Ten rockets hit an Iraqi military base housing US soldiers near Baghdad Wednesday, in the 22nd attack against American military interests in the country since late October, an Iraqi military commander said. The attack against the Taji base did not wound anyone or cause any damage, the Iraqi...

The U.S. State Department changed its standard description of East Jerusalem Palestinians from "Palestinian residents" of the city to "Arab residents" or "non-Israeli citizens" in an annual global human rights report released Wednesday. The overwhelming majority of East Jerusalem's more...

Iran's aviation authority has agreed to send black boxes from a downed Ukrainian jetliner to Kiev for analysis, Iran's representative at the United Nations' aviation agency told Reuters. Farhard Parvaresh, who heads Iran's delegation at the UN's Montreal-based International Civil Aviation...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Canadian filmmaker, Jonathan Keijser, is about to end his film Peace by Chocolate, which spotlight the journey of "Hodhod" family in success and fame in the chocolate industry, since the opening of its first factory in a suburb of Damascus in 1986, and the export of its...

The World Health Organization is characterizing the outbreak of the new coronavirus as a pandemic, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. “We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have...

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been consulting with U.N. Security Council members about appointing former Algerian Foreign Minster Ramtane Lamamra as his new Libya envoy, diplomats said on Wednesday. His current Libya envoy Ghassan Salame quit last week due to stress,...

Behind a black gate in an upscale Beirut suburb, the head of Lebanon’s banking lobby implored the government to hold firm against the latest crisis, pay the country’s debts and safeguard its financial industry. “A stable economy is largely dependent on a strong banking sector,” said Salim...

Italian police were Wednesday hunting for 11 prisoners who escaped in the aftermath of jail riots sparked by fears over coronavirus, as authorities began to test inmates and distribute face masks. Those still on the run were part of a group of 72 inmates who escaped Monday from a prison in...

A Syrian defector whose thousands of gruesome photos documented abuse under President Bashar al-Assad appealed Wednesday for action to ensure accountability as he appeared incognito before the US Congress. The former Syrian military photographer, who goes by the pseudonym Caesar, fled in...

A court Wednesday sentenced Karim Tabbou, a key figure in Algeria's anti-government protest movement, to six months in prison for "undermining national unity", a lawyer said. Tabbou, who heads the small, unregistered opposition party UDS, has been detained since September. The...

The Syrian regime army has finished building and equipping the deserted Hassia prison in central Homs province ,  Well-informed sources told Zaman al-Wasl. The so-called the Military Disciplinary Center  is located on the western side of the Homs-Damascus highway,...

The Afghan government said on Wednesday it would free 1,500 Taliban prisoners, while delaying the release of another 3,500 that the militants say must be set free for talks to begin under a peace deal reached with the United States. The Taliban promised to open talks with the Afghan...

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia’s plans to hike oil production and discount its crude prices was “probably not the best option” as disagreements over output policy between the two suppliers intensified. Riyadh said on Wednesday it planned to boost...

An Egyptian court sentenced one of the leading activists of the 2011 "Arab Spring" uprising to a one-year prison term Wednesday after convicting him of spreading false news, a judicial source and a lawyer said. Zyad Elelaimy, a prominent rights lawyer and former member of parliament already...

Joe Biden scored decisive primary victories in Michigan and three other states Tuesday, taking a big step toward the Democratic Party's presidential nomination and casting doubt on the future of rival Bernie Sanders' fading White House bid. The sweeping wins put Biden, 77, on a path to face...

Iran on Wednesday reported 63 new deaths from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day toll since it announced the first deaths from the outbreak. "Based on new lab results, we have identified 958 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in the country, bringing...

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he would keep Turkey’s border open for refugees until the EU had met all his demands, while comparing Greece’s response to the crisis to the Nazis. “Until all Turkey’s expectations, including free movement ... updating of the customs union and...

Constitutional changes allowing Vladimir Putin to run for president again in 2024 sailed through Russia’s lower house of parliament on Wednesday, opening the way for him to potentially stay in power until 2036. Putin, 67, who has dominated the Russian political landscape for two decades as...

Turkey urged Russia on Wednesday to deal with alleged violations of a week-old ceasefire by Syrian government forces in Idlib, the last bastion of resistance to President Bashar al-Assad. "Although there are only small incidents here and there, the ceasefire has started to be violated,"...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's challenger Benny Gantz is to receive state protection following online threats, the Shin Bet domestic security agency has announced. "The prime minister has approved the Shin Bet's recommendation for close protection of Mr Gantz," a statement from...