Jordan issued 62,000 work permits to Syrian refugees in 2021, the highest annual number since it started to hand out the permits five years ago, the UNHCR said. Jordan has issued a record 62,000 work permits for Syrian refugees in 2021, according to figures published by the United Nations...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Thursday fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its sixth round of weapons launches this month, South Korea’s military said. Experts say North Korea’s unusually fast pace in testing activity underscores an intent to pressure the Biden...

Russia warned Wednesday it would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the U.S. and its allies reject its security demands over NATO and Ukraine, raising pressure on the West amid concerns that Moscow is planning to invade its neighbor. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied it has any such...

One million doses of coronavirus vaccine arrived in Gaza from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, the latest donation facilitated by an exiled rival of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Mohammed Dahlan, a Gaza native now based in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, was once a top Palestinian...

Iraq’s prime minister made a rare visit to the country’s border with Syria on Wednesday, to support troops and state that Iraqi forces were capable of resisting the Islamic State group. The visit came after militants staged a number of deadly attacks that stoked fears IS may be staging a...

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon signed deals on Wednesday to purchase electricity from Jordan via Syria to help the small Mediterranean country deal with its crippling energy crisis. The deals are expected to bring Lebanon up to 250 megawatts of electricity a day within two months, enough for about...

A Syrian neighbourhood targeted by regime bombing lies in ruins, with bodies and broken toys poking out of the rubble; tall, grey buildings are reduced to crumbling, empty shells, their walls blown away or pockmarked by the blast. The scene, captured in devastating detail, has been created...

Europe's busiest airport in Istanbul was "gradually" resuming normal operations after a blizzard shut it down for a day, the head of Turkish Airlines said on Wednesday. Istanbul Airport closed on Monday for the first time since it took over from the old Ataturk Airport as the global hub of...

Privacy measures that are meant to preserve the anonymity of smartphone users are no longer suitable for the digital age, a study suggested on Tuesday. Vast quantities of data are scooped up from smartphone apps by firms looking to develop products, conduct research or target consumers with...

Air strikes last week on a detention centre in Yemen killed around 90 people and wounded more than 200, the Houthi administration's Health Minister said on Tuesday, providing an updated toll after rescue efforts concluded, Reuters reports. The United Nations said, on Saturday, that at least...

 War kept him away from his beloved homeland for decades. Now, virtuoso oud player Naseer Shamma hopes to help rebuild conflict-scarred Iraq through a series of concerts and other projects to support culture and education. The audience at the Iraqi National Theater were on their feet,...

Thousands of Syrians have been displaced as a result of ongoing fighting between Islamic State fighters and U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters, following a raid on a prison in Hassakeh where militants were being held. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said about 45,000 people have reportedly...

CAIRO (AP) — Twice in the past week, Yemen’s rebels have launched attacks with missiles and drones on the United Arab Emirates, a major escalation for one of the world’s most protracted conflicts. The attacks underscore how the war that has ground on for over seven years in the corner of the...

 Heavy snow and freezing rain have seriously affected about 250,000 displaced Syrians living in camps in the last major opposition stronghold in northwestern Syria, with tents collapsing and children having to walk in the snow in sandals, a senior U.N. humanitarian official said Monday....

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's leaders sought to reassure the nation that a feared invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and prepared to accept a shipment of American military equipment Tuesday to shore up their defenses. Russia has...

Pfizer has begun a study comparing its original COVID-19 vaccine with doses specially tweaked to match the hugely contagious omicron variant. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday. COVID-19 vaccine makers have been updating their shots to better match omicron in...

ISTANBUL (AP) — Rescue crews in Istanbul and Athens scrambled on Tuesday to clear roads that came to a standstill after a massive cold front and snowstorms hit much of Turkey and Greece, leaving countless people and vehicles in both cities stranded overnight in freezing conditions. Highways...

Celebrations this twelvemonth marking Queen Elizabeth's seven-decade reign volition disguise a little blessed world for the world's pre-eminent royal family: the British monarchy is being questioned successful ways that were unthinkable for astir of the past 70 years. From the U.S....

Internet services were largely restored in Yemen on Tuesday, residents said, after a four-day outage following air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition on the Red Sea city of Hodeidah, which damaged telecoms infrastructure. The Iran-aligned Houthi group's deputy foreign minister, Hussein...

Kurdish-led forces said they raided part of a prison seized by Islamic State fighters in northeastern Syria and forced at least 300 of the militants to surrender on Monday. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, said militants were still holed up in other...