Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said he accepted the “rightful demands” of protesters as he called for calm after three days of unrest. In a rare televised address, Mr Mahdi stuck a conciliatory tone as protesters demanded his resignation. The PM said he would respond to their concerns, but warned there was no “magic […]

Security forces in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, have fired live rounds at protesters defying a curfew. The prime minister says the open-ended curfew – which has been in place since dawn – is needed to maintain order and protect protesters from “infiltrators”. At least 18 people have been killed since Tuesday in clashes with security […]

Guardian Council approves legislation first passed by Iranian parliament in May. Iran’s legislative vetting body has ratified a bill that allows children born to Iranian women and foreign men to obtain Iranian nationality, according to state media. The approval was announced by Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai on Wednesday, more than four months after the proposal was […]

A vigil has been held in Istanbul for the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered there a year ago. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia’s government, was killed inside the kingdom’s consulate in the Turkish city by a team of Saudi agents. A UN expert says it was a “premeditated extrajudicial execution” and […]

Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he intends to indict him on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three cases known as 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000, pending a final hearing. Mr Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and said he is a victim of a […]

When Benjamin Netanyahu won Israeli elections in April, supporters lauded him as a “magician”. The leader of Israel’s right-wing Likud party had defied pessimistic polls, and, in the face of corruption allegations, breezed his way to a record fifth term. It was an historic result for a politician who was branded by critics as too […]

BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces clashed with anti-government protesters in the capital and other provinces Tuesday, killing two people and injuring more than 200, according to officials. The protests, the most serious against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government since it was formed a year ago, signaled that the war-weary country could face a new […]

The brother of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran was sentenced to five years in prison on corruption charges, the state news media reported on Tuesday, and four people were sentenced on charges of spying for the United States and Britain, with one person facing the death penalty. The penalties added to the perception that Mr. […]

Iran says it has arrested 17 spies who it says were working for the CIA, and sentenced some of them to death. The intelligence ministry said the suspects had been collecting information in the nuclear, military and other sectors. US President Donald Trump has dismissed the Iranian allegations, saying they are “totally false”. Washington and […]

Two others jailed for 10 years for the same crime while a fourth sentenced for spying for UK, judiciary spokesman says. Iranian courts have sentenced one person to death for spying for the United States and handed 10-year jail sentence to two others for the same crime, a judiciary spokesman said on Tuesday. A fourth […]