King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Thursday appointed his half-brother Moqren bin Abdul Aziz as the next heir to the throne, paving the way for him to become a future king.  The move was announced by a royal decree broadcast by state television channel Al-Ikhbariya.  Under...

Within days of Crimea being swallowed up by Russia, the lights began flickering out. Officials in the peninsula accused Ukraine of halving electricity supplies in order to bully Crimea, which voted earlier this month in a referendum to secede and join Russia. "Cutting supplies...

Tensions are running high on the Turkey-Syria border following the shooting down of a Syrian warplane by Turkish forces at the weekend, the Turkish army said Tuesday. The military reported a dozen incidents involving its aircraft and Syrian anti-aircraft defences on Monday alone....

Former member of Syrian ruling family's inner circle gives first direct account of how shabiha paramilitaries were ordered to kill and torture opponents of the regime A former Assad regime insider has given the first direct account of how Syria's ruling family created the feared...