China's Zheng Saisai surprised seventh-seeded Maria Sakkari 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 on Saturday to line up a title clash with second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA tournament in San Jose, California. Unseeded Zheng knocked off her third seeded opponent of the week, after downing eighth-seeded...

A unique 100-movie film festival kicked off in Afghanistan on Saturday in connection with the country’s 100th Independence Day celebrations.  Sahraa Karimi, the first-ever female head of Afghan Film, a state-owned institution, is spearheading the festival, seen as the filmmaker’s...

At least 20 people were killed in a shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso, in the U.S. state of Texas, an official said on Saturday. Speaking at a news conference, aired live by local media, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said more than two dozen people were also injured in the shooting....

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Mohammed Eyad, former Syrian detainee, has unveiled with a heavy heart the details of his suffering in the Air Force Intelligence prison in the capital, where he had been held for four years between 2012-2016. “They were very painful years,” says Mohammed, who preferred...

A fresh round of U.S.-Taliban peace talks began in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday, officials said, describing it to be the “most crucial” phase of negotiations to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan. Senior officials privy to the talks said a peace agreement could be expected at the end of...

Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih discussed oil markets with his Russian counterpart and stressed that Saudi Arabia would continue to comply with production cuts until the end of Q1 2020, he said in a tweet on Saturday.

India has urged the world community to help Bangladesh deal with the huge Rohingya influx from Myanmar, saying it poses a threat to regional security.  India recognizes the humanitarian burden on Bangladesh’s society and economy, said the Security Outlook 2019 of the Association of...

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won the 2019 French Super Cup -- also known as Trophee des Champions -- by defeating Rennes 2-1 in Shenzhen, China on Saturday.  French midfielder Adrien Hunou gave Rennes an early lead in the 13th minute of the game.  But in the 57th minute PSG star...

Thousands of Sudanese celebrated an agreement concluded early on Saturday between the ruling military council and opposition.  Pro-democracy celebrators chanted slogans calling for civil rule, accountability for the killing of protesters and reforming and rebuilding the country. ...

The Houthi rebels of Yemen said Saturday that they had struck a military vehicle used by Saudi Arabia, killing a number of soldiers on board.  According to the Houthis’ Al-Masirah channel, the rebels targeted a military vehicle operating near the city of Cazan, bordering Saudi Arabia,...

Police in the western French city of Nantes fired teargas and water cannon at hundreds of demonstrators protesting Saturday against police violence and the unexplained death of a music festival-goer in June. The crowd gathered in the morning, with emotions clearly running high, by the banks...

Twelve people were ordered to undergo testing for possible Ebola infection in Goma in DR Congo on Saturday, only days after three patients in the densely populated city tested positive for the disease, the country's presidency said. "A total of 12 people from various centres on the...

Max Verstappen celebrated his long-awaited maiden pole position with record-breaking speed on Saturday when he topped the times for Red Bull in a tense and closely-fought qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In doing so, he became the 100th different pole sitter in Formula One,...

A blast killed 20 regime forces at a military airport in central Homs province on Saturday, an activist group and pro-regime Russia Today TV said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in Britain and relies on a network of sources on the ground, said it was still...

 Spain's maritime rescue service said it saved 59 migrants, nearly all minors, trying to make the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in a small boat. The service says that the migrants were located Saturday in the Strait of Gibraltar by a Civil Guard patrol craft, which...

Iraq's Yazidi minority held its summer festival on the weekend, five years after jihadists seized their ancestral heartland of Sinjar, in a brutal assault that still haunts the community. On August 3, 2014, Islamic State group fighters seized Mount Sinjar, and went on to slaughter thousands...

Turkish Gendarmerie forces and the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) seized 1 ton of explosives from the Daesh terror group in a joint operation in Northern Syria, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said Saturday.  Turkish gendarmerie intelligence units and MIT confiscated...

 Russian police Saturday detained at least 311 people attending a protest in Moscow to demand free elections, including prominent activist Lyubov Sobol, after the authorities warned the demonstration was illegal. Police removed Sobol from a taxi and bundled her into a van minutes...

The governing body of football in South America banned Lionel Messi from playing international matches for three months after Barcelona's Argentinean star accused the body of corruption during the 2019 Copa America.  The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said late on...

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he wants to deploy an intermediate range conventional missile in the Pacific region within months, now that the Trump administration has formally pulled out of a Cold War-era arms control treaty with Russia. Esper, however, added that it will likely...