Western Asia
Saudi Deficit Plunges After Cuts, Oil Revenue Surge
Saudi Arabia's budget deficit dropped by 71 percent in the first quarter of the year, the government said Thursday,...
Saudi Budget Deficit Drops 71 Pct In Q1
Saudi Arabia's budget deficit fell by 71 percent in the first quarter of this year, the finance minister said on...
Austria Convicts Asylum Seeker of Syria War Crimes
The suspect is said to have claimed responsibility for 20 deaths in Homs An asylum seeker has been sentenced to life...
UN Warns of Massive Displacement In Yemen
A UN official warned Wednesday that up to half a million people could be displaced as conflict escalates and the...
Mexico Was Second Deadliest Country In 2016
It was the second deadliest conflict in the world last year, but it hardly registered in the international headlines....
Russia Seeks UN Backing For Deal On Syria Safe Zones
Russia on Monday faced resistance from Western powers to a bid to win UN Security Council backing for an agreement it...
US Studying Moscow’s Syria Deal
The United States is closely examining whether a Russia-brokered deal to establish safe zones in Syria can work in the...
Syria FM Rejects UN Monitors For ‘de-Escalation’ Deal
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Monday his country would reject any United Nations role in monitoring the...
Palestinian Fashion Designer Breathes New Life Into Tradition
Palestinian fashion designer Natalie Tahhan is hard at work in her Jerusalem studio, replacing the painstaking...
Talks Begin On Evacuating Rebels From Syria Capital
Negotiations were under way on Sunday on evacuating insurgents and their families from two districts in Damascus, a...
Syria Fighting Eases As Safe Zones Plan Begins
Fighting subsided in Syria on Saturday after a deal signed by government backers Russia and Iran and rebel supporter...
Russia Says Has Already Stopped Bombing Proposed Syria Safe Zones
Russia on Friday said it had already stopped bombing in areas of Syria set to be designated safe zones under an...
Doubts Over Saudi Order That ‘eases’ Control Over Women
Saudi women no longer need a man's consent to carry out certain activities, local media reported on Friday, but...
UN Expert Seeks Urgent Review of Saudi Terrorism Law
Saudi Arabia should urgently review its definition of terrorism under a law used to prosecute non-violent journalists...
Russia, Turkey and Iran Pen Deal On Establishing Safe Zones In Syria
Russia, Iran and Turkey have signed a deal calling for safe zones to be established inside Syria so that refugees can...
Saudi Artists Seen ‘pushing’ Boundaries
Artists in Saudi Arabia are pushing boundaries as the kingdom undergoes rapid change and tries to boost its cultural...
Russia, Turkey, Iran Ink Deal On Safe Zones In Syria
Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey on Thursday signed a memorandum on a Moscow-backed plan...
South Yemen Protesters Challenge President’s Authority
Thousands of south Yemenis demonstrated on Thursday in support of a governor sacked by the president in a blow to his...
Syria Rebels ‘suspend’ Participation In Astana Peace Talks
Syrian rebels on Wednesday said they were suspending their participation as a latest round of peace talks began in...