Lebanese security forces on Friday said they thwarted an attempt by more than 80 people to illegally cross by sea into Europe from Lebanon. In a statement, the Internal Security Forces said they raided a “tourist resort” in the Qalamoun area of north Lebanon on Thursday after being...

DOHUK, Iraq (AP) — Khari Hasan Kalo peered out of the window of the repatriation flight as it touched down in northern Iraq. It's a place he and his family had hoped never to see again after they left for Belarus two months ago, driven by dreams of a new life in Europe. Kalo, 35, had begged...

The US is working to keep its forces in Iraq and Syria to help fight Daesh, Al-Arabiya TV reported on Friday citing the Pentagon. It further said that it will keep tens of thousands of soldiers in military bases in the Middle East. On Iran, the Pentagon said there was no military...

Beijing (AFP) – The head of the Women's Tennis Association said he is prepared to cut lucrative business ties with China if tennis star Peng Shui remains unaccounted for and her sexual assault allegations against a top Communist Party official are not investigated. WTA boss Steve Simon's...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Ahead of Christmas, a towering wooden screen — once blackened with soot from millions of worshippers' candles — is being restored to its gilded glory in the Church of the Nativity, built at the site where many believe Jesus was born. But few visitors are expected...

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A Chinese professional tennis player not seen in public since she accused a former top government official of sexual assault purportedly sent an email claiming she was safe and that the allegation was false, a message that only amplified concerns about her safety and...

BAGHDAD (AP) — Hundreds of Iraqis returned home Thursday from Belarus after abandoning their hopes of reaching the European Union — a repatriation that came after tensions at Poland’s eastern border, where thousands of migrants became stuck in a cold and soggy forest. Many others still in...

A one-year-old child from Syria has died in a forest in Poland near the border with Belarus, according to Polish medical workers, becoming the youngest known victim of the crisis on the eastern edge of the European Union. Thousands of people attempting to reach the EU are still stranded in...

A group of 24 volunteers who took part in migrant rescue operations appeared in court Thursday on the Greek island of Lesbos on smuggling-related charges in a case that has been strongly criticized by international human rights groups. Judicial officials said the misdemeanor court on Lesbos...

The fourth wave of COVID-19 continued to surge in Syria. In northwest Syria, over 1,000 cases have been reported each day, with 34,184 cases reported in September alone. Health services are struggling: A 93 per cent occupancy rate was reported in intensive care units along with dwindling...

NEW DELHI (AP) — Air pollution remained extremely high in the Indian capital on Thursday, a day after authorities closed schools indefinitely and shut some power stations to reduce smog that has blanketed the city for much of the month. New Delhi’s air quality remained “very poor,” according...

Khartoum (AFP) – Street clashes again shook Sudan's capital Thursday a day after security forces shot dead 15 protesters in the bloodiest day since the military's October 25 takeover. Police fired tear gas to disperse dozens of anti-coup protesters who had stayed on the streets of north...

Ten people were found dead—believed to have suffocated from fuel fumes—on the lower deck of a severely overcrowded wooden boat during a difficult rescue operation about 30 nautical miles from the Libyan coast in the Central Mediterranean Sea, said the international medical humanitarian...

LONDON (AP) — An F35 jet from a British aircraft carrier crashed in an undisclosed location in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defense said, adding that the jet’s British pilot ejected safely and returned to the HMS Queen Elizabeth. An official investigation was...

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish police on Wednesday detained celebrated Syrian singer Omar Souleyman and questioned him about alleged ties to outlawed Kurdish militants, his manager told AFP. Souleyman was brought in for questioning in the southern Turkish city of Sanliurfa, where he has been...

VIENNA: The United Nations’ atomic watchdog says it believes Iran has further increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in breach of a 2015 accord with world powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency told member nations in its confidential quarterly report Wednesday that Iran...

Syrian regime President Bashar Al-Assad on Monday abolished the position of Mufti of the Republic. No reasons were given for the decision, however, in so doing, Al-Assad strengthened the powers of a jurisprudential council within the Ministry of Endowments. The president issued...

BEIJING (AP) — Tennis star Naomi Osaka says she's been shocked to hear about a fellow player who has gone quiet since making a sexual assault allegation against a former top government official in China. The Japanese former No. 1-ranked, four-time major winner posted on social media on...

 (AP) — The last time Polenli Combary spoke to her son on the phone she prayed for God to bless him. Shortly after, she called back but the line was dead. Her 34-year-old son was returning a truck used to move the family's belongings from their village in eastern Burkina Faso after...

Syrian Cham Wings Airlines is a key actor in the migrant crisis as hundreds of them, mostly Syrians, remain trapped on the Belarus-Poland border.  Over the past months, the Assad-linked carrier and Damascus-based traffickers have facilitated the flow of migrants to Belarus through...