DUBAI (AP) — Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with plans to build a fence along its entire 900-kilometre border with Iraq to prevent armed groups from entering the kingdom from the chaotic northern neighbour. The barrier, which will likely take five to six years to complete, is part of a …

BEIRUT (AFP) — Russian troops are to deploy in Lebanon soon for the first time in more than 200 years, with a small contingent being sent to build bridges — not only real ones but also geopolitical ones. As a member of the Middle East diplomatic “Quartet”, Moscow is grouped …

JABALIYA REFUGEE CAMP — Khalil Madhouni, a balding, middle-aged baker in this particularly squalid patch of the Gaza Strip, goes from fighter to peacemaker in the time it takes him to scratch his round belly with flour-caked fingernails. “War forever,” the angry-eyed bread maker growls when asked if the ruling …