The World Health Organization and partners said Friday that the Covax facility, created to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines worldwide, expected to begin delivering jabs early next year. Announcing the agency had secured nearly two billion doses of vaccine candidates, the WHO...

The Saudi-Led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Friday it destroyed a marine mine laid by Iran-aligned Houthis in the southern Red Sea, and that the mine is Iranian-made, Saudi state TV reported.

The UN mission in Libya announced the formation of a legal committee consisting of members of the Libyan Forum for Political Dialogue, which will work on the necessary arrangements for the elections in the country. The elections in Libya are scheduled for Dec. 24, 2021. The first...

As Israel prepares to give COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens, Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza are scrambling to secure their own doses, which health authorities say are still months away. Palestinian leaders have cast a wide net in their search, contacting...

US President Donald Trump startled Moroccans when he revealed brokering a normalisation deal with Rabat, as public attention was focused entirely on developments in the Sahara. However, the royal office statement made it clear that Morocco is engaging in a new phase in its regional positions....

Voicing disappointment in the Supreme Court, US President Donald Trump said the nine justices should have heard his legal challenges to the Nov. 3 victory of President-elect Joe Biden.  "I am very disappointed in the United States Supreme Court, and so is our great country!" Trump...

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was named men's player of the year Thursday at FIFA's 'The Best' awards ceremony in Zurich. The 32-year-old Lewandowski, top scorer in Europe and winner of the Champions League with Bayern, came out ahead of the other two nominees, Lionel Messi and...

To dodge skyrocketing prices for animal fodder in Syria's last major rebel bastion, farmer Ayman Ibrahim has turned to an aquatic fern used as a fertiliser in Asian rice paddies. Azolla, which looks more like a pond weed than a fern, is regarded as an invasive plant in much of the world but...

Turkey has evacuated seven military observation posts in northwest Syria, pulling back troops from territory controlled by the Syrian government to areas held by insurgents and Turkey-backed rebels, a Turkish source said on Friday. Turkey had set up a dozen military posts in the region in...

Two roadside bombs exploded in restive northern Sinai Peninsula killing three members of Egypt's security forces and wounding 10 others, officials said Friday. The bombs went off near separate checkpoints in the town of Sheikh Zuweid late Thursday, said two security officials and a medical...

Algeria has announced tighter state controls over online media, sparking alarm in the North African country whose pro-democracy movement is under heightened pressure from the government. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's government, already accused of stifling free speech, this month...

South Korea reported 1,062 new coronavirus cases on Friday, its second-highest ever daily tally, as the government warned businesses it was unacceptable for them to try to dodge shut-down orders by tricking the system. The rash of new cases has shaken a country that has for months been held...

A new national lockdown in England cannot be ruled out after Christmas, British schools minister Nick Gibb said on Friday, although he emphasised the regional “tiered” system of COVID restrictions was effective. Northern Ireland and Wales have both outlined plans to head back into lockdown...

During a visit to Paris last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made clear that Washington was unhappy with France’s strategy to help resolve the economic and political crisis in Lebanon. French President Emmanuel Macron has been spearheading international efforts to rescue the...

United Nations human rights experts called Thursday for an impartial and independent investigation into the killing of a 15-year-old boy by Israeli security forces at a West Bank protest this month, citing a lack of accountability.  The experts -- Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on...

A Syrian refugee was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing the former commander of Deir Ezzor Military Council, Brigadier General Ismail Mulla Omair last year in Istanbul. According to Turkish media, the Supreme Criminal Court recently convicted Abdul Qadir Khalil Mulla of killing...

The UN's humanitarian chief has reported that 34 per cent of all children in north-west Syria suffer from stunted development due to severe malnourishment. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock revealed the statistics, which shed light on...

Dr. Adnan Jasem had every reason to leave war-torn Syria after surviving a bomb blast that broke his legs four years ago and receiving job offers from abroad. Still, Jasem stayed, committed to treating the people in his homeland. It was no surprise that he would be on the front lines...

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey could normalize ties with France but Paris must change its stance over Turkey’s military operations in Syria. Turkey has repeatedly traded barbs with France over policies in Syria, Libya and Nagorno Karabakh, and the publication of...

Palestine and Lebanon have been added to the International Red Cross (IRC) emergency watchlist for 2021. This year's list also includes Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Mali and Afghanistan, but Iraq and Libya, which featured in 2020, have been removed. The list identifies 20 countries at...