Japan's schools prepared to close for almost a month and entertainers, topped by K-pop superstars BTS, canceled events as a virus epidemic extended its spread through Asia into Europe and on Friday, into sub-Saharan Africa. The expectation that Japan would close all its elementary,...

Asian stock markets plunged further Friday on spreading virus fears, deepening a global rout after Wall Street endured its biggest one-day drop in nine years. The Tokyo and Shanghai benchmarks sank by an unusually wide margin of 3.7%. Seoul and Sydney dropped by more than 3% and Hong Kong...

For years, Ibrahim al-Dabba has been saving up money to make the umrah pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia, which for many Palestinians is the only way to leave the impoverished and isolated Gaza Strip. He registered with a tourism agency back in September, hoping to make...

 Tunisia has a new government at last, after four months of arguing among rival parties in the young North African democracy. After a 15-hour debate, the Tunisian parliament voted 129-77 with one abstention to approve the government of Prime Minister-designate Elyes Fakhfakh early...