British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday dismissed the suggestion of a prisoner swap for a British-Iranian mother being held in Tehran as a “vile” diplomatic ploy, while her husband told AFP the idea was “almost impossible.” In New York, Iranian Foreign Minister Mo   Details..>>

A Russian firm is to take over Syria’s largest port for 49 years and invest $500 million in expanding it, the transport minister in Damascus said Thursday. A deal would be signed for the “management, expansion and operation” of port of Tartus with Russian company Stroytransgaz, T   Details..>>

Griffon vulture Nelson crossed into war-torn Yemen in search of food but ended up in the hands of Yemeni fighters -- and temporarily in jail for suspected espionage. The sand-coloured bird came down in the country's third city of Taez, an unusual move for a young vulture that can soar for long   Details..>>

In a disused football stadium in the Yemeni city of Aden, hundreds of African migrants find themselves in limbo -- banned from onward travel, but unable to return home. The majority from Ethiopia, the migrants are facing tough conditions after being confined to the stadium in the government ba   Details..>>

Yemeni security officials say police have detained at least 5,000 migrants over the last 10 days who were attempting to cross the Saudi Arabian border. The officials said Wednesday that the migrants, most of them from African countries, are being held in police stations across the southern cit   Details..>>

Iran is willing to negotiate with America only when the United States lifts pressure and apologizes, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, according to state media. Oil prices hit their highest level since November on Tuesday after Washington announced all waivers on imports of s   Details..>>

Sanaa-based government Prime Minister Dr. Abdulaziz bin Habtoor received on Tuesday the UN World Food Program (WFP)regional director for the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and East Europe Muhannad Hadi, and his delegation, reported Houthi-run Saba news agency. According to the agency   Details..>>

French authorities have opened an investigation into the leaking of a classified military note which revealed French weapons are being used by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in Yemen, sources told AFP on Wednesday. The note details the use of weapons -- including tanks, artillery an   Details..>>

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister on Wednesday blamed Yemen’s Houthi movement for a stalled peace deal in the main port of Hodeidah, saying the Iran-aligned group was ignoring the kingdom’s call for a political solution to the four-year war. Saudi Arabia is leading a Wes   Details..>>

When Omar Bashir wanted protection from rivals during his long rule as president of Sudan, he turned to Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a commander of widely feared Arab militias. Gen. Dagalo, who goes by the nickname Hemedti, could soon become the most powerful man in Sudan himself following the military   Details..>>