US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he hoped for further dialogue with Iran to free prisoners but announced new sanctions as he vowed no let-up in pressure. Iran has also voiced a willingness for more prisoner swaps after the exchange Saturday of Xiyue Wang, a US scholar...

They hail from Basra's poorest slums and Baghdad's best universities and count among their ranks artists, tribal dignitaries and desperate young men. Iraq's "October Revolution" reflects a diverse society. But the people hitting Iraq's streets since October 1 have one thing in common: they...

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted Wednesday that President Donald Trump issued a warning on election meddling to Russia's foreign minister, who said the topic never came up. The White House issued a statement after Trump's closed-door meeting Tuesday with Lavrov that said the...

 Russia, Turkey, and Iran are concerned about the increased presence of terrorist groups in Syria's Idlib province, the three countries said after talks in Kazakhstan, pledging to coordinate actions aimed at eliminating the militants. Moscow, Ankara and Tehran "highlighted the...

(Zaman AlWasl)- Syrian director Orwah Al-Ahmad plans to start filming his new movie “Prada I the coming weeks.  The short film spotlights the stealing of civilians' homes and properties and the rampant looting that is still taking place in Syria, as well as the internal migration...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian human rights organizations demanded to reveal the fate of activists, Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamadeh, Samira Al-Khalil, and Nazem Hammadi, known as the “Duma Four” and who were abducted during a raid on the offices of the Violation Documentation Center (VDC) from the...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian armed opposition made a surprise attack on regime bastion in northern Idlib province, killing at least 22 elite troops and allied militants, military source told Zaman al-Wasl Wednesday. The dawn attack targeted a post for the regime’s elite Tiger Force...

The French government's new universal pension system will cancel out special pension regimes, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Wednesday as he unveiled the details of a draft reform to overhaul the country's byzantine pension system. The new system will guarantee a pension of 1,000...

As the U.S. House of Representatives moves closer to impeaching President Donald Trump, larger questions loom in the Senate, where Trump's Republican allies may not give him the extended trial he would like. Democrats who control the House unveiled formal charges Tuesday that accuse Trump...

Iran has foiled a major cyber attack on its infrastructure that was launched by a foreign government, the Iranian telecoms minister said on Wednesday, two months after reports of a U.S. cyber operation against the country. U.S. officials told Reuters in October that the United States had...

 A big crowd of protesters marched through central Algiers Wednesday to demand that a presidential election planned for Thursday be cancelled, chanting that they would not vote in a poll they regard as a charade. Thousands of people crowded through the capital to demand that the vote...

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi Wednesday rejected accusations of genocide committed against her country's Muslim Rohingya minority as "incomplete and misleading", and said the case should not be heard by the U.N.'s highest court. The Nobel Peace laureate, speaking during three days of...

Israel headed Wednesday towards a third national election in less than a year with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing the fight of his life for political survival after a criminal indictment. After giving its preliminary approval, and barring last-minute progress in deadlocked efforts...

Devastating bushfires that blanketed Australia’s largest city with hazardous smoke this week have heightened public anger and raised political pressure on the government to do more to battle climate change. While cooler weather eased fires and haze around Sydney on Wednesday, the previous...

Iran will overcome U.S. sanctions by either bypassing them or through negotiations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, adding that Tehran will not cross its “red lines” in any talks with arch foe Washington. “The government is determined to defeat (the enemy) by bypassing...

Increasing tremors on a volcanic island in New Zealand on Wednesday heightened the risk of another massive eruption, preventing the recovery of bodies two days after an eruption engulfed dozens of tourists in steam and hot ash. Six people were killed in Monday’s explosion at White Island,...

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg accused political and business leaders of looking for loopholes to polish their image in the fight against climate change at a United Nations summit Wednesday. "It seems to have turned into some kind of opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes...

 India's ruling Hindu nationalists pushed for final parliamentary approval Wednesday for a law that critics say undermines the country's secular constitution by granting citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three neighboring countries. Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the...

Turkey said Wednesday it would retaliate against any U.S. sanctions over its purchase of Russian defense systems, adding that with Britain it had agreed to speed up a joint fighter jet program to meet Turkish defense needs. U.S. lawmakers will vote - and likely pass - a defense bill later...

At least one person was killed and dozens wounded when a bomb exploded close to the largest US military base in Afghanistan Wednesday, damaging homes and a hospital under construction near Bagram Airfield, officials said. The attack -- which has not yet been claimed -- comes as Washington...