SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Friday approved a $650 million settlement of a privacy lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly using photo face-tagging and other biometric data without the permission of its users. U.S. District Judge James Donato approved the deal in a class-action...

U.S. health advisers endorsed a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson on Friday, putting the nation on the cusp of adding an easier-to-use option to fight the pandemic. The acting head of the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement that the agency will move...

President Joe Biden said Friday that Iran should view his decision to authorize U.S. airstrikes in Syria as a warning that it can expect consequences for its support of militia groups that threaten U.S. interests or personnel. “You can't act with impunity. Be careful,” Biden said when a...

Saudi Arabia's crown prince likely approved the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday that instantly ratcheted up pressure on the Biden administration to hold the...

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

A U.S. airstrike targeting facilities used by Iran-backed militias in Syria appears to be a message to Tehran delivered by a new American administration still figuring out its approach to the Middle East. The strike was seemingly a response to stepped-up rocket attacks by such militias...

Israel's emergency rescues service, Magen David Adom, parked a van outside Jerusalem's Old City on Friday as part of a drive to vaccinate residents of east Jerusalem, the Palestinian-dominated part of the city. People lined up outside the van to get the coveted vaccine on a busy Friday,...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Authorities say explosion strikes ship in Gulf of Oman; crew safe and heading to nearby port.

The Jordanian government this week reinstated a nationwide Friday lockdown and extended the daily night curfew by two hours as a new measures to stem the spread of coronavirus. The Friday restrictions, originally implemented in October, have been brought back just weeks after being...

Two U.S. Navy warships operating in the Mideast have been struck by coronavirus outbreaks, authorities said Friday, with both returning to port in Bahrain. A dozen troops aboard the USS San Diego, an amphibious transport dock, tested positive for COVID-19, said Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a...

Heavy fighting between rebels and government forces in Yemen's oil-rich Marib has killed at least 27 people, tribal leaders and security officials said Firday, amid a resurgence of violence in the area. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels earlier this month renewed their attack on Marib, a...

In November 2016, the month Donald Trump was elected US president, a Saudi delegation of top aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited New York, where they met members of the Trump transition team. Upon their return home, the delegation delivered a slide presentation of their...

The Azerbaijani president said on Friday that he hopes Armenia will abide by Nov. 10 cease-fire deal to prevent further escalation. Attending a virtual news conference, Ilham Aliyev said Armenia's political crisis resulted from its occupying policies. Relations between the former Soviet...

Hamas has warned Israel against meddling in Palestinian national elections, saying it may lead to their postponement.  In a statement following a meeting chaired by its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, the resistance movement condemned the occupation’s “blatant interference” in the electoral...

Iran urged all parties in Armenia to exercise restraint and avoid any violent actions on Thursday after the Armenian military called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.  Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Iran is closely monitoring the latest...

President Joe Biden on Thursday directed U.S. military air strikes in eastern Syria against facilities belonging to what the Pentagon said were Iran-backed militia, in a calibrated response to rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq. The strikes appeared to be limited in scope,...

The airstrike was the first military action undertaken by the Biden administration, which in its first weeks has emphasized its intent to put more focus on the challenges posed by China, even as Mideast threats persist. Biden’s decision to attack in Syria did not appear to signal an intention...

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi held talks Thursday with US Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking on the possibility of ending the war in Yemen.  According to the Oman News Agency, the parties discussed developments in Yemen and efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in...

A U.S. airstrike in Syria targeted facilities belonging to a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, killing one of their militiamen and wounding a number of others, an Iraqi militia official said Friday. The official told The Associated Press that the strikes against the Kataeb...

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s interior minister on Thursday said he was in Lebanon looking to repatriate more Albanians related to other nationals who had joined Islamic extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. Bledi Cuci, in Beirut in the last two days, said he met there with Maj. Gen....