(Al-Monitor)- Russia has issued an invitation to the Trump administration to send a representative to Syria peace talks set to get underway in the Kazakh capital of Astana next week. But amid the transition of power in Washington, there is confusion as to whether the United States will...

Syrian regime forces encircled a key rebel area northwest of Damascus Thursday that serves as the capital's main water supply, a monitoring group said. Clashes have rocked the Wadi Barada region for more than a month, despite a fragile nationwide truce aimed at smoothing the way for...

Undeterred by a blessing from Pope Francis, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte launched an angry rebuke Thursday of priests and bishops critical of his drugs war, accusing them of homosexuality, corruption and of abusing children. Duterte was furious over concerns by the Catholic Church of...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he believed Russian-backed peace talks in Kazakhstan aimed to produce local "reconciliation" agreements with rebel groups whereby they would give up their weapons and receive a government pardon. Assad said in an interview with a Japanese TV station that...