The "Blue bra girl" atrocity The blogosphere is boiling at the cruel beating of a female protester by Egyptian military police, who continued battling protesters in Tahrir Square on Sunday. The clashes, into their third day now, have left 10 people dead and hundreds injured. ­The video uploaded on YouTube Sunday reveals the extreme cruelty of the country’s law enforcers during the crackdown... 

China's Ambassador to Iran Yu Hongyang China’s Ambassador to Iran has reiterated Beijing’s determination to expand ties with Tehran amid Western-led efforts to impose more unilateral sanctions on the Islamic Republic. During a Saturday visit to the Iranian central city of Arak, Ambassador Yu Hongyang described Iran-China relations as satisfactory and added, “Considering the long history... 

Iran plans to put foreign spy drones it has in its possession on display in the near future, according to an informed source close to the Tehran Times. National reporters and foreign ambassadors based in Tehran will be allowed to visit the exhibition. The report was also published on the website of Nasim news agency. The latest domestically manufactured electronic warfare equipment will also be put... 

A Baghdad ceremony marks the official end of the US military mission in Iraq on December 15, 2011. American troops are holding a ceremony in the Iraqi capital city, Baghdad, to mark the official end of the US military presence in the Middle Eastern country, Press TV reports. During the highly symbolic ceremony on Thursday, which according to a US army tradition is called “casing,” the US military... 

Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal Former Saudi intelligence agency chief Prince Turki al-Faisal has warned that launching an attack on Iran will have ‘calamitous’ consequences. Speaking at Alfaisal University in Riyadh on Tuesday, al-Faisal said the impact of a military strike against Iran will be “calamitous … cataclysmic, not just catastrophic.” Al-Faisal added that the adverse implications... 

Iraqi protesters burned Israeli and US flags during a rally in Fallujah to celebrate the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Dec. 14, 2011. Thousands of Iraqis have taken into the streets in the western city of Fallujah to celebrate the withdrawal of US troops from the country. Burning US and Israeli flags and carrying photos of Fallujah residents killed by US forces after the 2003 US-led invasion,... 

On the way out? Tourists lap up the sunshine at Naama Bay, Sharm el-Sheikh. Islamist parties want to stop Westerners drinking alcohol and wearing skimpy beachwear Bargain holidays for Westerners looking to get a bit of sunshine and a drink by the pool in the winter could be a thing of the past on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. The Muslim Brotherhood, which won success in the first round of parliamentary... 

Confusion caused by military drill rattles markets. A rumor that Iran had closed the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices skyrocketing today, but the story turned out to be inaccurate and was likely a result of confusion surrounding an upcoming Iranian military drill set to take place near the key oil choke point. Yesterday, Parviz Sarvari an Iranian MP went public with the claim that Iran was about to... 

US troops circling Syria A former official from within the ranks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reporting that US and NATO forces have landed outside of Syria and are training militants to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, formerly a translator with the FBI, wrote over the weekend that American soldiers are among the NATO troops that have mysteriously... 

Pro-government protesters hold a rally in support of President Bashar al-Assad in capital, Damascus on December 9, 2011. Armed gangs have killed a Syrian army general during clashes in the northwestern city of Idleb as the unrest continues in the volatile country, Press TV reports. The incident occurred after clashes broke out in the restive area near the ballot stations between the Syrian army and... 

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets, demanding that former President Ali Abdullah Saleh face trial for the deadly crackdown on months of protests. Demonstrations have erupted in the capital, Sanaa, and other cities across the country. Despite signing a deal last month to step down as president in exchange for immunity from prosecution, Saleh continues to be a focal point of... 

Lawmaker Kazem Jalali A senior Iranian lawmaker calls on the Foreign Ministry to lodge a complaint against the US over the recent violation of Iran’s airspace by an American reconnaissance drone. Member of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Kazem Jalali said Sunday that the US has a long history of violating the sovereignty of other countries, ICANA news agency... 

Iran has released video footage of the most advanced US reconnaissance drone which was downed by the Iranian Army in the eastern part of the Islamic Republic earlier this week. On Sunday December 4, the Iranian Army’s electronic warfare unit downed with minimum damage the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft which was flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225km) from the Afghan... 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Russia has down-scaled the level of diplomatic relations with Qatar following an incident with the Russian ambassador to the country, who was physically attacked by Qatari customs and security officers. ­Ambassador Vladimir Titorenko suffered an assault at Doha Airport on November 29, on his return from a mission to Jordan. While passing through customs control... 

An American RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned reconnaissance aircraft A senior Iranian military official says Iran’s Army has downed a remote-controlled reconnaissance drone operated by the US military in the eastern part of the country. The informed source said on Sunday that the Iranian Army’s electronic warfare unit successfully targeted the US-built RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft after it...