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LEBANON

PM Hariri concerned over 'escalating' Israeli military incursions

Prime Minister Saad Hariri voiced concern over daily Israeli military incursions into Lebanese airspace in a BBC interview broadcast Wednesday, raising fears of another Israeli offensive against Hezbollah on Lebanese territory.

NUCLEAR IRAN

Tehran begins enriching uranium to 20%, state media say

Iran has announced that it has begun enriching uranium to 20 percent, leading the US and France to call for "strong" new UN sanctions against Tehran. Meanwhile, Russia -- Iran's long-term nuclear partner -- questioned Tehran's intentions.

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LEBANON

Doomed Ethiopian jet exploded after take-off, Lebanese minister says

An Ethiopian jet which crashed off Lebanon's coast last month exploded after take-off, a Lebanese minister has said in the first such official comment. None of the 83 passengers and seven crew on board the Boeing 737-800 have been found alive.

IRAN

Opposition looking to hijack celebrations of Islamic revolution

Three decades after Ayatollah Khomeini's return from exile, Iran's Islamic Republic is in the midst of its biggest political crisis yet, with opposition supporters threatening to stage demonstrations on the anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

TERRORISM

Top al Qaeda commander calls for attacks on US interests ‘everywhere’

In a purported audio message posted on the Web, Said al Shihri (pictured), al Qaeda's second-in-command in the Arabian Peninsula, congratulated Osama bin Laden for the Christmas Day bomb plot and called for attacks on US interests “everywhere”.

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IRAN

Pro-government protesters 'attack' Italian embassy

Around 100 pro-government militia members tried to storm Italy's embassy in Tehran on Tuesday, Italy's foreign minister has said. Italy has cancelled its attendance at Thursday's ceremonies in Tehran marking the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.

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THE OBSERVERS

Twenty years after the Gulf War, the clean-up drags on

Volunteer Kuwaiti divers have been busily cleaning up their country’s polluted seabed for nearly a decade, but the debris they remove is not just your ordinary shoe or tire.

EGYPT

Lebanese diva's murder case puts justice on trial

When Egyptian tycoon Hisham Moustafa (left) was sentenced to death for Lebanese diva Suzanne Tamim's (right) murder, it sent shockwaves across the region. But now an appeals process could reopen a sensational case.

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LEBANON

Searchers recover Ethiopian plane black box from Med

Search teams have retrieved a flight recorder belonging to an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed off the coast of Lebanon last month killing all 90 people aboard.

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GAZA

Israel unconvinced by Hamas 'regret' over civilian deaths

The Islamist group Hamas has said it "regretted any harm" to Israeli civilians as a result of its rocket attacks during the 2008 Gaza war. Israel dismissed the apology, saying attacks targeted civilians.

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IRAQ

Shiite militant group says it’s holding two US hostages

A radical Shiite group in Iraq claimed Sunday that it has two US hostages, including an American contractor captured from Baghdad last month. The second American was captured two years ago, the group said.

GAZA ASSAULT

UN chief voices concern over war crimes investigations

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has expressed concerns over the credibility and independence of Israeli and Palestinian probes into alleged war crimes during Israel's 22-day offensive in Gaza in December 2008.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Debt-laden Dubai discovers new offshore oil field

The ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum (pictured) announced in a statement Thursday the discovery of a new offshore oil field. Dubai's oil reserves, mostly offshore, are expected to be exhausted within 20 years.

IRAN

US wary after shuttle carries live animals into space

An Iranian space mission that saw live animals momentarily shot into orbit has provoked concern from the US and France, amid fears Tehran is planning to use rocket and satellite technology for military purposes.

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