The Turkish military has carried out air strikes against Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) militants near Iraq's Sinjar mountains and northeastern Syria to prevent the group from sending weapons and explosives for attacks inside Turkey, it said on Tuesday. The two regions have become "terror...

Lionel Messi took off his shirt and lifted it high in front of him, boldly displaying his name and number to the stunned crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. He stood there for a few seconds, staring at the fans, as if making sure they knew who was really in charge. Messi had just...

Britain welcomed U.S. sanctions against individuals alleged to be connected to the use of chemical weapons in Syria on Monday, saying they were a clear signal "that actions have consequences". Foreign minister Boris Johnson said Britain would support efforts to hold those responsible for...

The United States on Monday blacklisted 271 employees of a Syrian government agency it said was responsible for developing chemical weapons, weeks after a poison gas attack killed scores of people in a rebel-held province in Syria. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 271 employees of...

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that the forced movement of civilians in Syria may be a war crime, as one of the largest population transfers in the country's six-year civil war is taking place. Guterres said in a report to the Security Council circulated Monday that the U.N....

President Donald Trump is recalling the death and suffering of more than 1 million Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire, without describing it as genocide. Such a declaration would anger Turkey, whose cooperation Trump seeks in Syria. Trump says in a statement that the...

( The Guardian )- An Israeli teenager arrested for allegedly making bomb threats against Jewish centres in the US is facing charges relating to an online crime spree including thousands of hoax calls worldwide, according to an indictment filed to a Tel Aviv court. The 18-year-old, identified...

The Trump administration will issue new sanctions against Syria as early as Monday as part of its ongoing crackdown on the Syrian government and those who support it. Three U.S. officials said that the sanctions are part of a broader effort to cut off funding and other support to Syria's...

Protesters rallied Monday vowing to block Venezuela's main roads to raise pressure on President Nicolas Maduro after three weeks of deadly unrest that have left 21 people dead. Riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up one of the first rallies in eastern Caracas early Monday...

An Emirati previously convicted of being a member of the extremist ISIS group has had his sentence increased from one year in prison to a 10-year sentence. The state-run WAM news agency reported Monday the Emirati, whom it only identified by initials K.A.M., was previously sentenced by the...

( The New Arab )- US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis made a surprise visit to Kabul on Monday, as Afghanistan reels from a Taliban massacre of troops that sent shockwaves through the country.  Mattis' first visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief will see him meet ministers and President...

Militants in Iraq ambushed a convoy of off-duty soldiers near a town in the country's sprawling western desert, killing at least 10 and wounding 20, officials said on Monday. Iraqi Maj. Emad al-Dulaimi said the attack took place the night before near the town of Rutba. The militants were...

( The Guardian )- Saudi Arabia reinstated financial allowances for civil servants and military personnel on Saturday after better-than-expected budget figures, ending unpopular cuts to a key perk triggered by low oil prices and cheering the stock market. King Salman issued a royal decree...

An Italian journalist arrested in Turkey while researching refugees near the Syrian border has been freed after two weeks in detention, Italy's foreign ministry said Monday. Gabriele Del Grande, 34, was expected to arrive at Bologna airport in Italy Monday and be met by his parents and...

LafargeHolcim (LHN.S) Chief Executive Eric Olsen will leave the company in July, the world's largest cement maker said on Monday, in the wake of an investigation into allegations the company paid armed groups in Syria to keep a plant operating. The company admitted in March that its plant in...

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accepted the resignations of his defense minister and army chief of staff on Monday, after more than 140 soldiers were killed last week in the deadliest ever Taliban attack on a military base, the president's office said. "Defense Minister Abdullah Habibi and...

 Pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron and anti-immigration leader Marine Le Pen began a final duel for the French Presidency Monday, after a first round of voting delivered a stunning blow to the traditional political class. Macron is clear favorite to become France's youngest...

( The New Arab )- As a boy, Palestinian Abdullah Abu Massoud fled the war over the birth of Israel in 1948 and sought refuge in the nearby Gaza Strip. As an adult, Abu Massoud was displaced again when Israeli forces captured Gaza, along with the West Bank and east Jerusalem, in 1967. He...

French far right leader Marine Le Pen vowed on Sunday to defend France against "rampant globalisation" after she qualified to fight out the second round of the country's presidential election against centrist Emmanuel Macron. "This result is historic. It puts on me a huge responsibility to...

( The Guardian )- The family of the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing is to launch a fresh attempt to clear his name. Aamer Anwar, a lawyer representing Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s family, confirmed files would be handed to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC)...