Iran
Iran impasse to stir sanctions pressure, tensions
MOSCOW/LONDON - Western diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program may not have breathed their last but the troubled process appears to be on life support after talks this week failed to resolve a row stirring regional tensions and unsettling oil markets.
U.S. think-tank sees more Iran site "sanitization" work
VIENNA - A U.S. security institute published new satellite imagery on Wednesday which it said appeared to show further activity, including removing earth, to clean up an Iranian military site the U.N. nuclear watchdog wants to inspect.
Japan, China to import Iran oil after EU ban
TOKYO - At least two of Asia's four top buyers of Iranian crude will keep imports flowing, though at overall reduced rates, as they find ways around an EU ban on insuring tankers carrying the Islamic country's oil.
Iran oil exports fall more in June, sanctions bite
LONDON - Iranian oil exports are falling further in June as more customers in Europe and Asia stop or scale back purchases ahead of European Union sanctions aimed at slowing Tehran's nuclear program.
Japan passes law to insure Iran oil imports
TOKYO - Japan's parliament approved government guarantees on insurance for crude oil cargoes from Iran on Wednesday, paving the way for it to become the first of Iran's big Asian oil buyers to get round new European Union sanctions.
"Important" al Qaeda leader captured in Pakistan: officials
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has captured an "important" al Qaeda leader in an operation near the Pakistan-Iran border, officials said on Wednesday, amid criticism from the United States the country was not doing enough to fight militancy.
Egypt's Mubarak moved to hospital in health crisis
CAIRO - Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was moved from prison to a military hospital on Tuesday after a health crisis, officials said. | Video
Iran, world powers fail to settle nuclear dispute
MOSCOW - World powers and Iran failed to secure a breakthrough at talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Tuesday and set no date for more political negotiations, despite the threat of a new Middle East conflict if diplomacy collapses.
Brent crude dips as Iran, West plan July talks
NEW YORK - Brent crude edged lower on Tuesday on relief that negotiations to defuse the dispute over Iran's nuclear program led to plans for technical talks in July, while hopes for more monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve helped lift U.S. crude.
U.S. sees more sanctions if no results in Iran talks
MOSCOW - Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program will not last indefinitely and Tehran should expect more sanctions if it fails to address international suspicions over the nature of its work, a senior U.S. administration official said on Tuesday.
Mubarak health drama adds to Egypt uncertainty
CAIRO - Hosni Mubarak's move from jail to a Cairo military hospital where officials said he was slipping in and out of a coma on Wednesday created fresh uncertainty for Egyptians as officials delayed the announcement of a presidential election result. | Video
Are African governments suppressing art?
The dust is finally settling on the storm that was kicked off in South Africa by a controversial painting of President Jacob Zuma with his genitals exposed.