Middle East
Riyadh closes schools as desert city hit by rare flooding
Traffic backed up and schools were shut in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday after the desert city was struck by a ...Taliban announces start of spring offensive in Afghanistan
The Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive on Tuesday, pledging to launch large-scale offensives against government strongholds backed by suicide ...Dubai to build tower taller than Burj Khalifa
Dubai plans to build a tower that will stand higher than its Burj Khalifa, currently the world\'s tallest skyscraper, property developer Emaar ...Yemen clashes rage hours before scheduled cease-fire
Sporadic fighting gripped parts of Yemen on Sunday, hours before a UN-brokered ceasefire aimed at laying the groundwork for upcoming peace talks ...Worldwide executions highest since 1989: Amnesty
The number of known executions worldwide went up by more than 50 percent last year to at least 1,634, the highest figure ...Syria rebel group downs warplane, captures pilot
A Syrian rebel group allied with Al-Qaeda said it had downed a warplane over northern Syria on Tuesday, with the pilot reportedly ...IS bombings, mortar fire and clashes kill 22 in Iraq
Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group, clashes and mortar fire killed at least 22 people in Iraq on Monday, security ...Massive Panama leak shows how world leader hide their money
Close aides of Russian president Vladimir Putin are among those whose assets feature in a vast expose of tax havens published Sunday ...Syrian forces seize Islamic State-held town near Palmyra
Syrian and allied forces backed by Russian air strikes drove Islamic State militants out of the town of al-Qaryatain on Sunday after ...World leaders urge action on nuclear security, terror
World leaders declared progress in safeguarding nuclear materials sought by terrorists and wayward nations, even as President Barack Obama acknowledged the task ...




