French President Emmanuel Macron will not drop his plan for a single points-based pension system, but is “willing to improve” it in the face of fierce union resistance, an official in the presidency said Wednesday. “The president will not abandon the project nor water it down, though...

Lebanon increased security around protest centres in central Beirut Wednesday, after several nights of violence disrupted two months of largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations. Barricades were erected overnight to block or control access to protest sites in the capital where...

The sound of heavy artillery ranged in southern Tripoli on Wednesday amid an offensive by eastern Libyan forces on the capital.    A local source said mortar shells struck Salahuddin neighborhood in southern Tripoli, causing material damage. No injuries were reported. ...

Iraq's highest judicial authority has ordered the release of 2,700 people held in anti-government demonstrations. In a statement on Wednesday, the Supreme Judicial Authority said 107 protesters are still held pending investigation. The Iraqi government has pledged to release all...