A new ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey took hold Friday in northwestern Syria, but after years of failed truces residents like Fadi say they are not holding their breath. The deal intends to stop a deadly Moscow-backed regime offensive since December against the country's last major...

Lebanon looks set to announce Saturday it cannot make upcoming dollar bond payments and wants to restructure $31 billion of foreign currency debt, sources said, unless a last-minute deal with creditors is found to avoid a disorderly default. Debt default would mark a new phase in a...

The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, infected more than 97,000 people across the world, according to a data collecting website "worldometer". The death toll has risen to 3,390 worldwide, including 3,042 in China, where the virus outbreak first emerged from the city of Wuhan...

An eerie emptiness enveloped the sacred Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, where attendance at Friday prayers was hit by measures to protect against the deadly new coronavirus. An imam said during his sermon he hoped for an end to the epidemic and backed a decision by...