The United States will aggressively enforce its sanctions to prevent the private sector from assisting an Iranian oil tanker that is traveling through the Mediterranean and that Washington wants seized, a State Department official said on Thursday. “The shipping sector is on notice that we...

A UN fact-finding mission on Myanmar said Thursday that the military's use of rape and other forms of sexual violence is so routine it "reflects a widespread culture of tolerance towards humiliation." The mission said in its 61-page report that Myanmar's military must end the practice,...

North Korea's top diplomat said Friday that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a "diehard toxin" who only complicates denuclearisation talks and North Korea was ready for both dialogue and standoff. Talks aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear and missile programs have stalled since...

Lionel Messi could be ready to play against Real Betis on Sunday and Barcelona could do with him back. In other circumstances, Messi might have left it another week, having missed the whole of pre-season with a calf injury he sustained in his first training session back. But after...

Google on Thursday said it disabled a series of YouTube channels that appeared to be part of a coordinated influence campaign against pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The announcement by YouTube's parent company came after Twitter and Facebook accused the Chinese government of backing a...

The nine-year-old Palestinian boy lies in a hospital bed without speaking, his wounded head wrapped in bandages, and his father says he wants answers from Israel over how it happened. "He wasn't in protests or anything. What was his fault? What is this young child's guilt?" Yassir Shtewi...

Action Group For Palestinians Of Syria (AGPS) documented the death of 3,989 Palestinian refugees in war-torn Syria, among them hundreds of activities, relief officers, and volunteer medics. Daily scenes of bloodshed and destruction led to deteriorating humanitarian conditions...

A German court has convicted a Syrian asylum-seeker over a fatal stabbing in the city of Chemnitz last year that touched off far-right protests. The state court in Dresden convicted Alaa S. of manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm in the killing last August of Daniel Hillig. Judges...

Sweden has received “very strong indications” that a British oil tanker seized last month by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz is to be released soon, Swedish public service broadcaster SVT reported on Thursday, citing sources within Sweden’s foreign ministry. The Stena Impero, British-owned but...

Saudi Arabia’s international airports are the scene of the latest “first” for women citizens, who can now leave the country without permission from a male relative as the kingdom chips away at its heavily criticized guardianship system. Salma, a 40-year-old mother of three, travels abroad...

Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed will temporarily delegate his powers to Public Service Minister Kamal Morjane to focus on the presidential campaign and to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates, he said on Thursday. The Sept. 15 vote follows the death at age 92 last month of Beji...

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Thursday he was "deeply concerned" by wildfires that have devoured large sections of the Amazon rainforest, blanketing several Brazilian cities in thick smoke. "I'm deeply concerned by the fires in the Amazon rainforest. In the midst of the...

The UN issued a warning that 3 million people in northwestern Syria are at dire risk if the regime continues its offensive against civilians and the civilian infrastructure. ''The Secretary-General said that he is deeply troubled by the continued escalation in north-west Syria and the...

Six years have passed since the deadly chemical attack on Eastern  Ghouta suburbs  by the regime's forces that claimed lives of 1127 civilians . The tragic stories of hundreds of families are still appeari ng in succession on the local  Arab and...

The Palestinian Authority, in deep financial crisis since Israel froze tax transfers in February, said Thursday it had accepted a partial payment of just over half a billion dollars. "An agreement was reached a few days ago with the Israeli side for transferring duties on oil and fuel which...

Most international musicians would baulk at the notion of a two-day journey to final rehearsals past military checkpoints on alert for weapons smugglers - but for 19-year-old viola player Ibrahim Masri it’s an occupational hazard. He’s part of the Palestine Youth Orchestra, which has been...

Aug. 10 marks a milestone in the Yemeni war in terms of the repercussions for the unity of Yemeni soil and the future of the Saudi-led Arab coalition. It was on that day the “Security Belt” of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a UAE-allied separatist group, took over the presidential...

Israeli forces detained 16 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the military on Thursday.  A military statement said the individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in terror popular activities", without elaborating...

Algeria’s former Justice Minister Tayeb Louh appeared on Thursday before a Supreme Court judge investigating the corruption crimes.   According to Anadolu Agency correspondent, Louh -- one of the most prominent faces of the regime of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika --...

A United States envoy and the Taliban have resumed negotiations on ending America's longest war. A Taliban member familiar with, but not part of, the talks that resumed Thursday in Qatar says U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad also had a one-on-one meeting Wednesday with the Taliban's lead...