Standing on the ferry as it waits to dock on the Greek island of Ithaca, Giorgia Ongarato is only too keen to talk about the "Odyssey" -- the epic poem that inspired Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film.

The Italian lawyer said it was her dream to come to Ithaca, widely believed to be the same island as the home of Odysseus in the poem.

Syria said that it reached a deal with Russia on the fate of its two bases in the country, which Moscow once used to provide military support to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war.

Russia was a key Assad ally during the 13-year conflict, helping to keep the former leader in power, and his ouster in 2024 dealt a major blow to its influence in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian recently met with supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since assuming the post early in the Middle East war, Khamenei's office said Sunday.

The former commander in chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezaei, has been named head of the country's highest national security body, the Iranian presidency announced.

Germany will beef up its anti-drone police unit, the government said Monday, days after an explosives-laden unmanned aerial vehicle was flown into a strategically important airport.

Turkish lawmakers on Monday began debating a bill that would offer limited amnesty for Kurdish militant PKK fighters in a first legislative step to end decades of deadly violence.

A first group of Syrian Kurds were headed for the northeastern border town of Ras al-Ain on Monday following years of displacement, months after an integration deal between the Kurds and Damascus.

Oman on Monday said it was working to contain an oil spill off its southern coast after a tanker ran aground in June inside a protected marine area, triggering calls for action by environmentalists.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under renewed fire on Monday as a joint letter from three confederations -- UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC -- declared football "belongs to no individual".

Tehran on Monday said Iranians had shown "they are professional chess players" in response to remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump comparing his dealings with Iran to the board game.

Trump on Sunday signaled he was prepared to let economic pressure mount against Iran, apparently backing away from more military strikes after Tehran issued a list of demands for opening the Strait of Hormuz.