Syrian civil war A bomb attack on a military bus in central Damascus has killed 14 people, Syrian state media say. Two explosive devices attached to the vehicle blew up as it passed under Jisr al-Rais bridge during the morning rush hour, Sana news agency reported. Although Syria has been embroiled in civil war for […]
An amateur diver exploring shallow waters off northern Israel has found a sword thought to have belonged to a crusader knight 900 years ago. The one-metre (3.3ft) blade was discovered by Shlomi Katzin in shallow waters off Haifa. It is thought the sword, heavily encrusted with marine organisms, resurfaced after the shifting of sands. The […]
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case The British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has lost an appeal against a second jail sentence in Iran. Her family said on Saturday that there had been no court hearing, but her lawyer was informed of the outcome. First jailed for five years in 2016 after being accused of plotting against the regime, […]
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has announced a day of mourning for Friday, a day after deadly fighting erupted in Beirut. At least six people were killed and 32 others injured when gunfire broke out in the Lebanese capital. It began during a protest by the Shia Muslim groups Hezbollah and Amal against the judge […]
Iraq protests Iraqis have voted in the first parliamentary election since mass protests over corruption, unemployment and poor services erupted in 2019. The poll had been due next year but was brought forward by six months in response to the unrest, during which hundreds of people were killed. The old electoral system based on […]
Lebanon has been left without electricity, plunging the country into darkness amid a severe economic crisis. A government official told Reuters news agency the country’s two largest power stations, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, had shut down because of a fuel shortage. The power grid “completely stopped working at noon today” and was unlikely to restart […]
By Frank Gardner BBC Security Correspondent Princess Haya case The High Court has found that the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, interfered with British justice by ordering the hacking of the phone of his ex-wife, Princess Haya of Jordan. The phones of her solicitors, Baroness Fiona Shackleton QC and Nick Manners, were […]
By Ahmed ElShamy & Emir Nader BBC News Arabic Pandora Papers The Qatar ruling family bought two of the UK’s most expensive houses in a deal that allowed them to avoid £18.5m in stamp duty, leaked documents show. The family bought the properties in central London via offshore companies for over £120m and applied to […]
Israel has accused Iran of plotting to kill Israelis in Cyprus after police there arrested a man suspected of being hired to carry out the attacks. The Israeli prime minister’s office said “an act of terror… was orchestrated by Iran against Israeli businesspeople” living on the island. His office denied media reports that the target […]
Israel’s foreign minister has made the first official visit to Bahrain by an Israeli cabinet member since the states established diplomatic ties last year. Yair Lapid had a “historic, warm and hopeful meeting” with King Hamad Al Khalifa and opened Israel’s embassy. The first commercial flight from Manama to Tel Aviv took off after his […]
