July 26 (Reuters) - The Delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered, and it is upending assumptions about the disease even as nations loosen restrictions and open their economies, according to virologists...

As the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic driven by the Delta variant peaks in Iran, top health officials have criticized the current lockdown measures and people's lack of adherence to health protocols in the country. Sunday recorded the highest single-day deaths from the virus in its...

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister says his country no longer requires American combat troops to fight the Islamic State group, but a formal time frame for their redeployment will depend on the outcome of talks with U.S. officials this week. Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Iraq will still ask...

The shortages and currency crunch in Lebanon could lead to a collapse of the mains water supply in Lebanon within a month, the UN's Children Fund warned Friday. "More than four million people, including one million refugees, are at immediate risk of losing access to safe water in Lebanon,"...