The European Union has prolonged for a year sanctions against dozens of Tunisians, including ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, accused of illegally using state funds. EU member states agreed Friday to extend the asset freezes on 48 people until Jan. 31, 2018. They believe "the...

Afghanistan has announced fresh initiatives to bring more women into the army, weeks after the country's first female pilot sparked a national debate on insecurity and women's rights by seeking asylum in the US. The defence ministry wants to boost the proportion of women in the army to 10...

Turkish authorities have detained three Iraqi brothers who are suspected of making suicide bombs for ISIS. Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported Friday that the suspects were caught during police raids in the Black Sea coastal city of Samsun. They are accused of setting up a factory in...

Nobel laureates and other writers have issued a message of solidarity to Turkish colleagues who have been jailed as part of what they call a "heavy-handed" crackdown against free expression. Close to 150 writers and journalists are in prison in Turkey, several jailed as the government...