Middle East

Beirut:The Syrian army intends to advance into IS-held Raqqa province having captured positions at the provincial border of the extremists' stronghold,...

Munich: Major powers agreed on Friday to a cessation of hostilities in Syria set to begin in a week and to provide rapid humanitarian access to besieged...

Helsinki: Thousands of Iraqi refugees who arrived in Finland last year have decided to cancel their asylum applications and to return home voluntarily,...

Baghdad: Three members of Iraq's presidential guard were kidnapped on Friday near a checkpoint run by militiamen close to the northern district of Tuz...

Dubai: A new smartphone application that helps Iranians dodge the country's "police" is proving popular with the young tech-savvy...

Brussels: US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to send special operations forces...

Paris/United Nations: Rebel groups urged US President Barack Obama to do more to stop Russian bombing raids in Syria as pressure mounted on Washington for...

Dubai: The grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini will not be allowed to stand in this month's election in Iran, the clerical vetting body said on...

Dubai: Iran will unveil an upgrade of its Emad ballistic missiles this year, the defence minister was quoted as saying, advancing a programme that has drawn...

Cairo: Nahed Ibrahim has scoured Egypt in vain to find a regular supply of medication to help her mother to recover from a stroke she suffered four months...