Syria's central bank devalued the Syrian pound on Wednesday giving in to weeks of depreciation on the black market as new US sanctions took effect.

Iran said on Wednesday the UN is giving a "free pass" to the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen by removing it from a list of groups violating children's rights. 

Turkey said Wednesday it has airlifted troops for a cross-border ground operation against Turkey's Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the first known airborne-and-land offensive by Ankara inside Iraqi territory.

The airborne offensive into Iraq's border region of Haftanin, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Turkey-Iraq border, was launched following intense artillery fire into the area, said the Defense Ministry in Ankara.

Egypt has arrested a veteran journalist who has been openly critical of the government after he appeared on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

Three rockets hit near Baghdad airport overnight without causing any damage, Iraq's security forces said on Tuesday, marking the fourth such attack in just over a week. 

Turkey and Russia will continue to hold talks on a ceasefire in Libya despite a high-level meeting being cancelled on the weekend, Turkish officials said on Monday.

Turkish military late on Sunday launched air strikes on outlawed Kurdish rebels' bases in northern Iraq, the defense ministry announced. 

Pope Francis on Sunday urged international bodies as well as political and military leaders to stop the violence in Libya and to also end the plight of migrants, refugees and others trapped there.

A rocket attack late Saturday north of Baghdad hit an Iraqi base but missed U.S.-led coalition troops stationed there, Iraq's military and a coalition official said.

The United States said Thursday it would reduce troops in Iraq in the coming months as friction between the two countries eased under a new U.S.-friendly premier in Baghdad.