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Middle East

OPEC considers oil output, Iran-Saudi rivalry
Tough decisions await OPEC oil ministers sitting down this week for a policy meeting. The 12-nation cartel has to deal not only with how much crude ...
Panetta says Syria chemical threat has slowed
The Syrian government seems to have slowed preparations for the possible use of chemical weapons against rebel targets, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon ...
HSBC to pay $1.9B to settle money-laundering case
HSBC avoided a legal battle that could further savage its reputation and undermine confidence in the global banking system by agreeing Tuesday to pay ...
Iran closes down consulate in Herat, Afghanistan
Iran's official news agency is reporting the country has closed its consular section in the western Afghan city of Herat, after anti-Iranian protests ...
Record number of reporters jailed globally: group
More journalists than ever are languishing in prisons across the world as countries like Turkey, Iran and China step up terror and other anti-state ...
Lawyer: Sentence reduced for Bahrain activist
A defense lawyer says a Bahrain appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of a prominent human rights activist from three years to two.
Senior Yemeni intelligence officer killed
Yemeni military officials say that a senior intelligence officer in southeastern Hadramawt province has been killed by two unknown assailants on a ...
Jordan's king orders release of jailed protesters
Jordan's king has ordered the release of 116 protesters jailed for their involvement in last month's violent rallies against hikes in fuel prices.
NY-based group: 232 journalists jailed worldwide
The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report Tuesday that a record-number 232 journalists are imprisoned worldwide and that Turkey has the ...
A look at money laundering settlements since 2009
British banking giant HSBC will pay a record $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering probe by U.S. federal and state authorities, a law enforcement ...
Israel's Netanyahu: World has double standards
Israel's prime minister on Monday accused the international community of "deafening silence" in response to recent vows by the head of the Hamas ...
Egypt's military takes over security ahead of vote
Egypt's military assumed responsibility Monday for protecting state institutions and maintaining security ahead of a Dec. 15 constitutional ...
Egypt's president behaves like his predecessors
The freshly scrawled graffiti depicting Mohammed Morsi as a pharaonic Saddam Hussein tells the tale of high hopes dashed with record speed: Barely six ...
EU condemns Israel over settlements
The European Union warned Israel of unspecified consequences Monday if it goes through with plans to build thousands of new settler homes in Jerusalem ...
Syrian rebels capture parts of army base in north
Rebels captured part of a sprawling Syrian army base outside the embattled northern city of Aleppo, tightening the opposition's grip on areas close ...
Report: Asian economies will surpass US, Europe
The United States could see its standing as a superpower eroded and Asian economies will outstrip those of North America and Europe combined by 2030, ...
Google teaming with Israeli high-tech startups
Google is searching for promising Israeli high-tech companies. The international technology giant on Monday launched its "Campus Tel Aviv," a 1,500 ...
European Union receives Nobel Peace Prize
The EU received the Nobel Peace Prize on Monday for promoting peace and human rights in Europe following the devastation of World War II, and the bloc ...
Deep divides in Dubai at UN talks on Internet
Talks over possible new U.N. regulations for the Internet were deeply divided Monday, with Russia and others advocating for more government control, ...
Iraqi Kurdish leader visits disputed areas
The president of Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region visited Kurdish troops Monday in ethnically disputed areas near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a move ...
UN climate talks in Qatar boost Gulf awareness
Holding a high-profile U.N. climate change conference in Qatar, smack in the middle of the region that produces so much of the fossil fuel blamed for ...
Iran says it decoded data from captured CIA drone
Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Monday said it has decoded all of the data from an advanced CIA spy drone captured last year. The Guard's aerospace ...
Sanctions hit Iranian manufacturing hard
A conservative Iranian news website says the number of manufacturing companies in the country facing financial crisis has increased four-fold over the ...
Germany expels Syrian diplomats
Germany has expelled four employees of the Syrian embassy in Berlin in a diplomatic move to put pressure on the regime of President Bashar Assad.
US envoy urges prosecution for Bahrain crackdowns
A senior U.S. envoy is calling on Bahrain to prosecute those responsible for widespread crackdowns during the early stages of an anti-government ...