Bashar al-Assad said his government is ready to negotiate on "everything" in proposed peace talks in Kazakhstan but it was not yet clear who would represent the opposition and no date had been set. Assad also said a ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia, his most powerful ally, was being...

Iran's former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died Sunday after a decades-long career in the ruling elite, where his moderate views were not always welcome but his cunning guided him through revolution, war and the country's turbulent politics. The political survivor's life spanned the...

Oil prices fell on Monday as increased exports from Iran undermined efforts by other oil producers to curb a global fuel supply overhang and as U.S. drillers increased activity for a 10th straight week. Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at...

Anwar al-Ades hasn't bathed properly in two weeks because of water shortages in Syria's capital Damascus, but all that is about to change at the city's oldest bathhouse. The elegant Al-Malik al-Zahir hammam dates back to 985 AD but is experiencing unprecedented demand since fighting cut...