Women's rights have improved in 15 of 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa over the past five years, although violence against women remains widespread throughout the region, a US study has found. Democracy watchdog group Freedom House pointed to "modest" economic, educational and political progress for women, despite a continued pushback from religious and cultural elites ...

TARIM, Yemen (Reuters) - Malaysian student Mohamed Fatri Ben Kazrah flew half way round the world to fulfill his dream of studying Islam and Arabic at a Yemeni religious school. Ben Kazrah is one of hundreds of students from Asia and Africa in Tarim, a historic town acknowledged as the theological center of Hadramaut, a poverty-stricken region where government authority is ...

Somali pirates have captured a small Saudi tanker and its crew of 14 in the Gulf of Aden, a Kenyan maritime official said Wednesday. The MT Al Nisr Al Saudi, a 5,136 tonne tanker, was seized on Monday with its Greek captain and 13 Sri Lankan crew members, said Andrew Mwangura, who heads the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme ...

Iraq's oil exports reached their highest level in February since Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in two decades, oil ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told AFP on Tuesday. "Oil exports for February reached 2.069 million barrels (per day) and this is the highest export level since 1990," Jihad said. "This is a step towards the ministry's goal ...