Syrian regime troops Friday captured four villages in Syria's northwest as part of a new ground offensive to push into rebel-held Idlib province, military and opposition activists said. The offensive has already forced thousands of civilians to abandon their homes and flee for their...

Algerian demonstrators Friday rejected a call for dialogue by the country's new president, insisting on a month-long protest movement's demands for sweeping reforms in the North African country. Huge crowds flooded the streets of Algiers on the 44th consecutive Friday of anti-government...

The head of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church said Friday there will be no Christmas Eve masses in Baghdad for security reasons as nearly three months of anti-government protests continue to rock the capital. "In light of the current sensitive security situation in Baghdad, the patriarchate...

A group of independent UN rights experts strongly criticised Tehran Friday, warning thousands could still be detained after a deadly crackdown on mass protests last month and voicing alarm at reports that inmates have been tortured. The UN expert on the rights situation in Iran, along with...