Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews held a mass prayer in Jerusalem on Sunday in protest at a bill that would cut their community's military exemptions and end a tradition upheld since Israel's foundation. Ultra-Orthodox leaders had called on their men, women and children...

An al Qaeda splinter group in  Syria  has denied it was behind the killing of a prominent al Qaeda figure last week and appeared to reject an ultimatum from rival fighters to accept mediation or face all-out assault. The Islamic State in  Iraq  and the...

An opposition source says China is to open a dialogue with key opposition group in-exile, National Coalition. The source said that closed meeting took place recently between the Chinese envoy, who works in China Embassy in Turkey, and number of opposition figures in the NC...

 Veteran Spanish journalist Marc Marginedas, kidnapped in Syria in early September last year, has been freed, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Sunday. "I am very happy...I spoke to him early today, he is in reasonable shape, he is happy," Rajoy told Radio 5, Spain's public...