MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin's paternal grandfather worked as a cook for both Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, the president said in a film posted on the internet Sunday. In the two-hour documentary, called Putin, the president said Spiridon Putin was a valued member of Stalin's staff. The...

A delegation from rebel-held Eastern Ghouta was Sunday considering a partial evacuation deal to halt a fierce regime offensive, a negotiator and monitor told AFP. The two main rebel groups in the region, which borders Damascus, have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the...

CAIRO (AFP)- Egypt's military said Sunday 16 jihadists, an officer and a soldier were killed in the past four days during a major military operation against Daesh (ISIS) jihadists in Sinai. The army launched a sweeping campaign after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who is...

MUSCAT (Reuters)-  U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Syria Sunday it would be "very unwise" for government forces to use weaponized gas, as he cited unconfirmed reports of chlorine attacks in eastern Ghouta and slammed Russian support for Damascus. Mattis stopped short of...