Middle East News

RABAT (AFP) - Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, absent from the country for more than a year for medical treatment, left Morocco Friday, an official said. Full Story »

TEHRAN (AFP) - Tehran Tuesday accused the United States of abducting an Iranian nuclear scientist who went missing in Saudi Arabia during a minor Muslim pilgrimage, and said Riyadh must also be held accountable. Full Story »

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's chief prosecutor indicated Tuesday that Mir Hossein Mousavi and other opposition figures could be hauled before court, as dozens of people on motorcycles surrounded the office of the ex-premier. Full Story »

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's financial regulator has approved an offer from France Telecom's Orange to buy 100 percent of shares in Mobinil, but the move was swiftly rejected by Mobinil's parent company Orascom. Full Story »

TEHRAN (AFP) - An Iranian nuclear scientist who went missing in Saudi Arabia has been "handed over by Riyadh to Washington," Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting Tehran's foreign ministry spokesman. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Abu Dhabi will stage the 2010 English domestic season opener between county champions Durham and the MCC under floodlights and with pink balls. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the West Monday for being too quick to censure Iran's nuclear program but told President Barack Obama that Ankara was prepared to mediate with Tehran. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (AFP) - An Israeli minister has predicted there will be 10,000 new settlers in the occupied West Bank over the next 10 months and insisted that a moratorium did not freeze but only limited construction. Full Story »

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian security forces fired warning shots in Tehran on Monday and beat opposition protesters among thousands seeking to renew their challenge to the government six months after a disputed election, witnesses said. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Monday, with differing tacks on Iran in the spotlight as the nuclear crisis reaches a pivotal point. Full Story »

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Leading ultra-Orthodox rabbis on Friday told their flock to shun the Internet, claiming that even sites meant for the arch-conservative religious community contained "lies and terrible impurity." Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - Foreign Secretary David Miliband voiced concern Monday over clashes between police and protesters in Iran, urging the Islamic republic not to "stifle" its people. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Monday that Iran's continued crackdown on peaceful protesters reflects a "disregard" for the rights contained in its own constitution. Full Story »

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian protesters defied police firing tear gas on Monday as they used an annual commemoration to stage fresh anti-government demonstrations despite a crackdown by security forces, witnesses said. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, grilled by furious MPs Thursday over bombings that rocked Baghdad, intimated that a row over who should be intelligence chief was endangering the country's security. Full Story »

PARIS (AFP) - Reformist cleric Mehdi Karoubi, one of the most outspoken leaders of the Iranian opposition movement, defended student street protests Monday and warned authorities against launching a crackdown. Full Story »

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Washington to discuss Iran's nuclear program, the war in Afghanistan and other issues. But the President also needs to convince him that Turkey must stay close to the U.S. and Europe even as it looks east Full Story »

DUBAI (AFP) - Dubai's national flag carrier, Emirates, said on Thursday it has raised 1.13 billion dollars to finance the purchase of six Airbus A380 superjumbos, stressing it has no difficulty obtaining finance. Full Story »