Syria said on Sunday it would import more crude oil to cover fuel shortages it blames on Western sanctions that disrupted regular Iranian oil shipments that had for years compensated for the country's loss of domestic oil production as a result of conflict. The sanction-hit country has over...

 Israel's education minister is banning groups that call Israel an "apartheid state" from lecturing at schools - a move that targets one of the country's leading human rights groups after it began describing both Israel and its control of the Palestinian territories as a single "apartheid"...

Yemen: Some 150 Yemeni pro-government soldiers and Huthi rebels have been killed in a week of fighting south of the strategic port city of Hodeida, military sources said Monday. Impoverished Yemen is mired in a devastating conflict between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and government forces...

Saudi Arabia, for years one of the world's most prolific executioners, dramatically reduced the number of people put to death last year, following changes halting executions for non-violent drug-related crimes, according to the government’s tally and independent observers. The Saudi...