RIYADH – Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal met Saudi officials in Riyadh on Monday as part of a Saudi bid to mediate the return of Gaza, under Israeli blockade, to Palestinian Authority control, Saudi and Palestinian officials said.

Lebanon has been going through the worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. The country has been without a president since November as leaders of its rival factions are unable to agree on a national unity government.

ISLAMABAD – Militants took hostage up to 250 Pakistani school children in the northwestern town of Bannu on Monday, the interior minister said.