Syrian regime forces will reclaim control of northeastern areas controlled by the US-backed Kurds, whether by force or through reconciliation, the defence minister warned Monday. Marginalised for decades, Syria's minority Kurds have carved out a de-facto autonomous region across some 30...

More than a year before the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved a secret campaign to silence dissenters, The New York Times reported on Sunday. The campaign included surveillance, kidnapping, detention and torture of...

The French government admitted Sunday its security measures had been "insufficient" to stem an arson and looting rampage by black-clad anarchists during a "yellow vest" protest along the famous Champs-Elysees in Paris. Police appeared overwhelmed Saturday as demonstrators ran amok on the...

Asian markets rose Monday as investors tracked a positive lead from Wall Street on optimism over the China-US trade talks, while attention turns to the Federal Reserve's next policy meeting this week. The pound held gains as Prime Minister Theresa May tries to push her EU divorce deal...

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday over 60,000 people, mostly civilians, had flooded out of Islamic State’s last enclave in eastern Syria since a final assault to capture it began over two months ago. SDF spokesman Kino Gabriel told journalists that 29,600 people,...

 (Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian security forces have threntend to storm Hama Central Prison in two weeks if the detainees keep their rebellion over death sentences for fellow inmates, source told Zaman al-Wasl Sunday.   The Syrian police backed by the political Security Division seek...

Landmines left behind by jihadists have killed at least 17 people in Syria in a 24-hour period at the weekend, a war monitor said Sunday. An ordnance left behind by Daesh (ISIS) exploded in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, killing 16 people and wounding 32 others, said the...

The Apple Watch was able to detect irregular heart pulse rates that could signal the need for further monitoring for a serious heart rhythm problem, according to data from a large study funded by Apple Inc (AAPL.O), demonstrating a potential future role for wearable consumer technology in...

A Taliban assault on checkpoints killed 22 troops, officials said Sunday, as at least 50 Afghan security forces surrendered to the militants and around 100 tried to flee to neighbouring Turkmenistan after heavy fighting in Afghanistan’s northwest. The battles mark the latest setbacks for...

 Prime Minister Theresa May’s government was scrambling on Sunday to get support in parliament for her Brexit deal at the third time of asking, aiming to persuade doubters with threats and promises to avoid any move to oust her. After parliament backed a move to delay Brexit, May still...

The French government faced heavy criticism Sunday over failing to maintain law and order during an arson and looting rampage by "yellow vest" protesters along the famous Champs-Elysees in Paris. Some 80 shops and businesses along the avenue were vandalised on Saturday when the protesters...

After a second air disaster involving the 737 MAX 8, aviation giant Boeing swung into crisis mode, losing $25 billion of market capitalization and suffering a severe hit to its reputation. That was made worse by the company's response, according to industry experts, who described their...

US-backed forces said Sunday thousands of people were believed to still be inside the last Islamic State group enclave in eastern Syria, as they sought to flush out die-hard fighters with sporadic shelling. Tens of thousands of dishevelled women, children and men have streamed out of the...

The U.N. envoy for Syria held talks in Damascus on Sunday with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, who stressed the need for a Syrian-led political solution to the eight-year war. Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen discussed efforts to find a political settlement to the conflict, including...

emen’s Houthi group said they were building their ballistic capabilities and their forces stand ready to strike Riyadh and Abu Dhabi if implementation of a U.N. peace deal in the port city of Hodeidah is breached. A spokesman of the Houthi forces said the group has a “stockpile of missiles”...

Algeria’s newly-appointed prime minister has started talks to form a new government, the state news agency reported on Sunday, in a move designed to appease protesters demanding President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika and his inner circle step down. The new cabinet will include experts without...

An Israeli court on Sunday ordered the temporary closure of a side building at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site that has been the source of tensions in recent weeks. The Jerusalem magistrates court said the building known as the Golden Gate at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to...

Facebook said it removed 1.5 million videos globally of the New Zealand mosque attack in the first 24 hours after the attack. "In the first 24 hours we removed 1.5 million videos of the attack globally, of which over 1.2 million were blocked at upload," Facebook said in a tweet late...

Some 80 shops and businesses on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris were vandalised this weekend when "yellow vest" protesters went on the rampage, with about 20 looted or torched, retailers said on Sunday. Saturday's demonstrations were characterised by a sharp increase in violence after...

Thousands of people are believed to remain inside the Islamic State group's last sliver of territory in eastern Syria, a US-backed force said Sunday citing evacuees, hampering the operation to crush the jihadists. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been trying to flush jihadists...