Once Islamic State is defeated, Iraq should be divided into three separate entities to prevent further sectarian bloodshed, with a state each given to Shi'ite Muslims, Sunnis and Kurds, a top Kurdish official said on Thursday.

Two police officers were killed in Al-Arish, North Sinai, in the early hours of Thursday morning, said the Interior Ministry in an official statement. The officers were killed inside their homes, which are located in the Masaeed district near an Arish police station. Four anonymous gunmen attacked with open fire on their homes, according to the ministry.

CIA Director John Brennan will tell Congress on Thursday that Islamic State militants are training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West and will rely more on guerrilla-style tactics to compensate for their territorial losses.

Prosecution authorities have extended by 15 days the detention of prominent lawyer Malek Adly , said defence lawyer Zyad El-Elaimy.

Belgian police have received an anti-terror alert warning that a group of Islamic State fighters recently left Syria en route for Europe planning attacks in Belgium and France, a security source said on Wednesday.

The Syrian government said on Wednesday that German special forces were present, alongside French and American military personnel, in northern Syria, an accusation denied by Germany.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia and the Syrian government on Wednesday to respect a "frayed" ceasefire, as vicious fighting south of second city Aleppo left dozens dead.

Ten Islamic State militants were killed in northern Syria by coalition air strikes and cross-border artillery fire from Turkey, military sources said on Wednesday.

HG Bishop Angaelos gives Keynote Address on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East to over 700 MPs and other guests in the Houses of Parliament, later addressing 50 High Commissioners and Ambassadors in the State Rooms at the Palace of Westminster

Bahrain suspended the tiny island kingdom's largest Shia political group and froze its assets on Tuesday as part of a widening crackdown on activists and dissent five years after the country's Arab Spring protests.

More than 80 Bosnian children are in Islamic State-held territory in Syria and Iraq and represent a "time bomb" that could pose a major security risk when they return, a study said on Monday.

Cairo Criminal Court adjourned on Monday the trial of 67 defendants accused of assassinating Egypt's former top prosecutor Hesham Barakat.

Egypt's Al-Azhar, the highest seat for Sunni Islamic learning, condemned Sunday's deadly mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, while expressing concerns about utilising the incident to intensify anti-Muslim rhetoric.

In Cairo the essence of Ramadan is tangible in the air and it seems that the rhythm of the city has been entirely reset. The city goes quiet and deserted around Iftar time and becomes a lot more crowded late at night when people stay out to have their Sohour.

Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack in Orlando that killed 50 people and injured 53, which has become the deadliest attack in the United States after 9/11. An American citizen of Afghani origin, Omar Mateen, 22, stormed a gay nightclub and killed 50 people and injured 53 before being shot dead by police.

The discussions in the House of Representatives over the penal code article predominantly used in charges of “contempt of religion” are ongoing as the state’s religious institutions are expected to weigh in on keeping or amending the article. Parliament decided on Sunday to prepare a legal report on article 98 of the penal code following a meeting held by the Legislative Committee.

ORLANDO - The head of a prominent US Muslim advocacy group Sunday strongly condemned the nightclub massacre in Florida, calling members of the Islamic State group an "aberration" amid allegations the gunman was inspired by the jihadists.

AMMAN :Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for car and suicide bomb blasts that killed at least eight people and injured scores in a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said

More than 22 people were killed and 70 wounded in two separate bombings on Thursday in Baghdad, one targeting a commercial street and the other an army checkpoint, Iraqi police said.

Forces aligned with Libya's unity government were engaged in fierce clashes with Islamic State on Thursday in the group's stronghold of Sirte, but were facing resistance from snipers as they edged toward the city center.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday rebuked Saudi Arabia and its allies for resorting to "undue pressure" to remove the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen from a blacklist of child rights violators.