Lebanon's central bank is seeking extra powers to regulate and standardise controls which commercial banks are imposing on depositors, the governor said on Sunday, saying his intention was to ensure "fair relationships" between banks and customers. Central bank governor Riad Salameh, in a...

Indian police baton-charged protesters Sunday to stop them reaching Prime Minister Narendra Modi's car as nationwide protests against a bitterly disputed citizenship law entered a second month. Tens of thousands staged protests through the night in the eastern city of Kolkata to denounce...

Iran's top Guards commander briefed parliament on Sunday, a day after the armed forces said a Ukrainian airliner was shot down in error in an admission that sparked an angry demonstration. His closed-session testimony comes after the temporary arrest Saturday of Britain's ambassador to...

Britain's Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined regional leaders in Oman on Sunday to offer their condolences to the royal family after the death of long-reigning Sultan Qaboos. A ceremony at Muscat's Alam Palace drew figures from across political divides in the Middle...

Both of Libya's warring factions accused each other of violating a ceasefire proposed by Turkey and Russia, as fighting continued around the capital, Tripoli, Sunday. The Turkish and Russian presidents had called for the ceasefire to start on Sunday, more than nine months into an...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Armed factions have stormed military checkpoints in southern Daraa province, taking more than 20 soldiers hostages, seeking to push the Syrian regime to release the detainees, activists said Saturday.  The surprise attack on regime outposts took place in the town...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Ten Syrian refugees are on hunger strike in the Cypriot Menoyia immigration detention center since Wednesday, protesting bad treatment, discrimination and deteriorating conditions. One of the detained refugees told Zaman al-Wasl that most of Syrian refugees who applied...

Thousands of Thais joined a run in the capital Sunday in what appeared to be the biggest show of dissent against the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, although he also drew a big show of support at a rival event. Police estimated more than 12,745 runners and supporters...

Venezuela's opposition leader and self-declared acting president Juan Guaido said Saturday it is unlikely he will resume negotiations with President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido this week survived dramatic attempts to remove him as head of the National Assembly, and called new protests to try to...

US President Donald Trump warned Iran against cracking down on protests that broke out after it admitted shooting down an airliner by mistake, killing all 176 people aboard. "The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing...

Pakistan's foreign minister is visiting Tehran on Sunday in a bid to defuse rising tensions in the region after the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike. For decades Pakistan has tried to balance its strong relationship with Saudi Arabia and ties with Iran, with...

Severe storms sweeping the southern US killed at least 11 people, authorities said, as tornadoes and high winds upturned cars, destroyed homes and left tens of thousands without power. The storms hit parts of the south on Friday and were expected to move east and north on Sunday, according...

Libya’s east-based forces have announced that they will abide by a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey that is to start Sunday. If it holds, the ceasefire would be the country's first break in fighting in months, and the first brokered by international players. It comes as Libya is...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Armed factions have stormed military checkpoints in southern Daraa province, taking more than 20 soldiers hostages, seeking to push the Syrian regime to release the detainees, activists said Saturday. People of al-Kark al-Sharqi and Nahta villages have...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- A well-informed source said four fighters operating in the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army had been killed in Libya fighting along with the U.N.-recognized Accord Government in Tripoli.  According to a rebel commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity,...

Bushfire conditions eased in Australia on Saturday after a grueling night for firefighters, with authorities saying they expect at least a week of milder weather in which to step up defenses against the huge blazes still burning. Cooler temperatures and rainfall had eased conditions after...

Taiwanese re-elected President Tsai Ing-wen by a landslide on Saturday in a stern rebuke that could fuel further tension with China, which has tried military threats and economic inducements to get the island to accept its rule. Anti-government unrest in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong took center...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he expects that a cease-fire in Libya would take effect in line with the recommendation jointly put forward by Russia and Turkey.  Speaking at a news conference, following a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin said the...

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, in a rare report on anti-government unrest, said protesters in Tehran on Saturday chanted slogans against the nation’s top authorities, after the powerful Revolutionary Guards admitted shooting down a passenger plane. The report said the demonstrators...

Two American soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday when a Taliban roadside bomb ripped through an army vehicle, officials said. Two other soldiers were wounded in the attack in Kandahar province, according to NATO's Resolute Support mission in the country.  A...