VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis insists his weekend pilgrimage to the Middle East is a "strictly religious" commemoration of a key turning point in Catholic-Orthodox relations. But the delicate, three-day mission will test his diplomatic skills as he navigates Israeli-Palestinian...

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials have been holding private meetings this week aimed at soothing lawmakers' concerns over the U.S. posture in Syria, the future of the American military presence in Afghanistan and defense spending. The meetings come as a frustrated White...

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Atop the hill of Tel Ahmar just a few kilometers from Israeli forces on the Golan Heights, Syrian Islamist fighters hoist the al Qaeda flag and praise their mentor Osama bin Laden. One of the men, a leader of al Qaeda's Nusra...

A candidate standing against Bashar al-Assad in next month's Syria's presidential election says the country's conflict began because of the regime's poor economic management and a minority elite monopolising wealth. "Today there is a nationwide war and a foreign plot, but in the...