An internal report on the U.N. mission in Sudan admits "lessons" were learned from the way peacekeepers behaved during an attack on a disputed oil-rich town in which scores of civilians were killed.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama assured Israel and its U.S. Jewish supporters on Wednesday he was a friend who would not press for peace concessions that would compromise its security.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama began a visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday pledging staunch support for Israel and saying that if elected, he would work to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday signed a deal laying down the framework for formal talks on forming a power sharing government to end a deep political crisis.

With oil prices at record highs, government coffers in the world's eighth biggest oil exporter are swollen to unprecedented levels.

In the first speech to the Israeli Knesset by a British prime minister, Gordon Brown on Monday will warn Iran it faces growing isolation if it rejects an offer from major powers on its disputed nuclear programme.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama flew into Baghdad on Monday, thrusting U.S. strategy in Iraq and troop levels to the centre-stage of the November election race.

Zimbabwe's main opposition party said it would not sign an accord paving the way for talks to end a political crisis until mediator South Africa addressed its concerns, but regional officials on Sunday appeared optimistic a breakthrough was possible.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Saturday, seeking to build on the improved security situation in the country to promote investment.

Sudan's president, accused of masterminding genocide in Darfur, might escape war crimes charges if he brings to justice two men suspected of mass killings, Western envoys said on Wednesday.

The United States will announce in the next month that it plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years, a London newspaper said on Thursday.

Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group prepared to swap prisoners on Wednesday two years after they fought a month-long war.

In a shift in policy, the United States will send an envoy to talks this weekend between Iran and major powers over Tehran's nuclear program, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor charged Sudan's president on Monday with masterminding a campaign of genocide in Darfur, killing 35,000 people and persecuting 2.5 million refugees.

Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday he believed neither the United States nor Israel would want to get entangled in a new Middle East crisis and attack the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme.

Iran tested more missiles in the Gulf on Thursday, state media said, and the United States reminded Tehran that it was ready to defend its allies.

Iran tested more missiles in the Gulf on Thursday, state media said, and the United States pledged to defend its allies against any Iranian aggression.

Lebanese troops deployed in volatile districts of the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday, ending 24 hours of sectarian clashes that killed four people and wounded 75.

Israeli troops killed an unarmed Palestinian who crossed into Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday, an Israeli army spokesman said.