Felipe VI has been officially sworn in as the new king of Spain at the country's parliament. His accession to the throne follows the abdication of his father Juan Carlos. The retiring monarch handed over to his son at midnight, in the first royal transition in the country since the...

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq asked the U.S. to launch airstrikes to beat back militants holding vast territories across its north, a decision Washington mulled over as insurgents pressed an assault on the country's largest oil refinery. U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday briefed...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday terrorism will strike back against the West and other countries that "supported" attacks in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. Ever since a revolt broke out in March 2011, Assad has blamed all violence in Syria on a...

* Redeployment could have implications for Syria fighting * Resident say clashes calmed in some areas of Damascus * Iraqi fighters have helped Assad turn tide of war BEIRUT/BAGHDAD, June 18 (Reuters) - Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim militias fighting in Syria have started...