After waking up on Friday, the day he turned 15, Palestinian Ali Ayman Nasr Abu Aliya told his mother Nihad he was hoping for a birthday surprise. Nihad said she had planned to serve maqluba, a traditional lamb and rice dish, at a party later on and had his gifts ready, including a new pair...

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named the team tasked with turning around the United States' floundering efforts to quell the Covid-19 pandemic, nominating Xavier Becerra as his secretary of health. When Biden takes office on January 20, his health team will be immediately responsible...

Russia on Monday started mass vaccination against the novel coronavirus throughout the country. The Russians are being immunized with the Sputnik V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. People of social professions, including teachers...

 France, Germany and Britain said on Monday they were alarmed by an Iranian announcement that it intended to install additional, advanced uranium-enriching centrifuges and by legislation that could expand its nuclear programme. “If Iran is serious about preserving a space for...