Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad has taken emergency steps to try to halt a dramatic fall of the local currency, forbidding the use of money other than Syrian pounds for transactions with the threat of prison and hard labour. The once-resilient Syrian pound has halved...

President Vladimir Putin moved quickly Monday to push through an overhaul of Russia's political system that has fuelled speculation he plans to hold on to power when his term expires. Less than a week after announcing the reforms, Putin Monday submitted a bill with the package of...

A European-led naval mission in the Straits of Hormuz - a vital shipping route for world transport that has been impacted by military tensions in the Middle East - has won more political support from countries, said the French government Monday. The French foreign affairs ministry said the...

A peaceful solution to Libya's protracted conflict remains uncertain despite an international agreement struck in Germany, analysts say, as a fragile ceasefire between warring factions bought only a temporary truce. On Sunday in Berlin, world leaders committed to ending all foreign meddling...