Ship seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman Fears Iran may close the strategically vital oil route through the Strait of Hormuz has prompted the United Arab Emirates to seek an alternate route to export its product. OPEC’s third largest exporter of oil has almost finished constructing a pipeline that will allow it to reroute much of its oil exports, bypassing the Straits. Twenty per cent of the... 

The unusual phenomenon in the sky above Israel, which hundreds took for a UFO, could be connected with the test launch of Russia’s intercontinental ballistic missile Topol. The missile was launched from Kapustin Yar test ground in Russia’s Astrakhan region. Astronomers confirmed the journalists’ supposition that said that the mysterious light in the sky could occur as a result of... 

Syria's Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi The Syrian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that Damascus expelled the ambassadors of the US, Britain, France, Turkey and some other states. Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi announced the list of expelled diplomats on Tuesday. The expulsions came after Western states expelled Syrian diplomats from their countries last week. The ministry... 

Stage slide show during Madoona show in Tel Aviv Madonna seems to have crossed the line and may now face a court battle with France’s top far right-wing politician, Marine Le Pen. She claims the singer depicted her as a Nazi, placing a swastika on her forehead during a stage slide show. The face of Marine Le Pen, the head of France’s Front National, appeared on a large screen with a swastika symbol... 

Germany is supplying the Israeli Navy with submarines that are fully capable of being fitted to carry cruise missiles with nuclear-warheads, Spiegel reports. Thus, if Israel does indeed have any such missiles, it could deploy them immediately. ­The extensive military deal suggests that German shipyards are to supply Israel with six Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarines, four of which have already... 

Protesters demonstrate at Tahrir Square in Cairo after Hosni Mubarak avoided a death sentence in his trial and his sons and henchmen were cleared of corruption charges Egypt descended into chaos last night despite President Hosni Mubarak’s life sentence, after he and his sons were cleared of corruption charges, setting off huge protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square – the birthplace of... 

An image taken from the Egyptian state TV shows ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak lying on a stretcher inside a cage in a courtroom during his verdict hearing in Cairo on June 2, 2012. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak gets life behind bars for murders committed during the country’s historic revolution in February 2011. In a final verdict hearing in a Cairo court on Saturday, the ex-dictator as well... 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the West for ‘sparking a crisis’ over Iran’s nuclear energy program, while turning a blind eye to Israel’s atomic activities. “We raise this issue [on] almost all international platforms. We urge them to take the necessary safety measures. But those who have nuclear facilities, who see nuclear... 

Iran launched its first domestically-produced Omid (Hope) satellite in 2009 on board Safir (Ambassador) carrier. An Iranian official has announced that the country is set to launch a high resolution student satellite tasked with taking images of the earth. Head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli said the satellite is part of a project by Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology and will... 

Israeli organ trafficking ring leader Moshe Harel A European Union (EU) prosecutor says an Israeli man suspected of running an organ trafficking network has been arrested in Israel. “We have received information that Moshe Harel has been arrested in Israel on organ trafficking and other related offences,” EU special prosecutor Jonathan Ratel said. Harel is wanted in Kosovo, where he and... 

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has expressed his country’s support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program, saying Berlin is ready to provide Tehran with “technical assistance” in using the nuclear energy. Iran has the right to use the nuclear energy for civilian purposes, and we are ready to support Iran technically in this regard,... 

Syrians carry picture of President Bashar al-Assad during a demonstration in Damascus on April 30, 2012. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says his government has successfully overcome the political crisis and the deadly violence in the country. “Syria has been able to overcome the pressures and threats it has faced for years and is able to get out of this crisis thanks to the strength of its people... 

A new fatwa recently issued in Saudi Arabia suggests that Supreme Mufti of the country will allow giving girls into marriage at the age of ten. However, he only legalized the existing orders: here eight-year-old girls, with the consent of their fathers, are married off to old men. The laws of Saudi Arabia provide and even encourage the practice of early marriage of girls. “From ancient times... 

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano speaks to reporters in Tehran on May 21, 2012. Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano says he held “comprehensive” talks with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator in a “good atmosphere.” Amano made the remark after a two-hour meeting with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National... 

Israeli “butterfly” UAV. The future is here and this is not a butterfly on your wall, as Israeli drones are getting tiny. Their latest project – a butterfly-shaped drone weighing just 20 grams – the smallest in its range so far – can gather intelligence inside buildings. ­The new miniscule surveillance device can take color pictures and is capable of a vertical take-off and hover...