Syria and the United Nations signed an agreement on Thursday on terms for hundreds of observers to monitor a ceasefire, but fierce diplomatic wrangling lies ahead to persuade the West the mission can

Several attackers tried to enter the Afghan parliament in Kabul but were engaged by security forces and driven back, an official said.

They had taken cover in a building near the parliament and fight

A ceasefire in Syria came into effect at 6:00 am (0300 GMT) in line with an ultimatum set by UN/Arab League envoy Kofi Annan aimed at ending violence that has killed thousands over 13 months.

The Syr

Key dates in the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, where monitors say violence has killed more than 10,000 people and more than 100,000 have been detained over the past yea

The head of the opposition Syrian National Council on Thursday urged people to demonstrate against the President Bashar al-Assad's regime, in a test of a ceasefire that entered in to force at dawn.

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In the backdrop of clashes in the old areas of the city, Andhra Pradesh Government on Monday said it would act tough against perpetrators of communal violence and warned such elements of 'serious cons

The international mediator for Syria, Kofi Annan, said on Sunday he was shocked by the "unacceptable" surge in bloodshed there despite a UN deadline for a halt to all violence next week.

"I am shocke

Hundreds of people demonstrated in Bahrain on Friday for the release of a jailed activist who has been on hunger strike for almost two months.

Two demonstrations – in Jidhafs district of Manama and i

At least 70 people were killed in intense fighting in Syria over the past 24 hours, activists said on Wednesday, despite the imminent arrival of a UN team to discuss a possible mission to monitor a ce

Syria has accepted a proposal crafted by Kofi Annan that aims to end bloodshed in the strife-hit country, but the United Nations-Arab League envoy has cautioned implementation is key to peace.

Monito