KFAR ZABAD, Lebanon — It was born in the Arabian desert more than 1,500 years ago and is now being revived in the battle-scarred greenery of Lebanon. Already its success is heralding a regional renaissance. The pre-Islamic system of environmental protection known as “hima” — Arabic for protected area — …

JIT, West Bank — Fearful that radical Jewish settlers will swoop and steal their olives, Palestinians are turning to an unlikely source of protection to secure this year’s desperately needed harvest. Several hundred Israelis, from left-wing activists to moderate Jewish settlers, regularly volunteer to help Palestinians pick olives, believing that …

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, responding to the recent military moves by the US in the region, said that Americans have brought just two worn out and shabby battleships to the Persian Gulf.

TUNIS (Reuters) — Veteran dissident Moncef Marzouki returned to Tunisia on Saturday and vowed to campaign for democracy, shrugging off government plans to prosecute him for allegedly inciting Tunisians to commit violence. “I come here to carry out my struggle peacefully,” the human rights campaigner told reporters after a flight …

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iran’s Ambassador to Russia said that as long as the Zionist regime exists in the region, the Middle-East may not experience peace and tranquility.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- An Iranian MP said that the parliament’s Budget and Planning Commission has approved USD 2.2 billion of the government’s proposed USD 3.5 billion for the imports of petrol in the current (Iranian) year.

RAMALLAH — Eighth-grader Thaer Shweikiyeh, who dreams of being a doctor one day, was excited about going back to school after the summer vacation. Instead, he’s been selling onions in the local farmers’ market for the past two months, and his new schoolbag remains untouched. Thaer is one of 800,000 …

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iran has launched a new mobile phone network with SIM cards provided by the country’s first private operator.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iran offered to talk with the West about its disputed nuclear program days before the US and its partners are expected to circulate a draft resolution providing for limited sanctions against Tehran.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Frantic efforts are under way in Washington and London to find an exit strategy for Iraq as a renewed surge in violence led George Bush to admit Friday that tactics there might need to change. Diplomats and politicians in both capitals are desperately reviewing and debating …