Iraq’s president said Thursday he was “ready to resign” rather than put forward the candidate of a pro-Iranian coalition for the post of prime minister, deepening the country’s political crisis. Barham Saleh’s announcement came as anti-government protesters blocked roads and bridges in Baghdad and the country’s south after torching several buildings overnight. In a letter […]

  Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a fresh challenge to his power on Thursday as his Likud party held leadership primaries in the run-up to a national election, the country’s third in under a year. Netanyahu, head of Likud for the past 14 years, is widely expected to retain the right-wing party’s leadership. […]

Pope Francis urged the world to let the light of Christmas pierce the “darkness in human hearts” that leads to religious persecution, social injustice, armed conflicts and fear of migrants. In his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the 83-year-old pope called for peace in the Holy Land, Syria, […]

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen urged parliament on Wednesday to have more discussion on a proposed anti-infiltration bill which the government says is needed to combat Chinese influence and has been condemned by the main opposition and Beijing. The legislation is part of a years-long effort to combat what many in Taiwan see as Chinese efforts […]

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at a southern Israeli city on Wednesday as it hosted a campaign rally by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prompted him to take shelter briefly before resuming the event, Israeli TV stations reported. The Israeli military confirmed the launch against Ashkelon, which is 12 km (7.5 miles) from the […]