NATO on Wednesday declined an overture by Qatar to join the Western military defence alliance, saying membership was reserved to the United States and Europe.

On the first anniversary of a bitter Gulf diplomatic rift, Qatar's foreign minister on Tuesday declared his country stronger than ever and said it was open to dialogue with its regional rivals.
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani also rebuked Qatar's foes for "imaginary victories" against the small Gulf state, the target of a Saudi-led boycott.

There has recently been a "significant escalation" in Egypt's crackdown on social dissent, the UN said Tuesday, warning that arbitrary detention in the country had become a "chronic problem".

A powerful Syrian Kurdish militia announced Tuesday it will withdraw from Manbij, a day after key brokers Ankara and Washington held talks on the fate of the strategic town.

An air strike on an area in northeastern Syria still held by the Islamic State group has killed at least 11 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday.

The US-led military campaign to oust the Islamic State (IS) group from the Syrian city of Raqa in 2017 killed hundreds of civilians in indiscriminate bombing, committing possible war crimes, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

A Bahraini appeals court on Tuesday upheld a five-year jail sentence in a case against high-profile activist Nabeel Rajab linked to social media, a rights group and family member said.

The United States said it would boycott Tuesday's session of the Conference on Disarmament to protest Syria last week ascending to the helm of the body.

Jordan's King Abdullah II called for a review of a controversial draft tax law Tuesday as anti-austerity protesters staged another night of demonstrations in Amman and trade unions vowed to hold a general strike later Wednesday.

Saudi air defences on Tuesday intercepted a ballistic missile that targeted the western city of Yanbu after being fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, a Saudi-led military coalition said.
