Egypt

Seven women were assaulted in a military prison under the pretext of "virginity tests", but eight months after the incident the military has failed to investigate or prosecute the men accused of the sexual assault, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Reports of an Israeli plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities has ratcheted up tension across the Middle East. The International Business Times analyses what would be the ramifications.

Last week, embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to end its crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, pull troops from the streets and release prisoners jailed during months of protests, according to the Arab League. However within days, more civilian deaths have been announced and the city of Homs has now become the symbol of the deadly crackdown led by Assad's forces.

Laila Soueif, the mother of the prominent activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah, currently in prison under investigation has announced she began a hunger strike Sunday, to oppose the imprisonment of her son by the country's ruling military council, accused of represing activists and religious minorities.

The Muslim world has begun celebrating Eid al-Adha, a festival where humility and solidarity within the community is put promoted.

More than 1,200 passengers of a ferry that had just left the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba to head to Egypt were forced to flee on life boats after a fire erupted Thursday, officials say.

Millions of Muslims are going to Mecca every year to perform the hajj, one of the five pillar of Islam, from Africa, to the West, the Arab world, Russia or Asia, all gather in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage.

Young Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil, currently in to his third month of hunger strike to protest against the Egyptian justice system, has had his retrial postponed yet again.

More than 1.5 million Muslims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and a total of 1.8 million are expected in total, but while the hajj represents an important spiritual experience for Muslims, problems are also surfacing.

The three-day blackout earlier this month cast a dark shadow over RIM, but the BlackBerry manufacturer had been in trouble long before a server in Slough decided to take the day off.

When pictures of the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held captive for five years by Hamas, were beamed around the world,many featured a beaming Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, unleashing a new phenomenon called "Bibi bombing" aimed at pocking fun at the politician's love of the limelight.

Human Right Watch (HRW) has warned of a cover-up by the Egyptian military following an investigation launched after the killing of more than two dozen demonstrators, mostly Coptic Christians, an incident which has put the spotlight on Egypt's ruling Military Council's harsh tactics.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet issued a statement confirming the approval of a prisoner exchange deal with Egypt to release suspected Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen arrested in June and accused of being a spy in exchange for 25 Egyptian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Muammar Gaddafi, his son Muatassim and a top aide have been buried at a secret desert location after Muslim rites with a few relatives and officials in attendance, but the burrials are unlikely to calm down the controversy surrounding Libya's former "brother leader."

With the popularity of Islamic-based political parties in Tunisia and Egypt, and the announce of the continuation of a sharia law-based Libya, political Islam in some of the Arab Spring countries is it seems regaining momentum, re-launching the debate between democracy and Islam.

Libya's National Transitional Council might have successfully ousted Gaddafi following months of a conflict which culminated with the former leader's death, but in Syria, activists were still in the streets protesting against Assad, while Egypt and Tunisia are still reeling from the fall of their former dictatorship.

Ancient Egyptian mummies are no more a thing of the past. In a first-of-its-kind scientific study, British scientists will attempt to mummify the body of a recently deceased Devon taxi driver. The project, intended to test out knowledge of a chemical process used 3,000 years ago by the Egyptians, will be carried out on the body of Alan Billis, 61, from Torquay.

The two sons of ousted President Hosni Mubarak have $340 million (£215 million) in Swiss bank accounts and are suspected of money laundering, says a senior Egyptian Justice Ministry official.

Gaza's Islamist rulers have released the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for hundreds of Palestinian militants held by Israel after more than five years in captivity, a Hamas military source has said.

Captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is expected to return to Israel via Egypt by next Wednesday, Palestinian sources and Israeli media have said.

Unconfirmed reports in the Egyptian press have said Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has already been handed over the Egyptian authorities, amid speculation as to the captive's whereabouts.

In a press conference on Wednesday Egyptian military leaders delivered their official version of Sunday's events, which has been widely discredited by journalist, witnesses and activists at the scene.

The news that Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit will soon be released after five years being held captive by militant Palestinians has provoked strong reactions across the world. Here we take a look at the way the story has been covered in the U.S., the U.K., and the Middle East.

Egypt's finance minister resigned on Tuesday, becoming the first high-level official to leave in the aftermath of the deadly clashes that emerged between Coptic Christian and Muslim demonstrators and military forces, with many accusing the military council of being responsible of what has been called in the Egyptian press the "Maspero massacre."

Libya's former foreign minister Moussa Koussa has obtained a Jordanian passport and is planning to move to Amman from Qatar, Arabic daily al-Arab al-Youm reports.

Twitter has emerged victorious at the T3 awards after scooping the digital media service of the year, beating Facebook and YouTube to the post thanks to its first class iPhone, Android and iPad apps.

Justice may still come to bear for the former 'King of Kings' .

Egyptian state media coverage of Sunday's violent clashes in Cairo between thousands of Christian Coptic demonstrators and Muslim supporters and security forces has come under fire after witnesses and journalists insisted it provided a distorted account.

Clashes between Coptic Christian protesters and Egyptian security forces killed at least 24 people and injured 200 in Cairo Sunday, authorities said.

The United States Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has openly and bluntly criticised Israel's foreign policy by blaming the Benjamin Netanyahu's government of being partly responsible for its growing isolation in the region.