Middle East News

RAMALLAH, West Bank - At the top of the list of Palestinian prisoners likely to be freed in a possible swap for an Israeli soldier is a firebrand politician many Palestinians believe is a likely future president who can pull them out of their current political deadlock.

BAGHDAD - Google is documenting Iraq's national museum and will post photographs of its ancient treasures on the Internet early next year, Google chief Eric Schmidt announced Tuesday.

BAGHDAD - A senior official said Tuesday that Iraq must delay a national vote scheduled for January because of a political dispute, and the vice president who triggered the crisis indicated he would veto a key election law for a second time.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Tuesday it was ready to exchange its low-enriched uranium with a higher enriched material, but only on its own soil, to guarantee the West follows through with promises to give the fuel.

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's official news agency reports a political activist and former head of the Tehran municipal council has been released on bail in the mass trial of opposition figures accused of fomenting the post-election unrest.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - For years just an obscure fight raging in remote desert mountains, Yemen's war with Shiite rebels has been dragged up to a new level, inflaming the rivalry between the Middle East's two powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Iran.

JERUSALEM - Israel's military says it has carried out three airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, targeting a weapons-manufacturing facility and weapons smuggling tunnels.

JERUSALEM - Israel TV reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proposing a 10-month freeze in construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

SAN'A, Yemen - A Japanese engineer seized by Yemeni tribesmen seeking to swap him for a prisoner with al-Qaida links was released Monday after a week in captivity.

JERUSALEM (AFP) - An Israeli minister said on Tuesday that an agreement with Hamas to swap a Gaza-held soldier for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners was "very close," despite earlier efforts to rein in speculation.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Opposition parties and the Jewish community criticized a visit by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Venezuela, citing worries over his denial of the Holocaust, human rights violations and Iran's nuclear program.

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AFP) - An estimated 2.5 million Muslims have converged on Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage, as workers toil round the clock to complete construction projects designed to avoid deadly stampedes.

VIENNA (AFP) - World powers have drafted a resolution to be voted on by the UN atomic watchdog later this week condemning Iran for concealing a second uranium enrichment site, diplomats said on Tuesday.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Top Iranian officials said on Tuesday that Tehran is ready to send its low-enriched uranium abroad provided there is simultaneous exchange on its own soil of nuclear fuel processed by world powers.

LA PAZ (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Bolivia for a short visit Tuesday and promptly issued a joint statement with President Evo Morales on the right of all nations to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful ends.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The United States upped pressure on Iraqi politicians on Tuesday to reach a deal on holding elections as Washington sought to avoid delays on the pullout of thousands of troops from the country.

LA PAZ, Bolivia - Iran's president inaugurated an Iranian-funded hospital and two milk-processing plants Tuesday in a goodwill visit in which his leftist host defended Iran's "peaceful" nuclear aspirations.

ANKARA (AFP) - Turkey and Israel Tuesday pledged commitment to improve ties as an Israeli minister held talks in Ankara, the first since the Jewish state's war in Gaza poisoned ties between the two regional allies.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran could consider sending its low-enriched uranium abroad, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, apparently softening its opposition to a U.N. plan aimed at keeping a check on its nuclear ambitions.

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - US President Barack Obama is "doing nothing right now" to restart the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said in an interview published Tuesday.

LONDON (AFP) - The first full-scale inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war opened with testimony suggesting Washington was gearing up for possible conflict two years before Tony Blair led London to war.

VIENNA (Reuters) - Six world powers have drafted a resolution at the UN nuclear watchdog urging Iran to clarify the purpose of its previously secret uranium enrichment site and confirm it has no more hidden atomic work, diplomats said.

AMMAN (AFP) - Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday ordered his government to amend the country's controversial election law and ensure a "transparent" vote, a day after he dissolved parliament.

MOBILE, Ala. - A Belgian arms dealer has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting airplane engines and parts from the U.S. to Iran for use in aging F-5 fighter jets sold to the Islamic nation before its 1979 revolution.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia expects Iran to agree to enrich uranium abroad under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a Russian diplomatic spokesman said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US prosecutors on Tuesday accused 10 people of having supported the Shiite militant group Hezbollah with weapons, fake passports, counterfeit money, stolen laptops and game consoles.

Palestinians said Monday that negotiators were close to exchanging an Israeli soldier held by Gaza militants for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has carried out such swaps in the past:

RIYADH (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Wednesday denied reports that its military encroached on Yemen territory to attack Shiite rebels in their homeland.

TEHRAN, Iran - Former Iranian Interior Minister Ali Kordan, who was dismissed after being accused of faking a law degree from the University of Oxford, has died, reports said Monday. He was 51.