King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Thursday appointed his half-brother Moqren bin Abdul Aziz as the next heir to the throne, paving the way for him to become a future king.  The move was announced by a royal decree broadcast by state television channel Al-Ikhbariya.  Under...

US President Barack Obama has met Pope Francis for the first time to discuss how to fight global inequality and poverty, calling himself a "great admirer" of the pontiff. Obama arrived at the Vatican on Thursday amid the pomp and tradition of the Catholic Church, making his way to...

Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was in a meeting with military top brass Wednesday at which he was expected to resign ahead of a likely presidential bid, state media reported. Interim president Adly Mansour later joined the meeting, after returning from an Arab League summit...

Former member of Syrian ruling family's inner circle gives first direct account of how shabiha paramilitaries were ordered to kill and torture opponents of the regime A former Assad regime insider has given the first direct account of how Syria's ruling family created the feared...