Authorities in war-torn Syria have released dozens of current and former employees of President Bashar al-Assad's embattled billionaire cousin Rami Makhlouf, a war monitor said Friday. The 51-year-old businessman has been embroiled in a power struggle with the state since last year,...

Iran and Russia’s sovereign wealth fund are discussing the joint production of a vaccine against COVID-19, Russian news agencies cited the Iranian ambassador to Moscow as saying on Friday. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has said it is in talks with a number of countries about...

The World Health Organization gave China its support and understanding to start administering experimental coronavirus vaccines to people while clinical trials were still underway, a Chinese health official said Friday. China launched its emergency program in July, having communicated with...

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Friday ordered the elderly to stay at home and recommended employers allow home working after the Russian capital saw a sharp rise in virus cases. Sobyanin's message came after virus figures that had remained steady for several months climbed steeply in...