From a ridge known locally as Baghouz Mountain, the most contested corner of the Middle East resembles an oasis: it’s a splash of green on a desert horizon stretching from the banks of the Euphrates to a sprawling area of new homes housing new – and unruly – neighbours. Little moves in the...

LUETZERATH, Germany (AP) — Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate on Saturday visited a vast German open-pit coal mine and a village that is to be bulldozed for its expansion, saying the destruction is “really disturbing” and has implications far beyond Germany. The visit by Nakate and...

Lebanon’s two main power plants were forced to shut down after running out of fuel, the state electricity company said Saturday, leaving the small country with no government-produced power. Lebanon is grappling with a crippling energy crisis made worse by its dependency on fuel imports....

Ali Atwa, a senior Hezbollah operative who was on the FBI's most wanted list for his role in one of the most notorious plane hijackings in aviation history, has died, the Lebanese militant group said Saturday. Atwa, who was believed to be in his early 60s, died of complications related to...

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Senior Taliban officials and U.S. representatives are to hold talks Saturday and Sunday about containing extremist groups in Afghanistan and easing the evacuation of foreign citizens and Afghans from the country, officials from both sides said. It's the first such meeting...

Iraq's elections on Sunday come with enormous challenges: Iraq’s economy has been battered by years of conflict, endemic corruption and more recently, the coronavirus pandemic. State institutions are failing, the country’s infrastructure is crumbling. Powerful paramilitary groups increasingly...

Syrian air defenses responded on Friday night to an Israeli strike targeting a military airbase in the country's central province of Homs, Syrian state media said. The airstrike wounded six soldiers, the report said. The report quoted an unnamed military official as saying the airstrike took...

The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has returned home from 36 years of exile to dodge arrest in France, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported Friday. Rifaat al-Assad, 84, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, al-Watan said on its Facebook page, nearly a month after a Paris...

Nobel literature laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah on Friday criticized the “lack of compassion” of governments, including Britain’s, that treat migrants as a problem or a threat. Gurnah grew up on the island of Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, and arrived in England as an 18-year-old refugee in the...

 "It was the worst experience of our lives, especially after ten years of crisis in Syria," said Najwa* about her recent life-threatening ordeal, which exemplified how maternal and child health can suffer catastrophically during conflicts. Najwa's story started in early August when she...

The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited their fight for freedom of expression, stressing that it is vital in promoting peace. “Free, independent and fact-based journalism...

Newcastle United have confirmed the club’s takeover by a Saudi Arabian-led consortium, ending Mike Ashley’s 14-year ownership. The controversial £300m deal received Premier League approval almost 18 months after it was first proposed. It hands the keys of St James’ Park to owners...

A leading Syrian Kurdish politician said on Thursday the United States will stay on in Syria to destroy Islamic State, build infrastructure and remain a player in the search for a political settlement after more than 10 years of civil war. The Kurds, who live in the mountainous region...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Son Heung-min’s late goal gave South Korea a 2-1 win over Syria on Thursday and kept his team unbeaten in its Asian qualifying group for the 2022 World Cup. Son shot home from close range with one minute remaining to put South Korea on top of Group A after three...

 Germany and Denmark have brought home 11 women and 37 children from a camp in northeastern Syria where suspected Islamic State members have been held, the German foreign ministry said Thursday. Germany repatriated 23 children and their eight mothers from the Roj camp on Wednesday...

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A powerful earthquake collapsed at least one coal mine and dozens of mud houses in southwest Pakistan early Thursday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 200, an official said. The death toll was expected to rise even further as crews searched in the...

Jordan agreed Wednesday to supply Lebanon with electricity through Syria and said that work is underway on a plan and a timetable on how to implement the deliveries. Jordan's energy minister, Hala Zawati, made the announcement after a meeting in Amman with her counterparts from Lebanon and...

The United Arab Emirates and Syria are considering ways to increase economic and investment cooperation as the Persian Gulf nation seeks to redirect its foreign policy to serve economic interests.  UAE Economy Minister Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri met Syrian counterpart Mohammed Khalil on...

German police carried out large-scale raids in 25 cities Wednesday in connection with a suspected money-laundering network alleged to have funneled millions in ill-gotten gains abroad. Duesseldorf police said the raids, which began in the early hours, involved more than 1,000 officers and...

The foreign minister of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on Wednesday urged Lebanon's new government to implement reforms quickly, in order for the international community to unlock aid to crisis-stricken Lebanon. Nikos Christodoulides is the first foreign minister from the European Union...