Lebanon and Israel, still technically at war and with no diplomatic ties, launched a second round of maritime border talks Wednesday under UN and US auspices to allow for offshore energy exploration. The talks, expected to last for two days, were held at the headquarters of UN peacekeeping...

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday warned that insulting the Prophet Mohammed may encourage "violence and bloodshed" following Paris' defence of the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet. "Insulting the prophet is no achievement. It's immoral. It's encouraging violence,"...

Top Turkish officials condemned a caricature scorning President Tayyip Erdogan in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, calling it a “disgusting effort” to “spread its cultural racism and hatred”. Turkish anger at the caricature added fuel to a row between Turkey...

Iraqi authorities Tuesday reopened a bridge in central Baghdad leading to the high-security Green Zone, in a sign of easing tensions a year after the launch of an anti-government protest movement. The fragility of the return to normal, however, was underlined by the killing of a prominent...