U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Monday on all Syrian parties to observe a truce during the holy month of Ramadan. "I am calling for every military unit of the regular army and the Free

Egyptian security officials and members of the Muslim Brotherhood said that more than 40 supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi were killed as violence erupted outside a military officers’ club early Monday where the

Russia yesterday blocked a UN Security Council demand that Syria allow immediate access to thousands of civilians trapped by a government offensive on the city of Homs, diplomats said. Diplomats said Russia’s opposition to the

The head of Egypt’s armed forces issued a declaration yesterday suspending the constitution and appointing the constitutional court President Adly Mansour as interim head of state. He will be sworn in today. In a televised

Egypt’s army has plans to push Mohammed Mursi aside and suspend the constitution after an all but impossible ultimatum it has given the Islamist president expires in less than 24 hours, military sources

: A Saudi court has sentenced a human rights activist to eight years in prison for sedition after his group campaigned for a constitutional monarchy and elections in the kingdom. Abdulkarim Al Khader co-founded the

The Israeli army on Wednesday reopened the two crossings into the Gaza Strip which were closed as a punitive measure after militants fired five rockets over the border, a statement said. "Kerem Shalom and Erez

Saudi Arabia said yesterday the Syrian government's attempts to suppress a rebellion amounted to "genocide" and called for rebels to get military aid to defend themselves, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric over the

Egypt’s army stepped in to a mounting political crisis yesterday to demand that the Islamist government and its opponents settle their differences and warned that it would act to stop violence spinning out

By Harriet Sherwood and Hazem Balousha For once, Palestinians had something to celebrate. When the golden boy from Gaza was announced as winner of Arab Idol, the West Bank and Gaza erupted in fireworks,