JERUSALEM (AP) — A Lutheran church ceremony in Jerusalem on Sunday ordained the first Palestinian female pastor in the Holy Land. Sally Azar will head the English-speaking congregation at the Church of the Redeemer, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land said. Her...

 Syria and key ally Iran agreed Saturday to renew an economic strategic arrangement between the two countries as Damascus prepares to welcome Iran’s president in the near future. Since Syria's uprising turned into civil conflict in 2011, Tehran has sent thousands of Iran-backed...

Syria’s economy has hit its lowest point since the start of its civil war nearly 12 years ago, with spiraling inflation, a currency plunge and severe fuel shortages in both government-run and rebel-held areas. Life in Damascus has come to a near standstill. Streets are almost empty of...

Syria weakened its official exchange rate to 4,522 Syrian pounds to the dollar, a central bank statement said on Monday, while black market rates used for most economic activity sat around 6,500.  The official rate was previously set at 3,015.  An economic crisis in the...