Syria's opposition chief on Saturday said peace efforts were "paralysed" amid a lack of will from key international powers, after meeting the latest UN envoy tasked with ending the civil war. Norwegian Geir Pedersen replaced Staffan de Mistura this month to become the fourth United Nations...

Turkish president said on Saturday that Turkey has witnessed an upward trend over the last 16 years. In a rally looking ahead to March 31 local elections, Recep Tayyip Erdogan rolled out the full slate of mayoral hopefuls for the Black Sea city of Samsun. The president touted ruling...

A UN expert expressed her concerns over the escalating conflict in northern and central Rakhine and Chin States of Myanmar on Friday, calling for the protection of civilians in the region. In a statement Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar,...

Among the supporters of a new law to give greater autonomy to a Muslim-majority region of the Philippines are local evangelical Christians. “We will support the law,” Aldrin Penamora, an evangelical Christian, told Anadolu Agency. “The law will make many contributions to the region. I...

The U.S. special representative for Afghanistan has extended his stay in Pakistan as he is still expecting a meeting with Afghan Taliban representatives to break the deadlock that has hit the Afghan peace process, officials said on Saturday. Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been in Islamabad for...

Following a tumultuous week on the Brexit front, Austria's chancellor on Saturday proposed postponing the date the divorce goes live. “If London presents a proper strategy and a plan, then postponing the withdrawal date by a couple of months could be conceivable,” Sebastian Kurz told German...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- A Syrian shoe-cleaner boy fell six stories in Lebanon’s Beirut after being chased by the municipality police last Wednesday.   The 14-year-old refugee lost his life immediately in a tragic incident sparks new outrage over mounting abuses against Syrians sheltered in...

US President Donald Trump made a suprise announcement Saturday he would be traveling to meet the families of four US personnel killed in northern Syria. He tweeted: "Will be leaving for Dover to be with the families of 4 very special people who lost their lives in service to our Country!"...

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi will hold talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Cairo by the end of this month, according to Egyptian media.  Talks between the two leaders will focus on stability in the Middle East and bilateral relations, the state-run Akhbar...

Tunisia’s largest labor union has announced a two-day general strike for public-sector employees on Feb. 20.  “The general strike is a necessity,” Noureddine Taboubi, the head of the Tunisian General Labor Union (TGLU), said in statements after a union meeting in the eastern city of...

The Macedonian foreign minister has said that the Prespa agreement over the Macedonia name dispute with Greece is "too big to fail". Nikola Dimitrov spoke to Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview during an official visit to Ankara. Dimitrov said the stakes that are involved and the...

A senior Republican senator on Saturday urged President Donald Trump to slow down the withdrawal of US ground troops from Syria until jihadists were defeated to avoid a "nightmare" for Washington's allies. "I would hope that President Trump would slow the withdrawal until we truly destroy...

A key US senator on Saturday said the Saudi crown prince was responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's murder and must be "dealt with", as he threatened new sanctions. Republican Lindsey Graham, an influential ally of President Donald Trump, has previously said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman...

Four children were among at least six civilians killed in a US-led air strike on the Islamic State group's embattled enclave in eastern Syria, a monitor said on Saturday. The Friday strike on the Euphrates Valley village of Baghouz killed 10 IS fighters as well as the six civilians, the...

A former leader of Afghanistan’s Mujahedeen on Saturday threw his hat into the ring for April presidential elections in the war-ravaged country. Announcing his candidacy, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hezb-e-Islami party, sharply criticized the current Kabul government and vowed to...

Israel is holding “indirect” contacts to reach a prisoner swap deal with Palestinian group Hamas, according to Hamas sources on Saturday.  “Hamas has received indirect contacts from the Israeli government about a prisoner swap deal,” the London-based Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed newspaper quoted...

Yellow vest protesters are planning rallies in several French cities despite a national debate launched this week by President Emmanuel Macron aimed at assuaging their anger. A prominent and provocative protester is promoting a march Saturday starting at the Invalides monument in Paris,...

(Zaman Al Wasl )- The United Nations launched last December an emergency response plan to support Syrian refugees and host countries, during the years 2019-2020, by about US $ 5.5 billion, according to the UNHCR. These funds are monitored to meet the basic needs of refugees such as food,...

Pep Guardiola takes reigning champions Manchester City to struggling Huddersfield on Sunday, with the Premier League's bottom side facing the prospect of finding themselves on the receiving end of Kevin De Bruyne's frustration. Arguably City's standout performer in their record-breaking...

In a vault under the streets of Dublin a pot of gold owned by anxious investors is growing every day Britain edges closer to leaving the EU without a deal. "They're worried about a significant devaluation in sterling if there's a hard Brexit," said Seamus Fahy. Fahy is co-founder of...