The United States and China dealt with the spread of the devastating coronavirus pandemic in vastly different ways, and that split is reshaping the global battle between the world's two leading economies. About 11 months after the Wuhan outbreak, China's official GDP numbers this week show...

Lebanon’s former premier Saad al-Hariri appeared on course to be nominated for a fourth term as prime minister on Thursday and try to form a new government to tackle the country’s deepest crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. Hariri needs to win the most support from parliamentarians who...

Following in the footsteps of Gulf countries Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Sudan too has decided to normalize its relations with Israel under US mediation, a report has claimed. Khartoum is likely to make an official announcement on the establishment of diplomatic ties on the...

Saudi Arabia's crown prince enjoyed a near free pass under his personal relationship with US President Donald Trump, but the kingdom's brazen young leader will have to tread more carefully should Democrats take the White House and reset strategic ties. Riyadh's human rights record, with the...

As Joe Biden hopscotched through Iowa and New Hampshire in late 2019, he also name-dropped his way across the globe. China's Xi Jinping. German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Vladimir Putin of Russia. "I’ve met every major world leader for the last 40 years," the former vice president and...

A new wonder is rising in the southern desert of Dubai against the backdrop of Persian Gulf beaches, but it's not another skyscraper to grace the futuristic sheikhdom. Instead, it's one of mankind's oldest power sources gaining its own space on the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula - a coal-fired...

An Israeli official predicted on Wednesday that the United States would announce another deal establishing ties between Israel and an Arab or Muslim country before the U.S. election. “I have a reasonable basis to believe that the announcement will come before Nov. 3 - that, if you’ll...

Spain became the first Western European country to pass the grim milestone of 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections on Wednesday, as more of the country’s regions announced new measures to curb the contagion. Spain’s Health Ministry reported 16,973 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday --...

 Iran tested home-made air defence systems Wednesday during military exercises, state media said, days after the expiry of an international arms embargo against the Islamic republic. The manoeuvres -- dubbed "Defenders of the Sky" -- took place in "an area covering half of the...

Turkey will not hesitate to send soldiers and provide military support for Azerbaijan if such a request is made by Baku, Vice President Fuat Okaty said Wednesday, adding there was no such request at the moment. Earlier, Armenia's prime minister said he saw no possibility of a diplomatic...

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said on Wednesday he would fulfill his duty in designating a prime minister but put the onus on the new premier to launch moves to pull the country from financial crisis. f wrangling, political sources said. But he would face major challenges to overcome...

Saudi Arabia launched Wednesday a national artificial intelligence strategy aimed at making it a global leader in the field as it seeks to diversify its oil-based economy. The National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence (NSDAI) will seek to attract $20 billion in foreign and...

“Syria: Trapped in Idlib” directed by Yaman Khatib, Fadi Al-Halabi et Suzanne Allant won 3 prize in the large format TV category of the 27th Bayeux Calvados-Normandie Prize for war reporters. The first prize: for the film's photographer: Fadi Al-Halabi, the second: for the film's set: Yaman...

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Wednesday he had asked local authorities to put mosques in the cities of Bordeaux and Beziers in southwestern France under police protection following threats or acts of violence. "Such actions are unacceptable on the soil of the Republic," the...

 Iran's health ministry Wednesday reported 5,616 new coronavirus cases for the previous 24 hours, the highest daily number since February, bringing the national tally to 545,286 in the Middle East's hardest-hit country. Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 312 people...

 Israeli prosecutors Wednesday recommended charging a police officer with reckless killing in the deadly shooting of an autistic Palestinian man in occupied Jerusalem's Old City earlier this year. The decision came nearly five months after the shooting of Eyad Hallaq. Hallaq's family,...

EU negotiator Michel Barnier said Wednesday that Europe is ready to move to break the Brexit stalemate, in comments welcomed by London that raised hopes negotiations could be saved. "I think an agreement is within our grasp, if we are, on both sides, ready to work constructively and in a...

It was a series of intercepted phone calls on a tense night in June that made Iraq’s new prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi fully realise how few friends he had. During one call, a senior Iraqi leader with strong ties to Iran instructed the security chief for Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone,...

The military track of the intra-Libyan negotiations with both main warring parties has decided to open land and air routes that connect all regions and cities in Libya, the acting UN special envoy in the war-torn country said Wednesday. Stephanie Turcos Williams addressed journalists at a...

At least 25 Afghan security force personnel were killed in an ambush blamed on the Taliban, officials said Wednesday, as spiraling violence imperils ongoing peace talks. The ambush came despite assurances by the Taliban to Washington last week that they would reduce the bloodshed....