UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on January 26 slammed Israel's settlement activities as "provocative acts" that raise questions about its commitment to a two-state solution amid growing Palestinian frustration over nearly 50 years of occupation.

Italy and Iran signed billions of dollars of business deals on January 25 at the start of a visit to Europe by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani aimed at rebuilding his nation's ties with the West after years of economic sanctions.

The United Nations said on January 25 it would issue invitations for marathon Syrian peace talks to begin this week, but opposition groups signaled they would stay away unless the government and its Russian allies halt air strikes and lift sieges on towns.

Britain might take in refugee children who have been displaced by the war in Syria and have traveled to other countries in Europe.

President Hassan Rouhani brings the case to Europe this week for Iran as a potential investment bonanza, after the lifting of financial sanctions brought his country of 80 million people back into the world of global commerce.

Center-right candidate Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won Portugal's presidential election on January 24, an outcome that should help maintain political balance after a dramatic swing to the left in October's parliamentary ballot.

The lead negotiator in the Syrian opposition said on January 24 it was coming under pressure from US Secretary of State John Kerry to attend peace talks in Geneva this week in order to negotiate over steps including a halt to air strikes.

The White House on January 23 said it was deeply concerned about reports of harm to civilians amid escalating violence in Yemen, and called on all sides involved in the conflict to resume peace talks.

Afghanistan’s Taliban want to be removed from a UN blacklist before considering rejoining peace talks aimed at ending a 15-year civil war, a senior member said, as its political wing met activists at an unofficial forum in Qatar.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel looked ever more isolated over her open-door policy on refugees on January 23 as it emerged that the leader of her party's Bavarian allies suggested this week she had become impervious to other people's views on the issue.