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16 May 2012 Last updated at 14:19 ET

Assad says Syrians back reformsSyrian women vote in the parliamentary elections on 7 May 2012

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


Mahmoud Abbas shakes hands with Salam Fayyad after swearing him in as prime minister in Ramallah (16 May 2012)New Palestinian cabinet sworn in

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".

Common European Bee-eater (file picture)Turks take bird for Israeli spy

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

Special Reports

Fleeing shelling in Idlib, Northern Syria - Febrauary 2012Syria crisis

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

More Special Reports:

Features & Analysis

  • Women cheer at a friendly football match in Tehran in 2006Equality goal

    Iran's women football fans dream of return to terraces


  • 'Red woman' protest in DamascusSqueezed Middle

    The moderate Syrian voices drowned out by violence


  • Shahin NajafiDangerous satire

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


  • Wrecked Air Force Intelligence offices in Damascus (17 March 2012)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

Elsewhere on the BBC

  • Wine tastingCreative sampling

    Entrepreneurs are uncorking the potential of urban wine tasting in Buenos Aires

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