Dubai World debt 'not guaranteed'
Dubai says it will not guarantee Dubai World's debt, as its main shares index had its biggest drop in a year.

UK boat crew held by Iranian navy
Five Britons who were sailing from Bahrain to Dubai have been detained by the Iranian navy, the Foreign Office says.

Iran warned on nuclear sites plan
Western nations warn Iran that its plan to build 10 uranium enrichment sites will lead to more sanctions.

Mysterious Saddam TV goes off air
A mysterious TV channel dedicated to ex-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein drops off air three days after its launch.

Somali pirates seize supertanker
Pirates seize a supertanker carrying oil from Saudi Arabia to the US - one of the largest ships captured off Somalia.

Leaders condemn Swiss minaret ban
Religious leaders from across the world criticise Switzerland's referendum vote to ban the building of minarets.

Iran blames West for nuclear move
A top Iranian official says the West provoked his country into launching a plan for 10 new uranium enrichment plants.

Yemeni rebels 'cleared' by Saudis
Saudi Arabia says it has captured a strategic mountain area near its border with Yemen from Yemeni Shia rebels.

New Hezbollah manifesto announced
The head of the Lebanese Shia movement, Hezbollah, sets out a new manifesto for the party focusing on conflict with Israel

Trainee Mossad spy 'arrested by Israeli police'
A trainee spy for Israel's Mossad secret service is arrested by Tel Aviv police while taking part in a training operation, media say.

Iran defiance
Plans for new nuclear enrichment plants fuel crisis

National outrage
How Egypt's World Cup exit exposed deeper frustrations

Stress points
Tension never far away on BBC man's West Bank return

'God watched him'
New life for Jewish toddler orphaned in Mumbai attacks

Overextended?
How Dubai became one of the world's richest cities

Festive mood
Cairo's shopping frenzy ahead of Eid al-Adha festival

Tehran denies seizing Nobel medal
Iran's foreign ministry denies officials confiscated the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the human rights lawyer, Shirin Ebadi.

Mystery Saddam channel launched
A satellite television channel celebrating the life of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein launches, three years after his execution.

Saudi flood deaths 'rise to 100'
Floods in Saudi Arabia kill around 100 people after the heaviest rainfall in years, with Jeddah badly affected.

Iraq war 'legitimacy' questioned
The Iraq war was not illegal but was of "questionable legitimacy", a former senior UK diplomat tells the Chilcot inquiry.

'Four injured' in Gaza air strike
At least four people have been injured in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources say.

Tehran 'confiscates Nobel medal'
Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi says her Nobel Peace Prize medal has been confiscated by the authorities.

Israel to build settler schools
Israel approves 28 new schools in settlements in the West Bank, a day after it announces restrictions on residential building.

Iran warned over 'dead end'
Investigations into Iran's nuclear programme will hit a "dead end" unless Tehran co-operates, the UN nuclear chief warns.

Turkey mulls Iran Raelian's fate
Turkey contemplates the fate of an arrested Iranian leader of the Raelian movement, who says she is fleeing persecution.

Palestinians shun settlement plan
Palestinian officials reject Israel's offer to restrict residential building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Tunisia jails dissident reporter
Taoufik Ben Brik, a journalist critical of Tunisia's leader, is jailed for six months on charges he says are trumped up.

US shares slide over Dubai fears
US shares fall on worries over Dubai's debt problems, but European markets recover from earlier falls.

Dubai needs time to repay debts
Dubai's financial health is under scrutiny after a government-owned investment company asks for a delay on repaying its debts.

New Israeli settlement criticised
Israel's approval of 900 extra housing units at a settlement in East Jerusalem comes in for harsh criticism in the Palestinian, Middle Eastern and Pan-Arab press.

Press alarm at football violence
The press in the Middle East and North Africa reacted with alarm to tensions surrounding the Algeria-Egypt World Cup qualifier match.

Lebanon views on government
Voters' views on long awaited new government

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

Analysis: Election debacle in Iraq
Rows over election law threaten Iraq's crucial poll

Morocco wine-makers see success
Morocco's wine growers sniff success abroad

Jerusalem's city of three faiths
Life in Jerusalem's heart where three faiths coincide

Leaders keep it in the family
Is North Africa succumbing to dynastic rule?

All quiet on Iraq's western front
Little evidence to support Iraqi claims of border infiltration

Q&A: Palestinian political turmoil
Key issues behind the Palestinian political crisis

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