Lebanon's central bank is seeking extra powers to regulate and standardise controls which commercial banks are imposing on depositors, the governor said on Sunday, saying his intention was to ensure "fair relationships" between banks and customers. Central bank governor Riad Salameh, in a...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Armed factions have stormed military checkpoints in southern Daraa province, taking more than 20 soldiers hostages, seeking to push the Syrian regime to release the detainees, activists said Saturday.  The surprise attack on regime outposts took place in the town...

A statement by Iran saying it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane confirms one of the working theories of the Ukrainian state security service (SBU) on what caused the crash, SBU chief Ivan Bakanov said on Saturday. Contrary to what some experts had said initially, the SBU...

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, has died aged 79, state media say. Last month he returned home after undergoing medical checks and treatment in Belgium. There were reports he was suffering from cancer. Sultan Qaboos deposed his...