Syria is seeking funds from China out of desperation so as to reverse the continuous and sharp decline in its economy since 2011, the year civil war intensified. Syria has joined China's 'Belt and Road Initiative' (BRI) in desperation to revive its economy but it may lead the war-torn...

Thousands of cars and motorbikes paraded in celebration of the 43rd anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution on Friday, although fewer pedestrians were out for a second straight year due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. In the capital Tehran, processions started out from...

Syrian opposition figures launched a new bid to revive their decade-old campaign against President Bashar al-Assad at talks in Qatar, where a senior leader said they had to “correct” past mistakes. The political groups, now mainly based abroad, have seen their influence wane in recent...

At Hammam Bakri in Damascus' Old City, Syrian men wrapped in towels from the waist down lie down on a scalding marble floor. Masseurs vigorously scrub their skin with a soap-soaked loofah and wash them down with hot water. Around a hexagonal fountain outside — traditionally found in old...