Middle East | featured news

Serbia reaches an EU-brokered accord with the breakaway region of Kosovo, aimed at normalising ties between the Balkan neighbours.

The former military ruler of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, fled a courtroom on Thursday, making a dramatic escape after a judge revoked his bail over a case dating to his years in power.

Iran is increasing the number of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges installed at its Natanz underground plant, despite tightening international sanctions aimed at stopping Tehran's nuclear progress, diplomats said on Wednesday.

Powerful aftershocks rocked the border between Iran and Pakistan Wednesday, a day after a major earthquake tore through the region, collapsing buildings and killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 170. The Pakistani town of Mashkel was “totally destroyed,” according to a local journalist at the scene.

A Pakistani court disqualified the country’s one-time military leader and president Pervez Musharraf from taking part in coming national elections on Tuesday, dashing his hopes of rejoining Pakistani politics.

Iran has been struck by its most powerful earthquake for more than 50 years, with tremors felt across Pakistan, India and the Middle East. The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake was near the south-eastern city of Khash, close to Pakistan.

Foreign ministers from the G8 group of rich countries failed to patch up deep divisions over Syria or come up with a plan on North Korea during a meeting in London on Thursday.

A powerful earthquake struck close to Iran's only nuclear power station on Tuesday, killing 32 people and injuring 850 as it destroyed homes and devastated two small villages, Iranian media reported.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry worked Monday to build support for new Arab-Israeli peace talks that would establish an independent Palestinian state and settle many other old Mideast grievances.

World powers believe talks with Iran over its contentious nuclear program have been substantial enough for diplomacy to continue, a senior Western diplomat said on Monday, days after a meeting in Kazakhstan failed to yield a breakthrough.