The Trump administration on Sunday harshly criticized France for releasing an Iranian man wanted for prosecution by the United States in an apparent prisoner swap with Iran. The State Department said it "deeply regrets" the "unilateral" French decision to release Jalal Rohollahnejad, who...

One of Russia’s most distinguished opera and ballet companies has an innovative solution to prohibitions on public gatherings over the coronavirus: playing to an audience of one. The Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, a Urals city company famed for its cutting-edge projects, said it would be...

Saudi Arabia reported a jump in coronavirus cases on Sunday while the United Arab Emirates pumped more money into its economy as airline Emirates moved to suspend passenger flights. Saudi Health Ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali said the kingdom recorded 119 new cases of the virus,...

 Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) could be “overwhelmed” by the coronavirus like the Italian health system in just two weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Sunday in the face of rising numbers of deaths. The death toll in Italy — the world’s worst-hit country — reached...

Spain’s death toll from coronavirus soared to 1,720 on Sunday from 1,326 the day before, according to latest data from the Health Ministry. The one-day rise in deaths of 394 was higher than the previous day’s increase of 324. Spain is grappling with Europe’s second-worst coronavirus...

Russia never sought a sharp oil price fall or an end to cooperation with Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the Gulf nations are to blame for the crisis on the global oil markets, a senior Russian official said. In early March, Russia and OPEC failed to agree how...

Iran’s death toll has reached 1,685 with 129 deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry’s spokesman told state TV on Sunday, adding that the total number of infected people in Iran had reached 21,638. “There were 1,028 new confirmed infected cases in the past 24 hours ... and 7,913...

Equity markets in the Middle East extended losses Sunday despite regional governments trying to blunt the impact of coronavirus with economic stimulus measures. Abu Dhabi’s main gauge lost the most in the region, while shares in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain also fell. The losses...

The Palestinian government Sunday ordered Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank confined to their homes for two weeks as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus. The order, announced by Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh on television, goes into force at 10 p.m. (2000GMT)....

Countries can't simply lock down their societies to defeat coronavirus, the World Health Organization's top emergency expert said Sunday, adding that public health measures are needed to avoid a resurgence of the virus later on. "What we really need to focus on is finding those who are...

Pierre Gasly admitted Sunday that he was happy to shun Formula One's hastily-organised virtual world as he concentrates on getting "physically stronger" for when real racing belatedly gets underway in June. The French driver told AFP he had been ready to hit the ground running for last...

Air quality is picking up in countries that remain under coronavirus quarantine, experts say. But it is far too early to speak of long-term change. Images by the US space agency NASA are clear, in February the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) fell dramatically in Wuhan, China, the...

Iran's supreme leader refused US assistance on Sunday to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iran faces crushing US sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil...

Australia’s government will spend additional A$66.4 billion ($38.50 billion) as part of a second stimulus package to shelter the economy from the financial impact of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday, as states moved to impose major lockdowns. The new stimulus...

The Russian military will start sending medical help to Italy from Sunday in order to help it battle the new coronavirus after receiving an order from President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. Putin spoke to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday,...

The energy and industry ministry of the United Arab Emirates activated on Sunday a remote work system for all its services, as part of efforts to contain the new coronavirus outbreak, according to a post on twitter, addressed to its customers.

China on Sunday reported 46 new cases of coronavirus, the fourth straight day with an increase, with all but one of those cases imported from overseas, according to the country’s National Health Commission. While China has drastically reduced the number of reported domestically transmitted...

India launched a 14-hour long curfew on Sunday to limit the fast-spreading coronavirus epidemic in the country, where 315 people have so far been found to have contracted the disease. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an address to the nation last week urged citizens to stay indoors from 0130...

The first two cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the densely-populated Gaza Strip, Palestinian health officials said on Sunday. Two Palestinians who had traveled from Pakistan and entered Gaza through Egypt had tested positive for the virus late on Saturday and have been in...

Tennis great Serena Williams says she is "on edge" as she practices social distancing recommended by health experts in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. The 23-time Grand Slam champion posted a series of videos on TikTok describing her concerns for her 2-year-old daughter,...