U.N. beefs up guards as it scales up presence in Libya
ROME The United Nations is preparing to deploy 150-250 mostly Nepalese guards to Libya to protect its base in the capital as part of a plan to return its operations to the country, U.N. officials said on Friday.
U.N. rights chief says EU deal on Libya migrants falls short
GENEVA A European and African deal to stem the flow of migrants coming through Libya to Europe fails to tackle the abuses they face, the top U.N. human rights official wrote on Friday.
German lawmakers visit Turkish air base but dispute unresolved
BERLIN German politicians visited their country's troops at an air base in Turkey on Friday but some lawmakers said they would not extend the airmen's mission to take part in NATO air patrols unless an underlying dispute over visiting rights was resolved.
Syrian government denies U.N. chemical attack report
BEIRUT The Syrian government has denied a U.N. report accusing it of a sarin attack in April that killed scores of people, state media said on Friday.
Will Saudi Aramco deliver world record profit for next year's IPO?
LONDON When oil giant Saudi Aramco discloses its financials for the first time next year, it must either surprise investors with world record profits or reduce its aspirations for a $2 trillion valuation in its initial public offering (IPO). [IPO-ARMO.SE]
Turkish minister says EU turning negotiations into 'children's game'
TALLINN Turkey said on Friday the European Union was making a "child's game" out of its membership talks, wrangling over threats to end them, and reminded the bloc of its strategic importance abutting Middle Eastern conflict zones.
Lebanese army to deploy along entire eastern border: army chief
BEIRUT Lebanon's army will deploy along the country's entire eastern border with Syria and remain stationed there after recently recapturing areas from Islamic State militants, army chief General Joseph Aoun said on Friday.
EU must be part of U.S. Middle East peace push, Ireland says
TALLINN Israelis and Palestinians will face more unrest over the next year without a revival of a long-fractured Middle East peace process that the European Union must be part of, Ireland's foreign minister said on Friday.
Erdogan urges U.S. to review 'political' charges against Turkish ex-minister
ISTANBUL President Tayyip Erdogan urged the United States on Friday to review charges against a Turkish former minister for violating U.S.-Iran sanctions, saying Ankara had never agreed to comply with the embargo and the prosecution was politically motivated.
Turkish court orders release of pro-Kurdish party's former spokesman: party official
ANKARA A Turkish court has ordered the release of a parliamentarian who was the former spokesman for Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party, a party official said on Friday.