North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed strengthening his country's military capability with top military officials, state media reported Sunday, with Pyongyang's end-of-year deadline for the US to offer concessions approaching. The North promised an ominous "Christmas gift" earlier this...

Turkey's parliament approved a security and military cooperation deal with Libya's UN-recognised unity government based in Tripoli on Saturday. Oil-rich Libya has been mired in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi eight years ago. The North...

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani was on track to win a second term Sunday, after election officials announced he had scored a majority in the presidential polls. But despite Ghani's apparent clean win, the fallout from the bitterly contested September 28 election looked set to continue,...

The United States is “very concerned” about the intensification of the conflict in Libya, with a rising number of reported Russian mercenaries supporting Khalifa Haftar’s forces on the ground turning the conflict into a bloodier one, a senior State Department official said on Saturday. The...

Barcelona go into the brief Spanish winter break on top of La Liga after a glittering show from Lionel Messi helped the defending champions beat Alaves 4-1 on Saturday. Real Madrid, who drew 0-0 in Barcelona in the midweek Clasico, can draw level top on 39 points but behind on goal...

France killed 33 militants in Mali on Saturday using attack helicopters, ground troops and a drone near the border with Mauritania where a group linked to al Qaeda operates, the French army said. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation in a speech to the French community in...

The Turkish parliament on Saturday ratified a motion on the approval of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on security and military cooperation with Libya. On Nov. 27, Ankara and Tripoli signed two separate MoUs; one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries...

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Saturday welcomed Japan's decision not to join a U.S.-led naval mission in the Gulf, in remarks carried by state television. Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since last year when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of...

Lebanon's prime minister-designate launched consultations Saturday to form a desperately-needed government for a protest-hit country facing economic collapse amid political rifts over the cabinet's line-up. Debt-burdened Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government since former...

A former beauty queen has been jailed for sending £35 to Islamist fighters in Syria. Amaani Noor “married” a man she had never met over the internet and was planning to join him when she was arrested. The 21-year-old was found guilty of funding terrorism after a court heard she...

Hong Kong riot police swept into several shopping malls Saturday, chasing off and arresting some anti-government Hong Kong demonstrators who had gathered to press their demands in the peak shopping weekend before Christmas. In a mall in Yuen Long, close to the China border, hundreds of...

China's top lawmaking body Saturday criticized the defense bill that Washington passed this week as "interference", Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. You Wenze, a spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), expressed "strong...

The European Union's central interest in forging a free trade agreement with Britain is to agree common social and environmental standards and avoid a "race to the bottom", the EU chief Brexit negotiator wrote in an opinion piece. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday there would...

 Strikes disrupting services in France brought frustration for travelers thronging Paris stations at the start of the festive season, as rail workers protested over pension reform. Two weeks of nationwide industrial action against President Emmanuel Macron's planned overhaul of the...

Thousands of people joined fresh rallies against a contentious citizenship law in India on Saturday, with 20 killed so far in the unrest. The death toll jumped after demonstrations turned violent on Friday in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, leaving at least 11 dead including an...

Germany accused the US of interfering in its internal affairs on Saturday, in an increasingly angry spat over Washington's decision to impose sanctions on companies involved with a major project to supply Western Europe with Russian gas. Moscow and the European Union also issued...

Police banned public gatherings in parts of the Indian capital and other cities for a third day Friday and cut internet services to counter growing protests against a new law that critics say marginalizes Muslims. Fourteen people have died so far and more than 4,000 have been detained,...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good talk" with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping regarding the trade deal between the two nations.   "Had a very good talk with President Xi of China concerning our giant Trade Deal," said Trump on Twitter, adding that...

Indian authorities said Friday they will ensure no citizen is "unduly harassed" as protests reverberate across the country against a controversial citizenship law.  "Citizenship of India may be proved by giving any document relating to date of birth or place of birth or both. Such a...

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Friday there is reasonable basis to investigate alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. "I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation into the situation in Palestine,"...