Russia, Iran and Turkey on Thursday signed an agreement on setting up four safe zones in Syria that the United Nations described as a promising step to wind down the brutal six-year war. The United States however gave an extremely cautious welcome, citing concerns over Iran's role as a...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a Moscow-backed plan to set up so-called de-escalation zones inside Syria would "50 percent" solve the six-year conflict, in comments published Thursday. Erdogan Wednesday discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin a plan floated by Moscow for...

French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron accused his far-right rival Marine Le Pen Thursday of spreading lies by suggesting he had an undisclosed offshore fund. Macron's party said it was taking legal action after an internet campaign suggested shortly before a televised debate between...

Iraqi's oil ministry Thursday asked foreign companies and investors to bid for a project to build and operate a 300,000 barrel-per-day export-oriented refinery in Fao, near the southern city of Basra. Bidding documents provide for two investment models -- build-own-operate and...