Japan was poised to lift its nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus on Monday, gradually reopening the world's third-biggest economy after new cases slowed to a crawl. Compared to hard-hit areas in Europe, the United States, Russia and Brazil, Japan has been spared the worst of...

China said Sunday that relations with the United States were "on the brink of a new Cold War", fueled in part by tensions over the coronavirus pandemic that has killed nearly 350,000 people worldwide and pitched the global economy into a massive downturn. Fresh tensions between Beijing...

At least five people were killed and more than 20 injured Sunday in Somalia in a blast during festivities to mark the Eid al-Fitr festival. "The initial information we have received indicates the dead bodies of five people were collected from the scene of the blast and more than twenty...

The French government does not want its citizens to travel abroad this summer and recommends they take their holidays in France, Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne said Sunday. Earlier this month, President Emmanuel Macron said it was unlikely that French people would be able to...

Brazil on Sunday confirmed 22,013 fatalities from coronavirus after 965 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. According to the Health Ministry data, the number of COVID-19 cases jumped to 347,398 with 16,508 new cases registered. Brazil, which has the largest number of...

France is to allow the resumption of religious gatherings after a two-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, but worshippers will have to wear face masks, the French interior ministry announced. The ministry said late on Friday that it would issue a decree setting out the new...

The Taliban declared a three-day Eid ceasefire in Afghanistan starting Sunday, via a tweet on Saturday from the hardline Islamist group, and the country's president said the government would reciprocate. The move came as fighting between the two sides had intensified despite the...

Bakari Diakité normally celebrates the end of Ramadan by visiting the local mosque and hosting a large family gathering. This year, with COVID-19 still spreading in Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan, he has scaled back festivities. Instead of heading to the mosque this morning,...

The coronavirus pandemic continued to drop in much of Asia Saturday even as the outbreak surged in Latin America, as the world grappled with balancing the urge to restart economies with fears about health risks. China, where the outbreak began late last year, reported no new confirmed...

When the plane jolted violently, Mohammad Zubair thought it was turbulence. Then the pilot came on the intercom to warn that the landing could be "troublesome." Moments later, the Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed into a crowded neighborhood near Karachi's international...

The last resident of her tiny mountain village in Kosovo, 92-year-old Vladica Dicic could not survive without the visits of a generous shopkeeper who has been bringing her food and easing her loneliness. But what some find especially remarkable about their friendship is that Dicic is a...

The United States called on the World Health Organization (WHO) Friday to begin work immediately on investigating the source of the novel coronavirus, as well as its handling of the response to the pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has accused the agency of being "China centric",...

A study of nearly 100,000 coronavirus patients has shown no benefit in treating them with anti-viral drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine and even increased the likelihood of them dying in hospital. Hydroxychloroquine is normally used to treat arthritis but pronouncement from public...

A Pakistani passenger plane with more than 100 people on board has crashed near the southern city of Karachi on Friday, the country's aviation authority said. Images shown on national television showed the Pakistan International Airlines flight had smashed into a residential area. "The...

China has launched its fiercest assault on Hong Kong's treasured autonomy with its move to impose a security law, pro-democracy campaigners said Friday as they vowed to take to the streets in protest. The proposal for the security law -- expected to ban treason, subversion and sedition --...

New Zealand's conservative opposition switched leaders Friday in a last-gasp bid to counter the record support Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is enjoying for containing the coronavirus. National Party lawmakers voted to ditch Simon Bridges after opinion polls predicted he was headed for a...

The global tally of coronavirus infections surpassed 5 million Thursday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University. The university's data showed worldwide deaths reached 328,172 while the number of people who recovered stands at 1,899,350. The US is the...

The International Monetary Fund Thursday approved $396 million for Jordan to fight the coronavirus pandemic, a disbursement equal to about a quarter of its projected need amid the global economic downturn. The funds are the latest from the IMF's Rapid Financing Instrument, which allows...

Global coronavirus recoveries crossed the 1.9 million mark on Thursday, according to a running tally by the US’ Johns Hopkins University. The university's data showed a total of 1,901,079 million people won the battle against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus....

The World Health Organization has reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases, as U.S. President Donald Trump proposed hosting world leaders for the annual G7 summit as a sign of "normalization." The WHO said Wednesday that more than 106,000 virus cases had been reported...