Rockets hit Baghdad's Green Zone, home to the US embassy, Thursday, the fifth such attack in 10 days, security sources inside the high-security district told AFP. AFP journalists heard at least three explosions, followed by the sound of sirens in the Green Zone. There were no immediate...

France has accused Turkey of repeated violations of the UN arms embargo on conflict-torn Libya and says Ankara is an obstacle to securing a ceasefire there. The European Union has a naval operation in the Mediterranean aimed helping to enforce the arms embargo, but Turkey, a NATO member...

The Eiffel Tower is preparing to welcome back visitors after the Covid-19 lockdown, but they will need to be fit: Because of lingering concerns about infection, the elevators will initially be off-limits. Workers at the Parisian landmark, which looms 324 metres (1,062 feet) over the French...

Donald Trump said Wednesday that US police have "not been treated fairly" and appeared to defend a white officer charged with the murder of a black man. Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe was charged with murder Wednesday for shooting African American Rayshard Brooks in the back, and...

China's top lawmaking body will discuss a draft Hong Kong national security law this week, state media reported Thursday, bringing the controversial legislation that has raised international concerns closer to passage. The draft was submitted on Thursday to the Standing Committee of...

Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday as a drawdown in U.S. distillate stockpiles for the first time since March and a sharp drop in U.S. crude production faced concerns over fuel demand due to fresh outbreaks of COVID-19. Brent crude LCOc1 was down 14 cents, or 0.3%, at $40.82 a barrel by...

In the last bastion of the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, Syrians who fled his rule see new U.S. sanctions as a step in the right direction but say they must be shielded from any fallout as the currency crumbles. The toughest U.S. sanctions yet against Damascus came into...

One person died and three children suffered injuries on Wednesday due to mines planted by Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar's militia in eastern Libya. Brig. Gen. Abdul-Hadi Dara, spokesman for the Sirte and al-Jafra operation, said that a shepherd died from a landmine explosion in the Um...

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will highlight his plan to safely reopen a US economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday on his third visit this month to the must-win election battleground state of Pennsylvania. The former vice president met business owners struggling...

At least two-thirds of people in countries home to a fifth of the world's population support stricter laws and enforcement to tackle air pollution, the Clean Air Fund said Wednesday. Researchers from the consortium of philanthropic groups analysed YouGov polling data from India, Britain,...

This season's Champions League, suspended in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be completed with an eight-team mini-tournament which will be held in Lisbon in August, European football's governing body UEFA said Wednesday. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be staged over one...

The car carrying British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was crashed into from behind in central London on Wednesday after taking evasive action when a pro-Kurdish demonstrator ran on to the road. The protester was stopped and detained, according to an AFP journalist on the scene, after he ran...

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to Tripoli, the seat of Libya's UN-recognised government, backed by Ankara in a conflict between rival Libyan powers. It is the most significant delegation to visit the country since eastern Libya-based strongman...

Russia would welcome if the US used its influence in Libya to support efforts on achieving cease-fire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. Asked how Moscow considers Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's statement that the US needs to play a more active role in...

Nine years after tens of thousands of people were forcibly disappeared by the Syrian regime during a crackdown on peaceful protesters, family members are still waiting for answers about their loved ones. An estimated 144,889 people have been imprisoned since the start of the revolution in...

The Caesar Civilian Protection Act comes into force this Wednesday 17 June, bringing an outlook for Bashar al-Assad's regime that hasn't appeared so bleak since the rapid rebel gains of 2015.  The Caesar Act was passed by the US Senate in 2019, with the stated goal of more targeted and...

 A letter written by Vincent van Gogh and fellow artist Paul Gauguin describing visits to brothels and discussing the future of art has been sold at auction for 210,600 euros ($237,700). The letter was bought in Paris on Tuesday by the Vincent van Gogh Foundation which will display it...

Tunisia's economy could shrink by up to 7% this year because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the investment minister said Wednesday. The government ended all restrictions on movement and businesses this month and will open its sea, land and air borders on June 27. However, the...

George Floyd's brother was expected to speak before the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday as it holds an urgent debate on "systemic racism" in the United States and beyond. African countries are pushing for the Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to...

Years ago Ahlam had escaped poverty in Lebanon for a better life in Europe, but then a family tragedy forced her back home to a country now in the throes of a raging economic crisis. In the northern port city of Tripoli, a web of electric wires hangs low over a narrow street as men sit...