Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi women should not have to wear the loose-fitting abaya robe to shroud their bodies in public, a senior cleric said, in the latest sign of a far-reaching liberalisation drive. "More than 90 percent of pious Muslim women in the Muslim world do not wear abayas," said...

Anime fans in war-torn Iraq have flocked to the country's annual festival celebrating Japanese animation and comic book culture. Thousands of Iraqis turned up on Friday for the Otaku Matsuri convention in the capital Baghdad dressed up as their favourite anime characters, local media...

Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Saturday called for an end to racism, xenophobia and discrimination. In a column in local Daily Sabah titled: “Erdogan's Vatican visit promises hope for global peace” Kalin praised Pope Francis' message of inclusiveness and openness. He...

The United States fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against threats, a Pentagon spokesman said after Israel said it struck 12 Iranian and Syrian targets in Syria, including Syrian air defense systems. "The [U.S.] Department of Defense did not participate in this military...

The unified Korean women's hockey team took the spotlight on Day 1 - despite its 8-0 loss to Switzerland. Day 2 features the figure skating team event and the men's downhill. Here are some key things to watch. All times Eastern: FIGURE SKATING Prime time for TV in North...

(Zaman Al Wasl) There is talk among Syrians about an Iranian air base being established in Syria to ensure Tehran’s strategic interests in Syria in the future but the reports conflict regarding the name of the base.  Zaman al-Wasl obtained information about the Iranian military...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Israeli airstrikes on Iranian sites in Syria following the crash of its F-16 fighter jet have drawn to surface the mounting influence of the key regional power. Figures revealed the Iranian opposition and leaked documents issued by the regime army show that at...

Russia on Saturday called for "restraint" from all parties in Syria and said it considered risking the lives of Russian soldiers "absolutely unacceptable" following large-scale Israeli air strikes inside Syria. "We strongly call on all sides involved to show restraint and avoid all acts...

 Militants stormed an Indian army camp early Saturday in the country's northern Jammu and Kashmir state, killing two army personnel and wounding nine people, an army spokesman said. Two militants had also been killed as of Saturday evening - the men wore fatigues and carried...

Two employees of Russia's top nuclear research institute have been arrested for using the facility's supercomputer for crypto-currency mining. Russian news agencies cited the Russian Federal Nuclear Center as confirming the arrests Friday. But the reports did not indicate whether the...

  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited the South's President Moon Jae-in for a summit in Pyongyang Saturday, Seoul said, even as the U.S. warned against falling for Pyongyang's Olympic charm offensive. The invitation, delivered by Kim's visiting sister Kim Yo Jong, said Kim was...

Thousands of Mehsud tribesmen have ended their days long sit-in in Islamabad after assurances that the police officer accused of killing a 27-year-old aspiring model will be arrested and their other demands also met. Ameer Muqam, an adviser to the prime minister on political affairs,...

A car bombing killed at least seven civilians and injured 30 others in northwestern Idlib province on Saturday, according to the White Helmets civil defense agency. The bombing struck “Time Plaza” area in the province, White Helmets chief in Idlib Mustafa Haj Yusuf told Anadolu Agency....

At least 35 undocumented migrants were held in northwestern Turkey on Saturday, according to security sources. In the northwestern Canakkale province, coast guard units apprehended 10 undocumented migrants on an inflatable boat off the coast of Assos Kadirga Bay in the Ayvacik district....

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday said a Turkish military helicopter had been shot down during Ankara's military offensive against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria. "A little earlier, one of our helicopters was shot down," Erdogan said in televised remarks without saying who...

Egypt's air force pounded militant targets in northern and central Sinai early Saturday, the military said, the second day of an assault to try and crush an insurgency that has killed hundreds of people since 2013. President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who is seeking re-election in March,...

The creation of a de-escalation zone in Syria's Afrin region is being discussed as part of the Astana peace talks process, RIA news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying Saturday.

Turkish police have detained 31 suspected Islamic State members in Istanbul who were preparing to launch an attack, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday. Police raided six addresses in three districts of the city, Anadolu said, without giving details on when the operations...

Russia's Interfax cites Israeli ambassador: ‘Actions of Iranian Hezbollah forces and Shiite rebels in southern Syria de-escalation zone must stop’

The deputy head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps declined to comment on reports that Israel had intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria Saturday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. "We cannot confirm this report on the drone because Israelis are liars ......