Middle East news and stories by mail.com

Middle East

Fisheries nations set to discuss bluefin tuna
After defeating a proposal in 2010 to ban the export of an endangered fish that is a key ingredient of sushi, Japan and Asian nations argued it should ...
Iraq reconsiders $4 billion Russian arms plans
Iraq is reconsidering plans to buy more than $4 billion in arms from Russia, officials said Saturday, throwing the proposed purchase into question ...
Vets preserve memories of war with their own art
The fallen Iraqi soldier's face is frozen in agony, his eyes and mouth wide open, his arms spread in surrender, his death in the Kuwaiti desert ...
Calls for inquest into reported Iran blogger death
A prominent press freedom group has joined the U.S. State Department to demand Iran conduct a full investigation into the reported death of a jailed ...
AP Interview: Syria opposition blames West
The newly elected leader of Syria's main opposition bloc in exile struck a combative tone Saturday, saying international inaction rather than ...
Turkey: 17 soldiers killed in helicopter crash
A Turkish military helicopter carrying soldiers on a mission against Kurdish rebels crashed because of bad weather on Saturday, killing all 17 troops ...
Iraq marked highlight of Petraeus' Army career
At the close of his time commanding U.S. forces in Iraq, at the height of a legendary military career, Gen. David Petraeus was lauded by his boss, ...
Egypt Muslim Sisters rise with conservative vision
The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt has brought with it a new group of female politicians who say they are determined to bring more ...
Husband held in killing of Iraqi-American woman
The husband of an Iraqi-American woman whose beating death initially appeared to be a hate crime was arrested on suspicion of murder in what police ...
Gas rationing, shortage fray nerves in NYC
A gasoline shortage caused by Superstorm Sandy forced 1970s-era rationing on New Yorkers Friday, adding a fuel-gauge obsession to their frayed nerves ...
Syria opposition bloc elects Christian as leader
Syria's main opposition group in exile elected a left-wing veteran dissident born into a Christian family as its new president on Friday, a choice ...
Pentagon timeline shows military response to Libya
New Pentagon details show that the first U.S. military unit arrived in Libya more than 15 hours after the attack on the consulate in Benghazi was ...
AP sources: US weighs broader nuke deal with Iran
The Obama administration is considering a new approach in negotiations to curb Iran's nuclear program that would ease economic sanctions faster than ...
Up to 11,000 people flee Syria in 24-hour period
As many as 11,000 people fled Syria in 24 hours, some of them desperately clambering through a razor-wire fence into Turkey on Friday to escape fierce ...
Egyptian Islamists rally for Shariah law
Over 10,000 ultraconservative Muslims demonstrated Friday in downtown Cairo to demand that Egypt's new constitution be based on the rulings of Islamic ...
Bahraini lawyers, activists face lost citizenship
Off a road guarded by three police checkpoints, Bahraini lawyer Taimoor Karimi wonders about his future in a country that no longer considers him a ...
US donates $34 million to UN plan to help Syria
A U.N. plan to provide $836 million in emergency aid to Syrians battered by their nation's civil war ran into funding problems Friday despite an ...
Sudan's Bashir denounces Israel as enemy
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir says his country is seeking the capability to defend itself against Israeli strikes, and will never normalize ...
A look at Syrian president's statements on crisis
President Bashar Assad has rarely deviated from his statements on the crisis in Syria since it began nearly 20 months ago. Here is a look at his ...
Iraq official: Exxon seeks exit deal this year
Exxon Mobil expects to reach a deal by year's end to sell its stake in a major oil field in southern Iraq, an Iraqi official said Friday.
UN nuke agency to meet with Iran next month
Officials from Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog will meet in Tehran next month in an attempt to restart stalled nuclear talks, the international ...
Iran says US drone violated Iranian airspace
Iran's defense minister said Friday that a U.S. drone violated Iranian airspace a week ago when Pentagon says the pilotless aircraft came under fire.
Iraq's ousted bank chief professes his innocence
The ousted governor of Iraq's central bank on Friday criticized his removal amid accusations of financial wrongdoing as an attempt by the government ...
APNewsBreak: Senators mull tougher Iran sanctions
Lawmakers are working on a set of new and unprecedented sanctions against Iran that could prevent the Islamic republic from doing business with most ...