The International Monetary Fund has approved a $643 million emergency loan for Ecuador, as the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices hit the South American nation. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Economy and Finance said Friday the five-year loan came with "favorable conditions" at 1.05...

When Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict on Bashar al-Assad's side in September 2015, its involvement was seen as crucial for the survival of Syria's dictatorial president, whose army had been severely weakened by desertions and had suffered a string of defeats by rebel forces. Since...

An apparent spat in the once tight-knit family of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad deepened overnight Thursday when his tycoon cousin Rami Makhlouf made a rare direct appeal for help on Facebook over an order to seize his assets and impose fines. Mr Makhlouf, Mr Assad’s maternal cousin...

Syria and Yemen face potential devastation if a large-scale outbreak of the novel coronavirus hits the war-torn regions, according to humanitarian aid organizations. "The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to be a global socio-economic earthquake. It will be felt acutely in the region's conflict...