World / Middle East

Western Sahara referendum key to peace: pro-independence group 17 Mar 2016 - 12:00 am

Moroccan protesters hold the national flag and pictures of the King of Morocco Mohammed VI during a rally against the United National Secretary...

US says would not recognize Kurdish region in Syria 17 Mar 2016 - 12:00 am

Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters in the town of Tal Hamis on February 26, 2015, following six days of clashes with Islamic...

Hammond: Britain not sure Russia pullout from Syria “genuine” 16 Mar 2016 - 06:14 pm

“If it turns out to be a genuine pullout - and we don’t know that,” UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said of Russia’s...

Germany, France criticise Israel for seizing West Bank land 16 Mar 2016 - 06:06 pm

Palestinian national security members walk in tactical formation during eilte square training in the West Bank village of Dahriya, south of Hebron, 15...

Syria says Russian withdrawal was no surprise to Assad’s government 16 Mar 2016 - 04:50 pm

“The Russian decision to withdraw partially from Syria was taken jointly by a common decision, taken both by President Putin and President Assad....

Iran fire festival celebrations kill three, injure 2,500 16 Mar 2016 - 04:19 pm

pic source: twitter.com/Mojahedineng Tehran: Iran's annual fire festival ahead of the Persian New Year claimed three lives and injured more than 2,500, hundreds...

Iraq cabinet warns Sadr protest camp 'illegal' 16 Mar 2016 - 02:26 pm

Baghdad: The Iraqi cabinet has decided not to authorise a protest camp by followers of cleric Moqtada Sadr which had been due to...

UN envoy to meet pro-Russia Syrian opposition group at talks 16 Mar 2016 - 02:14 pm

Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and Head of the Government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari, left, and UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General...

Turkey supports Syria's unity, unilateral federation moves invalid - official 16 Mar 2016 - 01:52 pm

ANKARA: Turkey supports Syria's national unity and unilateral moves such as declaring a federation cannot be valid, a foreign ministry official told Reuters,...

Federal system to be announced in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria 16 Mar 2016 - 01:25 pm

BEIRUT: Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria are expected to declare a federal system on Wednesday, a Syrian Kurdish official said. The announcement would...

Iran rejects 'biased' UN human rights report 16 Mar 2016 - 11:51 am

Tehran: Iran on Wednesday rejected as biased and political the latest United Nations report on human rights in the Islamic republic. In 2015,...

Iraq preparing to push Islamic State away from oil region: report 16 Mar 2016 - 11:15 am

File photo of Iraqi government forces in the south of Baghdad. AFP BAGHDAD: Kurdish Peshmerga forces, an Iran-backed Shi'ite militia and Iraq's army...

Aid reaches 13,000 families in Syria's Aleppo province: Red Cross 16 Mar 2016 - 10:38 am

Men unload aid boxes from a Red Crescent convoy in the rebel held besieged town of Jesreen, in the eastern Damascus suburb of...

Iran sees Russia's withdrawal from Syria as "positive sign" 16 Mar 2016 - 09:40 am

File picture of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the foreign ministry in Madrid. Reuters/Andrea Comas DUBAI: Iran's foreign minister has called...

Turkish police detain 20 in Istanbul raids targeting PKK - Anadolu 16 Mar 2016 - 09:31 am

ISTANBUL: Turkish police detained 20 suspects, including lawyers, in an operation involving raids across Istanbul targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group,...