RAMALLAH — Israel yesterday released Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Shaer, the most senior of 31 Hamas legislators and ministers detained after the June capture of an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip. The release comes a day after an Israeli military court had reversed a decision to release 21 …

NEGOTIATORS FOR IRAN and the European Union met Wednesday in Berlin for talks amid suggestions the US might be willing to defer seeking sanctions for a few weeks if there is a chance for a diplomatic resolution of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana …

BAGHDAD (Agencies) — Sunni tribal leaders who have vowed to drive Al Qaeda out of Iraq’s most restive province met the Shiite premier on Wednesday, marking what Washington hopes will be a breakthrough alliance against the group. Sattar Buzayi, a Sunni sheikh from Anbar province who has emerged in recent …

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP) — Disputes over how the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers will deal with Hizbollah fighters is holding up the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, Israel’s military chief of staff said Wednesday. “Yesterday we met with UNIFIL and the Lebanese army,” a government official quoted Lieutenant General …

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 …

OLGAGH, Morocco — The glare of an arc lamp reveals a stretch of dirt track where, to the beat of a drum, villagers huddled in a circle sing in honour of the bride. In a house nearby, veiled and bejewelled, 17-year old Rabhah sits in silence in a sparse room …

SANAA — Unprecedented political debate during recent Yemeni polls also broke taboos over the issue of succession, putting reelected President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s plans for his son to take over on hold, analysts say.

The following is a transcript of remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.  Madam President, Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Distinguished Heads of Delegation, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,  I praise the Merciful, All-Knowing and Almighty God for blessing me with another opportunity …