WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he opposes repeal of the 2002 and 1991 authorizations of force against Iraq, arguing that that authority “bears directly on the threats we face today in Iraq and Syria from Iran-backed terrorists.” McConnell, who is home...

BEIRUT (AP) — A leading international rights group on Tuesday decried what it said were double standards by Western countries that have rallied behind a “robust response” to Russia's invasion of Ukraine but remain “lukewarm" on issues of human rights violations in the Middle East. According...

MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday, with two boats launching a simulated missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. The ministry said the target was successfully hit by two Moskit...

China and the US have been urged to back a UN resolution seeking a ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on climate change. Jotham Napat, foreign minister of Vanuatu, said: “We are hoping that China and the US will probably raise their hand to call for full (consensus).”...

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders Friday played down the risk of a banking crisis developing from recent global financial turbulence and hitting the economy even harder than the energy crunch tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine. After a meeting in Brussels, the EU government heads said...

The World Bank has hiked its estimate for the cost of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction from Russia’s war to minimum $411 billion in the next decade. The assessment was carried out jointly by the World Bank Group, Ukrainian government, European Commission, and UN, according to an Al...

Hundreds of millions of Muslims began the first daily fast of Ramadan on Thursday, as parts of the Middle East approached crucial junctures in high-stakes peace negotiations during the holy month, traditionally a time of reconciliation In Sudan, parties are wrangling over how the country...

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Complexes of McMansions, fast food restaurants, real estate offices and half-constructed high-rises line wide highways in Irbil, the seat of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Many members of the political and business elite live in a suburban gated...

Protesters closed down major roads in parts of Lebanon on Tuesday after the Lebanese pound briefly hit a new low amid a historic economic crisis that seemingly has no end in sight. The Lebanese pound lost more than 15% of its value on Tuesday alone, tanking to more than 140,000 pounds to the...

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon will construct a $122 million terminal at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport to be operated by a leading Irish airport company when it's completed in four years, officials said Monday. Lebanon’s only international airport had a major facelift after the...

The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and 8 officials, including judges, lawmakers and clerics accused of links to the security crackdown on protesters. The protests began after the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following...

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets fell Monday after Swiss authorities arranged the takeover of troubled Credit Suisse amid fears of a global banking crisis ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting to decide on more possible interest rate hikes. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong declined. Oil prices...

Britain’s government said Sunday that it could start deporting asylum-seekers to Rwanda in the next few months — but only if U.K. courts rule that the controversial policy is legal. The Home Office said it was aiming to start flights “before the summer,” as Home Secretary Suella Braverman...

The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court has issued a warrant against a...

Along the Tigris River, young Iraqi men and women in jeans and sneakers danced with joyous abandon on a recent evening to a local rapper as the sun set behind them. It’s a world away from the terror that followed the U.S. invasion 20 years ago. Iraq’s capital is full of life, its residents...

BEIRUT (AP) — On a recent school day, the Rene Mouawad High School in Beirut was empty, its classrooms dark, just like all of Lebanon’s public schools have been for most of the past three months. Its striking teachers were protesting in front of the Education Ministry, not far away. About a...

DOHUK, Iraq (AP) — A mysterious helicopter crash in northern Iraq has killed several people, allegedly including militants belonging to an outlawed Kurdish insurgency group, according to a statement from the Iraqi Kurdish-run counterterrorism agency on Thursday. The AS350 Eurocopter crashed...

A senior Iranian official visited the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, just days after Tehran agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia in a Chinese-brokered deal that raised hopes of a broader rapprochement across Middle East. Ali Shamkhani, the head of Iran's Supreme...

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank carried through with a large interest rate increase Thursday, brushing aside predictions it might dial back as U.S. bank collapses and troubles at Credit Suisse feed fears about the impact of higher rates on the global banking system. The...

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Floods caused by torrential rains hit two Turkish provinces that were devastated by last month’s catastrophic earthquake, killing at least 14 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials said Wednesday. Interior Minister Suleyman...