiveMon Dec 05 2022 - 12:38
