GAZA CITY (AFP) — The Gaza Strip, the lesser half of the Palestinians’ promised future state, is home to 1.4 million residents who struggle against poverty and violence on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Jordan takes first step among Arabs to post ambassador BAGHDAD (Agencies) — Security forces were on high alert Saturday as hundreds of thousands of Shiite devotees marched into Baghdad to mark the death of a revered imam, a year after a stampede killed nearly 1,000 pilgrims.

GENEVA (AP) — Most Lebanese refugees have left Syria for home, shifting aid workers’ focus to providing clean water, food, shelter materials and other essentials to help them re-establish their lives, UN officials said.