SYRACUSE, Sicily — Fifty miles off the southeastern coast of Sicily, the refugee boat first appeared as a gray spot on the horizon, rising up or dipping away with the churn of the Mediterranean. Then, as an Italian Coast Guard rescue ship drew closer, the small boat came fully into...

The United States will destroy the most dangerous of Syria's chemical weapon stockpile on a ship at sea, the world's chemical watchdog said on Saturday.   "The neutralisation operations will be conducted on a US vessel at sea using hydrolysis," the Organisation...

  Syrian opposition fighters have re-entered the historic Christian town of Maalula north of Damascus, as they battle regime troops in the surrounding Qalamoun region, a monitoring group said on Saturday.   "Fierce clashes are under way between...

Mortar fire in front of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, one of the oldest mosques in the world, has left four people dead and 26 wounded, Syrian state media has reported. The shells fell on Friday, the Muslim day of prayer when people traditionally go to mosque at noon for the weekly...