Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for a high turnout in a February parliamentary election, the YJC news site, which is affiliated with Iran’s state TV, reported on Wednesday. “Any person who has an affinity for Iran and its security must take part in the election,”...

Oil prices jumped by more than 3% on Wednesday on reports that scientists have developed an effective drug against the fast-spreading coronavirus that has weighed heavily on global economic activity. News that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its producer allies are...

Forces loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Haftar killed at least three civilians, including two children, the UN-recognized government in Libya said Wednesday. Haftar’s militia targeted residential areas in southern Tripoli, according to forces loyal to Libya’s Government of National...

Four months after Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine, the Senate is poised Wednesday to acquit him on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump, a Republican and only the...

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas positions in Gaza early Wednesday, the military said, after Palestinians in the enclave launched projectiles and explosive balloons at the Jewish state. The "fighter jets targeted Hamas terror targets in the southern Gaza Strip" including "a weapons...

Deaths from a new virus rose to 490 in mainland China on Wednesday while new cases on a Japanese cruise ship, in Hong Kong and in other places showed the increasing spread of the outbreak and renewed attention toward containing it. Ten people from the cruise ship tested positive and were...

The chief executive officer of the Tokyo Olympics admitted Wednesday that organizers are "extremely worried" about the possible effect of the deadly new coronavirus on this summer's Games. Toshiro Muto said he hoped the outbreak in China would be quickly contained to restore confidence in...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday renewed his vow to negotiate a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying he had no desire to kill "hundreds of thousands" in unending fighting. In one of his few foreign-policy points in a highly partisan State of the Union address to Congress, Trump...

US President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to "smash" the rule of Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro as he welcomed his rival to his annual address before Congress. In an extraordinarily direct sign of support, Trump invited Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido -- considered...

The European Union on Tuesday rejected the U.S.’ so-called Middle East peace plan, saying the initiative “departs from internationally agreed parameters” for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “To build a just and lasting peace, the unresolved final status issues...

 Iran said Tuesday that its top court confirmed a death sentence for an Iranian man convicted of spying for the CIA, with state media alleging that he had shared details of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program with the American spy agency. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili...

Lebanon's cash-strapped authorities are struggling to decide what to do about a $1.2 billion Eurobond maturing in March but are leaning towards repayment for foreign holders and a swap for local investors, political and banking sources said on Tuesday. Lebanon, which has never defaulted on...

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East slipped quietly into Iraq Tuesday, as the Trump administration works to salvage relations with Iraqi leaders and shut down the government's push for an American troop withdrawal. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie became the most senior U.S. military...

Suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a village in northern Cameroon early Tuesday, torching homes and killing two civilians just days before legislative and municipal elections, security sources said. "Boko Haram made an incursion a little before 2:00am in Mozogo village," in the...

Afghanistan’s Taliban on Tuesday accused the United States of hampering peace negotiations in response to the top American diplomat’s comments that a reduction in violence was needed before a deal to end years of war could be struck. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said during...

 Hong Kong reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday, the second outside mainland China from a fast-spreading outbreak that has killed 427 people and threatened the global economy. China’s markets steadied after losing $400 billion in stock values the previous day, and global...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Venezuela on Friday in a show of support for President Nicolas Maduro, a socialist who Washington wants out of power. Russia has helped Maduro weather a political crisis as the United States has targeted Caracas with sanctions and, like...

An Israeli prison has launched a sometimes-violent crackdown on Palestinian prisoners at Ofar prison, west of Ramallah, said a Palestinian prisoners’ group on Tuesday. Though the number of injured prisoners is not clear, four detainees were referred for investigations and 38 detainees were...

Iran will be committed to its pledges if the members of the nuclear agreement fulfill their obligations, the country's president on Tuesday stressed during a meeting in the capital Tehran with the EU foreign policy chief. Hassan Rouhani said in his meeting meeting with Josep Borrell that...

Red Bull's Max Verstappen says he can beat Lewis Hamilton to the Formula One title if his car is good enough, insisting Britain's six-time world champion is "not God". The 22-year-old Dutchman could prove Hamilton's closest challenger this year, following Red Bull's strong finish to the end...