Syrian air defenses were activated in the capital Damascus and its southern suburbs Sunday night to repel an Israeli missile attack, state media reported. There was no word on casualties. State TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that most of the Israeli missiles were shot...

MTN Group remains committed to negotiating a $65 million sale of its 75% stake in its Syrian unit, the South African mobile operator said on Sunday, despite the business being placed under judicial guardianship last week. MTN Syria was placed under guardianship by a court in Damascus...

The failure of the last round of United Nations-led talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition in Geneva last month has left diplomats and analysts pondering how to redirect diplomatic efforts in the face of Damascus’s staunch refusal to engage in any negotiated process. The...

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has surpassed 60,000 known coronavirus-related deaths, the latest grim milestone for the hardest-hit country in the Middle East. The Health Ministry reported 93 new deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday and more than 8,000 new infections, pushing the total infection count...

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Security forces in Myanmar made mass arrests and appeared to use lethal force on Sunday as they intensified their efforts to break up protests a month after the military staged a coup. At least four people were reportedly killed. There were reports of gunfire as police...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli-owned cargo ship that suffered a mysterious explosion in the Gulf of Oman came to Dubai's port for repairs Sunday, days after the blast that revived security concerns in Mideast waterways amid heightened tensions with Iran. Associated Press...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Infectious disease experts are expressing concern about Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq, given a sharp rise in coronavirus infections there, a fragile health care system and the unavoidable likelihood that Iraqis will crowd to see him. No one wants to tell Francis to...

 It’s nearly dawn and Zainab Amjad has been up all night working on an oil rig in southern Iraq. She lowers a sensor into the black depths of a well until sonar waves detect the presence of the crude that fuels her country's economy. Elsewhere in the oil-rich province of Basra,...

A Russian Mi-35 helicopter made an emergency landing due to technical problems during a flight over Syria’s northern Hasaka province, state agencies quoted Russia’s Defense Ministry as saying on Sunday. “The crew was quickly evacuated to the airfield. There is no threat to lives of the...

NEW YORK (AP) — With the nation's financial system on the brink of collapse, all but three Republicans voted against the massive stimulus package designed to protect millions of Americans from financial ruin. It was early 2009, just weeks after Joe Biden was sworn in as vice president, and...

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Militant attacks are on the rise in Pakistan amid a growing religiosity that has brought greater intolerance, prompting one expert to voice concern the country could be overwhelmed by religious extremism. Pakistani authorities are embracing strengthening religious belief...

A gas pipeline was attacked in eastern Syria Saturday causing fire but no casualties, state media reported. SANA said the attack occurred in the area known as Abu Khashab in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq. No one claimed responsibility for the attack but...

Bangladesh is under "no obligation" to shelter 81 Rohingya Muslim refugees adrift for almost two weeks on the Andaman Sea and being assisted by neighbouring India, said Bangladesh foreign minister A.K. Abdul Momen. India's coast guard found the survivors and eight dead crammed on a fishing...

An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday, an unexplained blast renewing concerns about ship security in the region amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime...

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday it had intercepted an explosive-laden drone fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia. "Coalition forces managed to intercept and destroy an unmanned explosive-laden drone launched by the Houthi militia towards Khamis Mushait city” in...

Saudi Arabian activists in exile welcomed an unclassified CIA report Friday that blamed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. The opposition National Assembly Party (NAAS) spokesperson Madawi al-Rasheed said at an...

Iran on Friday condemned the US military strike in eastern Syria bordering Iraq, terming it "illegal aggression".  Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, in a statement, said the attack constituted a "violation of human rights and international law". The strike, ordered by...

"Twenty-five people died including six prisoners and Divisional Inspector Paul Hector Joseph who was in charge of the prison," Secretary of Communication Frantz Exantus said of the Thursday mass escape from the jail in the suburbs of capital Port-au-Prince. "Among those killed were some...

The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups. President Joe Biden said Friday that Iran should view his decision to authorise US airstrikes in Syria as a warning that it can expect...

BERLIN (AP) — Pollina Dinner returned to school in Berlin for the first time this week after two months of lockdown. The 9-year-old third-grader was thrilled to see her classmates and teachers again but frets about the coronavirus pandemic's effect on her life. “I'm not afraid of the...