Saudi Arabia says it has reassigned its ambassador to Iraq, months after he claimed that Iranian-backed Shiite militias were plotting to assassinate him. A royal decree issued early Sunday from King Salman announced Thamer al-Sabhan would be a minister of state for the Gulf region....
(BBC)- US Secretary of State John Kerry is to meet French and German foreign ministers in London later in a renewed attempt to broker peace in Syria. On Saturday he met Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, along with representatives from other countries with stakes in the five-year...
(AMN)- The Syrian Army launched a powerful assault in the northern countryside of Hama on Sunday, targeting the jihadist-held town of Ma'ardes after capturing Al-Abbadah yesterday. Led by the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Arab Army stormed the eastern gates of Ma'ardes, where they were...
Reporting Faris Rifai (Zaman Al Wasl)- As part of an initiative to honor Syrian innovators, a group of Syria students in Egypt honored Doctor Amar al-Mustafa, who obtained the highest award possible for a doctorate in the English language, as the first Syrian refugee in Egypt to obtain a...
Angela Merkel wants to get other European Union member countries to agree to step up sanctions against Russia because of its role in the war in Syria, a German newspaper cited sources close to the German chancellor as saying. The issue of sanctions is due to be discussed at an EU summit on...
Reporting by Orwa al-Sousi (Eqtsad)- The regional manager of the Syrian General Body for Refugees, Moayad Shakir, directed a call to all local and foreign aid organizations working to quickly and urgently intervene to provide the support needed to the residents of Kula Sawa, (All of us...
(Marca)- Moments before the official blew the half-time whistle, Pepe starred in a perfectly executed counter-attack that produced Real Madrid's fourth goal at the Estado Benito Villamarin. Los Blancos manufactured a 10-second play after long-time Betis captain Joaquin miskicked a corner....
Talks on the crisis in Syria convened by John Kerry in the Swiss city of Lausanne have ended after more than four hours without a joint ministerial statement from the nine countries taking part. The US secretary of state said the meeting in Switzerland with top diplomats from Russia,...
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Iraq could not deal alone with driving Islamic State from the city of Mosul and that the presence of Turkish forces in a nearby military camp was an insurance against attacks on Turkey. Turkey has been locked in a row with Iraq's central...
(theguardian)- The far left’s ideology is not “leftwing” in any sense that a socialist from the 19th or 20th centuries would have understood. It is simply opposition to the west whatever the west does. Occidentalism explains the appearances of Labour’s leaders on Iran’s propaganda channels , the...
(Al Arabyia)- Washington, Moscow and key regional players who met in Switzerland for Syria peace talks have decided to “prolong contacts,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday. “We agreed that we must prolong our contacts over the coming days while taking into account certain...
Deutsche Bank is studying a possible change of its strategy in the United States, where it is fighting a $14 billion fine the Department of Justice (DoJ) is requiring over the sale of toxic mortgage bonds before the financial crisis, two sources close to the company said on Saturday....
(theguardian)- The United Nations has condemned an attempted coup in Libya that has seen a rival administration capture key government buildings, as both rebels and officials scrambled to win the support of Tripoli’s powerful militias. The UN envoy Martin Kobler said: “I condemn the attempt...
(theguardian)- Russian warships are expected to sail through the Channel next week at a time of heightened tensions between Britain and Moscow over the war in Syria. The navy said it and Nato routinely monitor other nations’ fleets when they enter UK waters, but the voyage comes amid western...
Turkey-backed Syrian rebels began an attack on Islamic State's symbolically potent stronghold of Dabiq in northwestern Syria on Saturday, a rebel commander said, taking territory that has all but cut it off according to a war monitor. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said the...
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian regime warplanes killed 11 civilians in air strikes hit the town of Termanin in northern Idlib province, local activists said Saturday. The strikes have also targeted the city of Idlib and towns of al-Tamana'a, Khan Sheikhoun and Maaret al-Numan. In Homs province,...
Chelsea gave Antonio Conte a well-timed vote of confidence as Diego Costa and Eden Hazard inspired a 3-0 win against spluttering champions Leicester on Saturday. Conte had to endure speculation he was in danger of being sacked just three months into his Chelsea reign after bookmakers...
A Syrian refugee arrested on suspicion of planning a major attack in Berlin spoke to a member of Islamic State in Syria by telephone about a possible target a day before police discovered explosives in his apartment, a newspaper reported on Saturday. Jaber Albakr was detained on Monday, two...
Syria talks with a fresh format but few fresh ideas opened in the Swiss lakeside town of Lausanne on Saturday, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry seeking a new path to peace after failing to secure a ceasefire in direct talks with Russia. Kerry hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday plans should be considered to give Yazidis in Iraq protected areas to retreat to in the north of the country. "The plans are not finished yet, I'll be honest with you, but they are on the agenda," Merkel told a conference of the youth wing of...
