Palestinians 'should delay polls'
Elections due in January 2010 should be postponed, the Palestinian Authority's electoral commission recommends.

Iraq probes 'Blackwater bribes'
Iraq orders an investigation into whether the US security firm Blackwater paid bribes to officials after the deaths of 17 people.

US pursues 'Iran-linked' charity
US prosecutors begin legal action to seize property owned by a Muslim charity suspected to have links with Iran.

Murder charges for Jewish settler
A Jewish settler is charged with murdering two Palestinians and attacks on left-wing and messianic Jewish targets.

West Bank removal challenged
Israel's Supreme Court says a Palestinian student whom the army deported to Gaza should be able to challenge the process.

Libya to put Swiss men on trial
Two Swiss businessmen held in Libya for more than a year must face trial on tax and visa issues, officials say.

Death for Egypt drug smugglers
Four Jordanians are sentenced to death by an Egyptian court for smuggling 173kg of hashish into Egypt.

Israel call for Syria peace talks
Israel's prime minister is willing to restart peace negotiations with Syria, as long as they are held "without preconditions".

Egypt welcomes German life term
Egypt's government welcomes a German court's life sentence for a man who murdered a pregnant Egyptian woman.

Activists break West Bank barrier to mark fall of Berlin Wall
Palestinian activists have marked the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by knocking through a segment of the West Bank barrier.

Years of paralysis
Why the Lebanese have given up on their politicians

'Justice served'
Egypt reacts to Germany's 'veil martyr' verdict

After Arafat
Palestinian dream of independence is remote as ever

Danger tourism
Can Iraq really become a tourist hotspot?

Treasure hunt
Egypt seeks to reclaim its 'stolen' antiquities

Lebanon voices
Voters' views on long awaited new government

Iran embassy man shot in Pakistan
Gunmen kill a Pakistani working at the Iranian consulate in the city of Peshawar, officials say.

Hezbollah dismisses US pledges
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group says Barack Obama's promise to engage with Muslims has proved false.

Photos 'show Iran arms-ship link'
Israel releases documents and pictures which it says prove that an arms shipment it seized in the Mediterranean came from Iran.

Palestinians mark Arafat's death
Palestinians mark five years since the death of Yasser Arafat, as his successor repeats calls for an end to Israeli settlement building.

Iran 'executes Kurdish activist'
A Kurdish opposition activist convicted of working against national security has been executed in Iran, reports say.

Iraqi court fines British paper
An Iraqi court orders Britain's Guardian newspaper to pay damages after ruling that it defamed Iraq's prime minister.

Jordan police accused over death
Five Jordanian police officers will face trial after a man died on Sunday of injuries allegedly sustained while in custody, officials say.

Iran denounces UK scholarship
Iran criticises Oxford University after a college establishes a scholarship in honour of a woman killed during post-election unrest.

Yemen rebels urge ceasefire
A commander of the rebels fighting the government in northern Yemen calls on Saudi Arabia to end its offensive.

New mobile network in West Bank
A new mobile phone network is launched in the West Bank, bringing increased competition to the Palestinian market and hopes of wider economic benefits.

Iraq minority rights fears grow
Iraq's minority groups could face a human rights "catastrophe" as Arabs and Kurds vie for control, Human Rights Watch says.

Oil rise 'could derail recovery'
The International Energy Agency says that if the recent rise in oil prices continues it "risks derailing the recovery".

Iran's Guards in $2.5bn rail deal
Iran's Revolutionary Guards win a $2.5bn tender to build a railway route linking the south-eastern port of Chabahar to Iran's rail network.

Disputes over IAEA deal
A draft agreement on Iran's nuclear programme at talks in Vienna receives contrasting coverage in the Iranian and Israeli press.

Abbas 'pushed' to stand down
Israeli and Arab commentators consider the reasons behind Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' decision not to stand in forthcoming elections.

Iran witness: Protest videos
Your films of anti-government protests in Iran

Iran voices: The nuclear crisis
Iranians discuss the country's nuclear programme and the international stand-off over the issue.

Iranian views: Divided country
Four Iranians reflect on the inauguration of the president and the future of the country.

Legal row over Gaza intensifies
Legal row over UN report on Gaza offensive intensifies

Iran's internal divisions
Are internal squabbles blocking a nuclear deal?

Taking the capital out of a city
How do you move a country's capital out of a city?

Jerusalem artists go underground
Palestinian artists go underground to dodge Israeli curbs

Bridging Iraq's sectarian gap
Do the prejudices of old still hold sway in Iraq?