Syrian President Bashar Assad called on Israel to respond to peace overtures from Damascus after he was sworn in for a second seven-year term on Tuesday.

Libya’s highest judicial body commuted to life in prison on Tuesday the sentences of six foreign medics who have been on death row for infecting children with the AIDS virus, an official said.

Iranian and US envoys will soon hold talks in Baghdad to discuss security in Iraq, following up on a landmark meeting in May, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Tuesday.