Behind a veil of secrecy, at least 30 journalists have been kidnapped or have disappeared in Syria — held and threatened with death by extremists or taken captive by gangs seeking ransom. The widespread seizure of journalists is unprecedented, and has been largely unreported by news...

Saudi authorities announced on Monday that Syrian workers who had violated their labor permit conditions would be exempt from deportation. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said: “Current circumstances in Syria do not allow us to force...

  Iran's deputy oil minister, Ali Majedi, said Monday on that Pakistan must finance a controversial pipeline that would enable it to buy gas from the Islamic republic. Majedi's remarks come after Pakistan's Oil Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi asked Iran to stump up $2 billion (1.45...

    Norwegian officials, citing time and regulatory issues, turned down a U.S. request to help destroy chemical weapons in the dismantling of Syria's toxic arsenal. "After a comprehensive assessment, the two countries [Norway and the United States] have come...