BBC News: Middle East

16 May 2012 Last updated at 14:19 ET

Assad says Syrians back reforms

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the results of last week's widely-criticised parliamentary elections prove people support his reforms.

Palestinian Authority President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas swears in a new cabinet in the West Bank, a move Hamas describes as a "big error".

Villagers in south-eastern Turkey sound the alarm after mistaking a migratory bird - a common European bee-eater - for an Israeli spy.

South Yemen air strikes 'kill 16'

Air strikes kill 16 suspected militants in southern Yemen as part of an ongoing army offensive against fighters said to be inked to al-Qaeda, officials say.
Bahrain and Iran in 'union' row

Bahrain's foreign ministry summons Iran's charge d'affaires following Iranian comments objecting to a proposed union between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Seven die in south Libya clash
Bahraini activist Rajab on trial
US rendition 'torture' case heard
BBC finds abuse at Jordan care homes
Libya's Belhadj to enter politics
Appelfeld wins UK fiction prize
UN team stayed with Syria rebels

Special report on the challenge to the Assad regime and its regional implications

Equality goal

Iran's women football fans dream of return to terraces
Squeezed Middle

The moderate Syrian voices drowned out by violence
Dangerous satire

Iranian rapper fears for his life following release of 'insulting' song
In the shadows

What is the Syrian Islamist al-Nusra Front?
The Prophet

How did a book snubbed by critics become a touchstone for millions?
Rallying round

Widespread support for Iran cartoonist sentenced to lashings
Desert discovery

WW II fighter found almost intact in Egyptian desert