Human rights campaigners on Monday cautiously welcomed Saudi moves to abolish court-ordered floggings and end the death penalty for crimes committed by minors, but pointed out "loopholes" in the reforms. The changes underscore a push by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to...

The American naval coalition in the Gulf creates insecurity, the Iranian military said in a statement on Monday, according to the official IRNA news agency. “The false coalition from outside the region led by America disrupts regional order and security rather than help preserve stability...

The United Arab Emirates stands against a decision by a main Yemeni southern separatist group to declare self-rule in areas it controls, and urges full implementation of a peace deal agreed last year for the south, minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said on Monday The UAE...

 Turkish authorities have detained 402 people over "baseless and provocative" social media posts about the coronavirus pandemic, the interior ministry said Monday. The official said some of the posts in question included claims that a lockdown would last longer than all-day weekend...

When doctors first confirmed Yemeni port official Saleh had contracted COVID-19, authorities raced to trace his movements to try and protect one of the world's most vulnerable countries. But almost three weeks on, they still do not know whether Yemen's first laboratory-confirmed case is...

Restaurants in Gaza were to be allowed to reopen from Monday, the economy ministry in the Hamas-run enclave announced, following pleas from restaurant owners to ease economic suffering. "It was decided to allow restaurants and cafes in the (Gaza) Strip to reopen their doors to customers...

The head of the US Space Command said the Pentagon believes that Iran's first successful launch of a military satellite into space does not pose any intelligence threat. The Nour satellite placed into orbit on April 22 is classified by the US military as a small 3U Cubesat, three adjoined...

Violence surged in Afghanistan in the weeks after the United States and the Taliban signed a deal supposed to pave the way for a peace process, a UN agency said Monday. Afghans had enjoyed a period of relative calm ahead of the February 29 accord, but the conflict resumed almost as soon as...

Joe Biden won the endorsement for US president Monday of Nancy Pelosi, who hailed him as a "voice of reason" capable of leading America out of the coronavirus crisis. Pelosi was the last leading Democrat to endorse formally Biden's run for the White House against Republican Donald Trump in...

Spain Monday counted another 331 new virus deaths, with the daily toll rising by several dozen from its lowest level in more than a month. The figure lifted the total to 23,521 in Spain, which has suffered the world's third-highest number of deaths but which on Sunday began easing lockdown...

Usually Tehran's tens of thousands of taxi drivers have to battle maddening traffic but now the coronavirus is driving them around the bend. Since it first emerged in Iran in mid-February, the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease has claimed 5,800 lives and infected more than 91,000,...

The U.N. rights chief warned Monday that countries flouting the rule of law in the name of fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic risk sparking a "human rights disaster". United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on countries to refrain from violating...

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, back at work after recovering from COVID-19, said Monday it was still too dangerous to relax a stringent lockdown hammering the economy as that may cause a deadly second outbreak. Speaking outside his Downing Street residence a month and a day since...

The U.S. dollar fell across the board Monday as traders turned more positive and less averse to risk amid an easing in coronavirus lockdown restrictions in several countries. The U.S. dollar was weaker against the Japanese yen and the euro as investors turned slightly more positive on Italy...

Formula One boss Chase Carey on Monday targeted the coronavirus-hit season eventually starting in Austria on July 5 after the French Grand Prix was cancelled and fans barred from the British race at Silverstone. The French Grand Prix, which was to have been held on June 28, was the tenth...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, missing commemorations for a key political anniversary, and reports he underwent a cardiovascular procedure have spiralled into speculation he could be incapacitated or even dead. Both Seoul and Washington...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been praised at home and abroad for her reaction to the coronavirus crisis, but as voices of discontent grow louder, support for the government's strategy could be on the wane. Though Germany began to lift lockdown measures last week, Merkel has urged...

 Iraq is planning painful cuts in social benefits relied on by millions of government workers. Saudi Arabia will likely have to delay mega-projects. Egypt and Lebanon face a blow as their workers in the Gulf send back less of the much-needed dollars that help keep their fragile economies...

A Saudi-led coalition mired in a years long war in Yemen Monday urged Emirati-backed separatists to honor terms of a Riyadh peace deal and return control of Aden to the country's internationally recognized government. The statement by Saudi Arabia comes after the separatists’ Southern...

Demonstrators blocked roads through Lebanon late Sunday to protest the deteriorating economic situation, despite a lockdown and curfew imposed because of the coronavirus, according to the official news agency. Police quickly intervened to reopen the highways where the demonstrators burned...