In one of the most significant shake-ups in years, the Taliban put the son of the movement's feared founder in charge of its military wing and added powerful figures to its negotiating team ahead of expected talks aimed at ending Afghanistan’s decades of war, Taliban officials say. As...

The United States' COVID-19 epidemic is once more blowing up at an exponential rate, even as leaders of some of the worst-hit states resist mandatory mask measures to stem the spread. Health authorities reported 78,000 new cases on Thursday, according to the database run by Johns Hopkins...

Oil prices were broadly stable on Friday in early U.S. trading, as expectations of stimulus programmes balanced concerns about the recovery in fuel demand as coronavirus cases surged, while major crude producers prepared to lift output. Brent crude futures fell 15 cents to $43.22 a barrel...

Iran reported 183 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus on Friday, raising the nationwide death toll to 13,791. A further 2,379 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall count to 269,440, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. She...