UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Israeli President Shimon Peres cast strong doubt on Tuesday over whether Israel and the Palestinians could reach a peace deal by the end of the year as hoped.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Tuesday it had no intention of unilaterally redrawing its borders in the Arctic to give it a larger chunk of the region’s mineral wealth.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurie won an assurance from Israeli prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni on Tuesday that peace talks will not stall while she tries to form a new coalition government.