Egypt executed Wednesday one of its most high-profile militant leaders, the military said, after his conviction for his role in planning scores of deadly attacks against the country's security forces. Hisham al-Ashmawi, a former Egyptian special forces officer turned Islamic militant, was...

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday dismissed a US offer to help the Islamic republic fight its coronavirus outbreak, charging that "vicious" American sanctions are depriving the country of medicine. Iran has scrambled to halt the rapid spread of the virus that has claimed 92 lives...

Greek authorities were firing tear gas and stun grenades Wednesday morning to repulse a push by migrants to cross its land border from Turkey, as pressure continued along its frontier after Turkey said its own border with Europe was open to whoever wanted to cross. The clashes were near the...

Iraq reported its first coronavirus death Wednesday, an elderly man in the Kurdish province of Sulaimaniya, the local health department said. Iraq has so far has recorded 31 cases of the new coronavirus, one Iranian student who has since been sent home and 30 Iraqis who had all visited Iran...

Taliban militants killed at least 20 Afghan soldiers and policemen in a string of overnight attacks, government officials told AFP Wednesday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he had a "very good" chat with their political chief. The militants have ramped up violence against Afghan...

The Lebanese government must swallow its misgivings and reach a rescue deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or risk economic implosion and further turmoil, economists, diplomats and politicians said. Privately, some government officials acknowledge that an IMF bailout is the most...

Formula One starts a new season in Australia next week with Lewis Hamilton chasing records that some once thought would last a lifetime. The 91 wins and seven titles of retired Ferrari great Michael Schumacher are firmly in the 35-year-old Mercedes driver’s sights now. How many races...

The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in China rose to 2,983 Wednesday, according to the country's National Health Commission. The commission said 38 more people died in the last 24 hours while 119 new cases were detected by authorities, with the total number of confirmed cases...

Human rights group Amnesty International on Wednesday accused the Iranian security forces of killing 23 children, mostly with live ammunition, during a November crackdown on anti-government protests. Protests broke out across Iran from November 15 after the announcement of a surprise petrol...

The Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump a few days after the two sides signed a troop withdrawal agreement in Doha, the Taliban’s spokesman said on Tuesday. “The President of the United States Trump @realDonaldTrump held a...

The forces of Libya’s internationally recognized government will shift from a defensive to an offensive stance against the militia of warlord Khalifa Haftar, said the government's interior minister on Tuesday. Speaking on Libyan TV channel 218, Fathi Bashagha said the Government of National...

United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that schools and higher educational institutions will be closed for four weeks starting Sunday to avoid the spreading of coronavirus. The statement from the education ministry, posted by the state news agency (WAM), added that the spring holidays,...

U.S. lawmakers vowed Tuesday to force the release of an intelligence report on the killing of Saudi dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi, accusing President Donald Trump of blocking it to protect the kingdom. Congress last year ordered the director of national intelligence to name who ordered...

At least 15 people have been killed in torrential rain that hit the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, triggering flash floods and destroying houses, authorities said Tuesday. Violent storms in recent days have dumped a month's worth of rain on some areas in a matter of...

At least 19 people died as tornadoes ripped through Tennessee early Tuesday, destroying buildings and toppling power lines hours before the southern US state was to vote in Super Tuesday primaries, officials said. Devastation could be seen across the rubble-strewn state capital Nashville,...

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday barred citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from entering the kingdom for 14 days after returning from outside the region due to coronavirus concerns, state news agency SPA reported. Travelers coming from any fellow GCC state - the...

The U.N. watchdog policing Iran's nuclear deal with major powers admonished Tehran Tuesday for failing to provide access to two undeclared locations or fully answer its questions about past activities there. Reuters first reported Monday that the IAEA planned to issue a second report in...

China began censoring online discussions on the new coronavirus weeks before officially acknowledging the scope of the disease, according to a report published Tuesday. Although Chinese authorities did not publicly acknowledge the severity of the virus until January 20, censorship began as...

The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it was busy with preparations for a "successful" Summer Games in Tokyo in less than five months and at a time when the coronavirus outbreak is widening. IOC president Thomas Bach, speaking at the opening of the Olympic body's two-day...

An Iranian lawmaker reportedly has told colleagues to stop their contact with public as there are 23 cases of the new coronavirus among parliament members. That’s according to lawmaker Abdolreza Mesri, who was quoted by Iranian state television’s Young Journalists Club program. The...