Libya’s internationally recognised government on Monday appealed for weapons to combat militias which have seized parts of the oil-rich nation, at an emergency meeting of the Arab League. “We call on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and to arm, without further delay, the Libyan army,” …

The Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo on Monday to discuss recent developments in Libya, according to an Arab League statement. The meeting came following an urgent request made by Ashour Bourashed, Libya’s permanent delegate to the League. The meeting was attended by Secretary General Nabil El-Araby and …

Pakistan’s parliament today overwhelmingly passed two key bills aimed at setting up military courts for the speedy trial of “hardcore terrorists” in the aftermath of the Peshawar school massacre by Taliban. The National Assembly passed unopposed two key amendment bills to set up military courts in the country.

Germany cast doubt on Monday on whether a four-way summit on the Ukraine crisis in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on Jan.15 would take place and France’s president said the meeting would depend on the likelihood of “new progress” being made. More than 4,700 people have been killed in fighting between Kiev’s …

French President Francois Hollande on Monday urged more support for the “moderate” Syrian opposition groups seeking to oust the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad and he excluded any alliance with the Syrian leader to fight against ISIL and other extremists in that country. Speaking on “France Inter” radio, Hollande again …

The Arab League will hold Monday an urgent meeting on the security situation in Libya, said the Arab League’s Deputy Secretary General Ahmed Ben Helli. The meeting, which will bring together the permanent representatives, will be devoted to the examination of the serious developments in the situation in Libya and …

The United Nations postponed peace talks between Libya’s warring factions which had been scheduled for Monday without announcing a new date. The talks had originally been slated for 9 December but have been repeatedly delayed as fighting has intensified between the beleaguered internationally recognised government and Islamist-backed militias.

A Libyan army spokesperson says armed militants have shot and killed 17 soldiers and one civilian at a checkpoint. Mohammed Hegazi said that the attack occurred early on Friday in the central district of Jufra. He blamed the attacks on “terrorists roaming the desert areas freely”.

The Saudi and French defense ministers discussed in Riyadh Sunday the delivery of military aid to Lebanon. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited his Saudi counterpart Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz.

 French President Francois Hollande said today that biting Western sanctions against Russia should be lifted if progress were made in resolving the Ukraine crisis. “I think the sanctions must stop now. They must be lifted if there is progress. If there is no progress the sanctions will remain,” he said during a wide-ranging …