Lebanon's central bank Thursday instructed banks and financial institutions to extend exceptional dollar loans at zero interest to individuals and firms impacted by the Beirut port explosion. Money transfer houses should distribute transfers from abroad to Lebanon in dollars, the...

Germany announced mandatory tests for travellers returning from high-risk regions after new coronavirus cases breached the 1,000-a-day threshold for the first time since May, fuelling fears of a return to an economically disruptive lockdown. Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Thursday free...

A plane carrying 20 tons of World Health Organization health supplies has landed in Beirut to support the treatment of patients injured by the massive explosion that rocked the city, the WHO said Thursday. “The supplies will cover 1,000 trauma interventions and 1,000 surgical interventions...

Israel on Thursday confirmed another 1,689 infections and three fatalities from the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Health Ministry, the total count of cases in the country has risen to 78,514, including 569 deaths, since the virus was first detected on Feb. 21. A total of 53,362...

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Lebanon Thursday, the first world leader in Beirut after the port blast that wreaked destruction across the capital, and called for the country's political elite to make swift and urgent reforms. The blast on Tuesday – blamed on an unsecured store...

Oil prices were mixed on Thursday as the falling U.S. dollar offset some of the concerns that fuel demand could stall because of rising global coronavirus infections. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures were down 8 cents, or 0.19%, to $42.11 a barrel by 0710 GMT while...

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the end of World War II should bolster the world’s determination not to repeat mistakes, Turkey’s president said in a message to a memorial service marking the 75th anniversary of the bombing of the Japanese city. The service took place in Tokyo's Peace...

In Beirut's beloved bar districts, hundreds of young Lebanese ditched beers for brooms on Wednesday to sweep debris in the absence of a state-sponsored cleanup operation following a deadly blast. "What state?" scoffed 42-year-old Melissa Fadlallah, a volunteer cleaning up the hard-hit Mar...

After Turkey turned Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum back to a mosque, Muslims in Athens fear their own official place of worship, delayed for over a decade, will be held back again. The project to open a state-sanctioned mosque in Athens, the only European capital that does not have one, was...

Days of heavy rain could cause flooding or landslides across North Korea, officials warned, as the South said Thursday 16 people had died in the downpours lashing the peninsula. North Korea is particularly vulnerable to sustained heavy rain as many mountains and hills have long been...

President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party is considering whether to pull Turkey out of an international accord designed to protect women, party officials said, alarming campaigners who see the pact as key to combating rising domestic violence. The officials said the AKP is set to decide by next...

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a call with Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Wednesday reiterated ‘steadfast’ commitment to assist the Lebanese people, the State Department said on Wednesday, after a massive warehouse blast killed 135 people and injured thousands. Around 5,000...

Instagram on Wednesday added a new short-form video feature to the image-focused platform in a direct challenge to TikTok, which is in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump. "Reels" lets users record videos of up to 15 seconds and provides tools for editing, audio and effects,...

The internal watchdog looking into accusations against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo abruptly quit Wednesday, just months after his predecessor was fired. The State Department's acting inspector general, Stephen Akard, is a longtime aide to Vice President Mike Pence and his installation in...

Lebanon's flag was to be projected onto Tel Aviv's city hall later Wednesday after the devastating Beirut blasts, in Israel's latest gesture towards a country with which it is technically at war. "Tonight we will illuminate the city hall with the Lebanese flag," Tel Aviv's Mayor Ron Huldai...

The US government Wednesday announced a new $1 billion investment in a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Johnson & Johnson, guaranteeing 100 million doses. J&J, via its subsidiary Janssen, had already received $456 million in March. The new money will allow the company to ramp...

The outspoken head of Russia's anti-doping agency on Wednesday slammed recommendations for his dismissal over accusations of financial wrongdoing. Yury Ganus, the director-general of the RUSADA anti-doping agency, has sharply criticised the actions of Russia's sports leadership and...

Joe Biden will not attend the Democratic convention to accept the party's nomination to be its presidential election candidate after the event was further scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Wednesday. Biden "will no longer travel to Milwaukee and will instead...

Swiss health authorities have added mainland Spain to its list of countries from which people arriving must enter a 10-day quarantine that aims to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, they said on Wednesday. Patrick Mathys, head of crisis management for the federal public health...

Lebanon’s main grain silo at Beirut port was destroyed in a blast, leaving the nation with less than a month’s reserves of the grain but enough flour to avoid a crisis, the economy minister said on Wednesday. Raoul Nehme told Reuters a day after Tuesday’s devastating explosion that Lebanon...