The offensive codenamed Operation Claw-Sword comes after a deadly blast in central Istanbul last Sunday which killed six people and wounded 81, with Turkey blaming a banned Kurdish group. "We are starting Operation Claw-Sword from now on," Defence ...

Foreign government officials, VIPs and celebrities will be in the crowd as the first World Cup staged in the Arab world opens at the Bedouin-tent inspired Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, 50 kilometres (31 miles) outside of Doha. The venue is one of an ...

The country of 3.2 million people has only qualified for the World Cup once before, in 1958, but led by former Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale they are finally back at football's top table. Their opening match in Qatar is against the United States o...

The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday in a high-stakes event for the tiny nation which has faced a barrage of criticism and staked its reputation on delivering a smooth tournament, the first held in the Middle East and most expensive in history...

A rugged centre-back in his playing days, Page played for a clutch of clubs including Watford, Sheffield United and Cardiff but only spent one season in the Premier League. His managerial career also had a humble start, first with League One side P...

Fox received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual statuette for humanitarian work by a film industry figure at a black-tie gala crammed with Hollywood's biggest stars in Los Angeles. "You're making me shake, stop it," joked Fox a...

But in a country determined to reduce migration from neighbouring Turkey, rights groups are facing increasing hostility with some campaigners stepping away from the struggle. Kouniaki told AFP there was once up to ten people in Evros region helping...

France's hopes of successfully defending the World Cup were dealt a huge blow late on Saturday as Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema was ruled out of the tournament in Qatar with an injured left thigh.

Drum-beating Indians who have already made their mark on the tournament left Brazilians in a minority outside the luxury Doha hotel that will be the Selecao's base for the tournament. "Why do neutral fans support Brazil? Because they are the best i...

The museum tells the story of one of the world's great cities through more than six million artefacts -- the largest urban history collection in the world. But it has long been hampered by its location, tucked away among the glass towers of London'...

Gareth Southgate's players will be relieved to finally focus on football after spending much of the build-up to the tournament mired in the ceaseless controversies surrounding host nation Qatar. Finding themselves thrown into the role of spokesmen ...

Yusra, 24, believes "The Swimmers", chronicling the perilous journey across Europe she and her elder sister Sarah undertook in 2015, has "an amazing message" that will give viewers "joy, hope, tears, sadness". The dramatisation, currently showing i...

An often fraught UN climate summit wrapped up on Sunday with sweeping agreement on how to tackle global warming and a "historic" deal to create a special fund to cover the damages suffered by vulnerable nations.

Veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said his coalition had enough seats to form the country's next government, which would allow him to become prime minister. Former premier Muhyiddin Yassin -- who heads the rival Perikatan Nasional (National A...