MOSCOW: Russia Wednesday scrambled to contain a growing scandal over suitcases of cocaine found in its embassy school in Buenos Aires, condemning what it called a smear campaign as the media questioned the official account. Argentine police said last week they had seized nearly 400...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters)- Pope Francis is studying how to speed up the handling of allegations of sexual abuse by clergy, the Vatican said Wednesday, after a high-profile case in Chile put a new spotlight on the scandal. The topic was a main point of discussion in three days of meetings...

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)- The office of Nigeria's president says police and civil defense forces are ordered to defend all schools in "liberated areas" of the northeast to avoid further attacks on schools by Boko Haram extremists. Many in Africa's most populous country are outraged by the...

Syrian government forces launched a ground assault on the edge of the rebel-held eastern Ghouta enclave Wednesday, seeking to gain territory despite a Russian plan for five-hour daily ceasefires, a war monitor and sources on both sides said. Hundreds of people have died in 11 days of...

British foreign minister Boris Johnson praised social reforms in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, seeking to neutralize any potential criticism over human rights and the war in Yemen ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to London next week. Prince Mohammed will arrive in...

Representatives for thousands of Ethiopian Jews announced Wednesday they will stage a mass hunger strike if Israel eliminates funding to allow them to join their families in that country. Hundreds gathered at a synagogue in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to express concern that...

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Wednesday unveiled a plan to open peace talks with the Taliban, including eventually recognizing them as a political party, days after the militants called for direct negotiations with the US. The apparent openness by both sides to some form of negotiations...

Iran has built another permanent military base outside Syria’s capital city complete with hangers used to store missiles capable of hitting all of Israel, according to Western intelligence sources.  Exclusive satellite images from ImageSat International obtained by Fox News show...

It is up to Britain to bring proposals to the table if it does not wish to trigger a backstop agreement that would fully align Northern Ireland with the rules of the EU to avoid a hard border, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Wednesday. "Now it is up to the UK to bring proposals...

The United Nations has launched a 24-hour helpline for U.N. staff to speak confidentially about sexual harassment at work, and to support victims and witnesses. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said people who call will be able to speak with impartial and trained people who can...

North Korea sent items used in ballistic missile and chemical weapons programs to Syria along with missile technicians in violation of U.N. sanctions - and banned ballistic missiles systems to Myanmar, U.N. experts said. The panel of experts monitoring sanctions against North Korea said...

GENEVA (Reuters)- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that "militants entrenched" in Syria's besieged enclave of eastern Ghouta are blocking aid and the evacuation of people who want to leave, despite Moscow's announcement of a humanitarian corridor. Addressing the...

(Zaman Al Wasl)-  “Save the Woman, Save the Human”, a solidarity campaign will be launched in the coming days to raise the voice of Syrian women detainees held in regime prisons. The campaign, organized by several people interested in the issue of detained Syrian women, is scheduled to...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syria TV to launch its broadcasting on March 03 at 6 pm Damascus time, such a good news may reflect the hopes of Syrians at home and in the diaspora and their aspirations for “a united Syria, a democratic state based on equal citizenship which guarantees the freedoms and...

Women in Syria have been sexually exploited by men delivering aid on behalf of the UN and international charities, the BBC has learned. Aid workers said the men would trade food and lifts for sexual favours. Despite warnings about the abuse three years ago, a new report shows it is...

   (Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime army ordered hundreds of teachers in northeastern Syria to join its ranks within a month, sources told Zaman al-Wasl on Tuesday. One of the teachers, who refused to mention his name, said about 700 teachers will be sacked from the Education...

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has adopted a new strategy for how it issues tens of millions of dollars in federal family-planning grants, giving preference to groups that stress abstinence and making it harder for Planned Parenthood to do business. Major reproductive health...

Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered as the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial, will reopen its doors after Israel backtracked on Tuesday from a tax plan and proposed property legislation that prompted a three-day protest. A statement issued by Christian leaders in...

WASHINGTON (Reuters)- Russia is playing a destabilizing role in Syria and acting as "both arsonist and firefighter" in the country, the head of U.S. Central Command said Tuesday. "Diplomatically and militarily, Moscow plays both arsonist and firefighter, fueling tensions among all...

Cairo (AFP)- An Egyptian court sentenced pop star Sherine to six months in prison on Tuesday for suggesting drinking from the Nile River leads to illness, although she will remain free pending an appeal. Sherine Abdel Wahab, known simply as Sherine, had apologised after being caught on...