Iran reopened for business despite its persistent coronavirus outbreak as there was no end in sight to the crisis, its president said Wednesday, as 80 new deaths were announced. "Due to uncertainty about when this virus will end, we are preparing for work, activity and science," said...

Like the rest of the world, the month of Ramadan lacks festivity in the Palestinian territory of Gaza in the wake of quarantine and self-isolation to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. But for many residents, the lockdown is like an extension of the crippling siege...

Saudi Arabia Wednesday reported a first quarter budget deficit of 34.107 billion Saudi riyals ($9.09 billion), as oil revenue was hit hard by a combination of sliding global prices, demand and a supply glut in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. That reversed a first quarter surplus of...

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a letter to President Donald Trump he hoped the U.S. Congress would better understand the strategic importance of their relations, given solidarity and supplies shared during the coronavirus pandemic. Erdogan's letter arrived Tuesday with a delivery...

Saudi Arabia's cabinet has urged Yemen's main separatist group, which has declared self-rule in the south, to abide by an agreement to end a previous standoff with the Saudi-backed government. The declaration by the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) Sunday, which included...

The world's biggest smartphone maker, Samsung Electronics, reported a three-percent drop in first-quarter net profits on Wednesday, as the coronavirus pandemic dampened consumer demand. Net profits in the January-to-March period were 4.88 trillion won ($4 billion), down 3.1 percent from a...

The United States reported its millionth coronavirus case as hard-hit European countries took tentative steps towards lifting lockdowns, with masks mandatory in all German shops from Wednesday. Excitement over a move towards normality in many places was tempered by fear of new outbreaks and...

Two months after the US and the Taliban signed a deal Washington heralded as the way to end Afghanistan's war, violence is spiralling out of control and experts say a fragile peace process risks collapse. Dozens of Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters have been dying almost daily...

There is a “very real probability” the new coronavirus is circulating in Yemen, the United Nations said on Tuesday, warning that an aid funding shortfall would compromise efforts to combat the virus in one of the most vulnerable countries. The war-damaged nation, whose population has been...

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is considering ordering coronavirus tests for people arriving in the United States on international flights, and highlighted Brazil. "We're probably going to be doing that. Brazil has pretty much had an outbreak, as you know," he said at a White House...

Professional football, rugby and other sports in France cannot resume until the end of the summer because of coronavirus restrictions, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Tuesday. The announcement was made as the government unveiled its plans to gradually end the lockdown in France from...

The fiancee of murdered dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi wrote on Tuesday to the Premier League warning that a Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle United would "tarnish" the reputation of the competition. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US resident, was killed in 2018 while...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow did not approve of Libya’s eastern-based military leader Khalifa Haftar’s move to seize control of the country, the Interfax news agency reported. “I would not talk here about any leverage that Russia has,” Lavrov said. “We...

Iranians should be cautious but not afraid of the coronavirus, President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday as the country eases restrictions in an attempt to return to normal life. Iran is one of the Middle Eastern countries hardest hit by the outbreak of the new coronavirus. "Excessive fear,...

Books, films, concerts: free content has been spreading almost as fast as the coronavirus, making life easier for those sheltering from the pandemic, but also threatening already fragile cultural industries, the UN warned Tuesday. As countries around the world have imposed strict physical...

The decline of the Lebanese pound to record lows against the U.S. dollar points to a “negative performance” by the central bank and the governor is responsible, but not on his own, the deputy leader of Hezbollah said, according to media reports. “The position of Hezbollah on the matter of...

Negotiations between the European Union (EU) and ex-member Britain over new trade arrangements from next year are at an impasse due to disagreements and the coronavirus crisis, according to diplomats and officials in the bloc’s hub Brussels. Halted when the epidemic started, the EU’s...

Russia saw a record daily rise in new coronavirus cases and related deaths on Tuesday, its coronavirus crisis response centre said, with data suggesting the world’s biggest country by territory has overtaken China and Iran in confirmed infections. The number of new coronavirus cases in...

The World Health Organization (WHO) appealed for more flight capacity on Tuesday to step up shipments of diagnostic tests and protective equipment to areas where COVID-19 is spreading, especially Latin America. Paul Molinaro, chief of WHO operations support and logistics, said global...

Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday as optimism about the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions reassured markets, although traders remained cautious with storage capacities filling up fast and supply cuts not deep enough to counter falling demand. Brent crude LCOc1 rose ‮‮‮10‬‬‬ cents,...