Active coronavirus cases in Turkey fell to 30,000 in the past 24 hours, said the health minister on Monday. The number of patients who recovered from COVID-19 in Turkey reached almost 128,947 as 974 more were discharged from hospitals over the past day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said...

Iraqi paramedic Sarmad Ibrahim cut his teeth treating fellow Shi'ite Muslim militiamen in the war against Daesh. Now, he buries COVID-19 victims - an exhausting task where he must also get to grips with both Muslim and Christian burial rites. "So far, we're coping," Ibrahim said as fellow...

The worst of the coronavirus pandemic has passed but declaring victory against the disease would be premature, Lebanon's health minister said Monday, as the country gradually opened up. "I think the worst-case scenario has passed and is behind us, but at the same time we need to stay alert...

Turkey reopened restaurants, cafes and Istanbul's iconic 15th century Grand Bazaar market on Monday as the government further eased coronavirus restrictions. Many other facilities including parks, beaches, libraries and museums also reopened across the country, while millions of public...

Iran on Monday announced almost 3,000 new coronavirus infections, its highest daily count in two months, as it warned of another "dangerous peak" in the Middle East's deadliest outbreak. "People seem to think the coronavirus is over... some officials also believe everything" is back to...

A senior United Arab Emirates official said Monday that any unilateral move by Israel to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would be a serious setback for the Middle East peace process. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said cabinet discussions would begin on July 1 on his...

Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday that Sirous Asgari, a scientist jailed in the United States, is set to return to the Islamic republic within days. ”Dr. Sirous Asgari’s case has been closed in America and he will probably return to the country in the next two or three days,” ministry...

The Palestinian economy could shrink by as much as 11 percent in the coming year as the coronavirus pandemic inflicts yet another blow to the Palestinian Authority's already shaky finances, the World Bank said Monday. The economic deterioration comes as tensions with Israel soar ahead of...

The number of Turkey's COVID-19 cases remains at the "anticipated level," while the number of patients who need respiratory support continues to drop, according to Turkey's top health authority on Sunday. The number of patients who recovered from the disease reached almost 128,000 as 989...

Iraq has only 190,000 tons of rice available in its coffers for its food rationing program, the trade ministry said in a statement late Saturday. The country needs around 1-1.25 million tons of rice a year to support the program. In March, the trade ministry pleaded for money from the...

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said any negotiations with the United States would be "futile" as he delivered his first major speech to the conservative-dominated chamber Sunday. Ghalibaf, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards' air force, was elected speaker...

Iran's interior minister has suggested that up to 225 people were killed in November protests sparked by a petrol price hike, ISNA news agency reported on Sunday. Officials in Iran have yet to issue an overall death toll for the unrest, while London-based human rights group Amnesty...

Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque reopened to worshippers on Sunday after a two-and-a-half month coronavirus closure, but Muslim authorities imposed some precautions as health officials warn of an uptick in local infections. The resumption of prayers at Islam's third-holiest site caps a sombre...

Turkish authorities on Saturday sent official orders on recent decisions to ease restrictions related to the novel coronavirus as the country made advances in its fight against the pandemic. The Interior Ministry ordered local officials to allow restaurants, cafes, patisseries, coffee...

Iran's Guardian Council denied Saturday that the killing of a teenage girl by her father was the result of "negligence" due to a delay in its approval of a new child protection law. Last week's apparent "honour" killing of Romina Ashrafi, 14, sparked outrage across Iran, with media...

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani announced Saturday that collective prayers will resume in mosques, even as confirmed new coronavirus infections rise again after a decline. "It has been decided to open the mosques across the country... giving worshippers the chance to perform their daily...

Coronavirus infection rates have risen in Israel, particularly in schools, since the government began easing restrictions and it may reimpose them if the trend continues, the health ministry said Friday. The number of positive tests rose to 101 on Friday from four last Saturday and Prime...

The Islamic State group in an audio message blasted Iraq’s new prime minister, calling him an “American agent,” and criticized the closure of Islam’s holiest shrine in the Saudi holy city of Mecca to limit the spread of coronavirus. In the message allegedly read by the group’s chief...

The Israeli military said soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian after he attempted to run over them with his vehicle Friday. No Israelis were wounded in the attack, which took place north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Tensions have soared in recent weeks as Israel has vowed to...

 Lebanon has scant chance of securing badly needed aid from the International Monetary Fund as the government fails to enact reforms demanded by donors to address its financial crisis, opposition politician Samir Geagea said Friday. "Unfortunately, (matters) are going from bad to...