A rare suicide attack in an oasis town south of Baghdad killed eight people and wounded at least six Monday, Iraqi officials said. The attack in Ain al-Tamer involved six suicide bombers, some of whom may have been killed by security forces before they could blow themselves up....

Tehran officials shut schools Monday as the first of the winter season's heavy pollution hit the Iranian capital. A blanket of choking brown-white smog descended on the city Sunday, blocking out the view of the mountains that line its northern edge and leading many of its 14 million...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived Monday in Muscat, Omani state media said, for talks expected to focus on efforts to end Yemen's 19-month conflict. ONA news agency said Kerry will be in the Gulf sultanate for two days, in one of his last trips as secretary of state before President...

Violence between a persecuted Muslim population and Myanmar security forces escalated over the weekend as two soldiers were killed by crudely armed attackers, according to government officials and Muslim residents. In retaliation, troops of the Buddhist-majority government burned villages deep...

An Israeli committee on Sunday approved a bill that if adopted would legalize outposts built without government permission in the West Bank, territory Palestinians demand for their future state. It still needs to pass several stages before it can be adopted. A first reading is expected in...

Iraqi troops entered a town south of Mosul on Sunday where Islamic State militants destroyed artefacts at a nearby ancient Assyrian archaeological site, while special forces fended off suicide bombers during a cautious advance into the northern city. The push into Nimrud was the most...

At least two people were killed and more fatalities were feared after a powerful 7.8 earthquake struck New Zealand just after midnight Monday, Prime Minister John Key said. Nearly seven hours after the first quake struck, the prime minister confirmed two fatalities, saying "we cannot rule...

(The Guardian)- South Korean prosecutors have said they will question the president, Park Geun-hye, this week over a snowballing corruption scandal involving a close friend that has triggered massive protests calling for her resignation. The scandal centres on Park’s confidant, Choi...

A University of Michigan student was approached by a stranger who threatened to set her on fire with a lighter if she didn’t remove her hijab, police said. The incident occurred between 5:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday just outside the campus in Ann Arbor. Police said the woman complied and left....

Syria has agreed to open its borders to Lebanese banana imports for 24 hours, local media reported Sunday. NBN said that the decision came following efforts made by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri with Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim. This comes one day after the Lebanese...

(The Guardian)- The Iraqi military says its forces have retaken Nimrud, the site of an ancient Assyrian city overrun by Islamic State militants two years ago. The commander of the Mosul operation, Lt Gen Abdul-Amir Raheed Yar Allah, said troops retook the town after heavy fighting and...

(Sky News)- Hillary Clinton has blamed FBI director James Comey for her surprise defeat in the US election. She pointed the finger during a conference call with her top campaign funders, according to two participants in the call. Mrs Clinton led in almost every poll before America...

(Ara News)- Turkey’s military forces launched on Saturday an offensive on a Kurdish district in Syria’s northwestern Aleppo Governorate, causing casualties among civilians. The Turkish army hit Afrin District with dozens of mortar and artillery shells. At least eight Kurdish civilians...

Iraqi soldiers fighting just north of Mosul, within sight of city neighborhoods, said on Sunday they were ready to tighten the noose around Islamic State militants waging a brutal defense of their Iraqi stronghold. Four weeks into the campaign to crush Islamic State in Mosul, the city is...

The United Nations on Sunday appealed for $152 million to provide shelter, sanitation and food for a huge influx of refugees returning to Afghanistan from Pakistan. Pakistan has stepped up the pressure for its 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees to return home, citing security concerns....

 French President Francois Hollande on Sunday began commemorations for the first anniversary of the Paris terror attacks by unveiling a plaque in memory of a man killed by suicide bombers at the Stade de France. Manuel Dias, 63, died outside the national stadium where France were...

Toyota has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit and pay approximately $3.4 billion to owners of trucks and SUVs in the United States who complained that their vehicles lacked proper rust protection. The agreement relates to some 1.5 million Toyota Tacomas, Sequoias and Tundras sold in the...

Iraqi forces battled waves of suicide car bombs Sunday as they attempt to advance deeper into Mosul in the face of heavy resistance from ISIS. Troops are converging from several fronts on the city, Iraq's second-largest and the extremists' last major holdout in the country. The special...

(Independent)- Thousands of marchers took to the streets of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago on Saturday as protests continued across the US following the election of Donald Trump as president. At least 25 cities have seen major anti-Trump demonstrations in the five days since the controversial...

The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has closed following deadly insurgent attacks on a German Consulate and an American military base. In a statement late Saturday, the embassy says it will be "closed for routine services" Sunday "as a temporary precautionary measure." The unusual decision...