With his stunning call for elections in just over two months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to wrong-foot an unprepared opposition and capitalize on surging nationalist sentiment after his operation in Syria, analysts say.

Erdogan and his party will be the strong favorites to win the simultaneous presidential and parliamentary polls on June 24 but may still be taking a risk against the background of a deteriorating economy.

Arab leaders at a summit in Saudi Arabia have slammed Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move its embassy there, but analysts say their words are unlikely to lead to action.

Cuba opens a new chapter when Raul Castro steps down from the presidency on April 19, ending six decades of single-family rule launched by his brother Fidel.

Inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have launched their investigation into an alleged chemical attack near Damascus on April 7.

In his native village of Al-Awjah, the mausoleum of Iraq's executed dictator Saddam Hussein has been reduced to broken concrete and tangled barbed wire, showing no trace of his remains.

Syria's war has spiralled into a complex multi-sided conflict since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011, drawing in regional and international powers including the United States and Russia.

As the threat of Western military action against the Syrian regime looms, Russia has already deployed thousands of troops in the war-torn country to back President Bashar al-Assad. 

On April 9, 2003, the US-led coalition overthrew Saddam Hussein. Fifteen years after the invasion, life in Iraq has been transformed.

Since the start of Syria's war in 2011, numerous efforts to halt the conflict through diplomacy have failed.

As the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey -- which have become powerbrokers in the conflict -- meet on Syria on Wednesday, here is an overview of previous peace efforts.

A porn star is suing the president. A former Playboy model has apologized to the first lady for sleeping with her husband. The eldest son is divorcing and the scandal-plagued son-in-law's security clearance has been downgraded.