Libyan authorities have dug 12 bodies from four more unmarked graves in the city of Tarhouna, adding to the scores of corpses already discovered since the area was recaptured in June by the Government of National Accord (GNA). Tarhouna had for years been controlled by a militia known as the...

Lebanon’s influential Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday that a new government could be formed within a few days if talks keep going positively. Weeks of political dispute have delayed a deal on a new cabinet that must tackle a crippling financial meltdown - the worst crisis...

Turkey's leader said Wednesday that Western countries mocking Islam wanted to "relaunch the Crusades", heightening a confrontation with France over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that have stirred anger in Muslim-majority countries. In a speech to lawmakers of his AK Party in parliament,...

The Trump administration lifted a decades-old ban Wednesday that had prohibited US taxpayer funding for Israeli scientific research conducted in Jewish settlements in occupied territory, drawing Palestinian condemnation. With Tuesday's US election approaching, President Donald Trump's move...

Lebanon and Israel, still technically at war and with no diplomatic ties, launched a second round of maritime border talks Wednesday under UN and US auspices to allow for offshore energy exploration. The talks, expected to last for two days, were held at the headquarters of UN peacekeeping...

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday warned that insulting the Prophet Mohammed may encourage "violence and bloodshed" following Paris' defence of the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet. "Insulting the prophet is no achievement. It's immoral. It's encouraging violence,"...

The United States and several Western allies Tuesday accused the Syrian government of deliberately delaying the drafting of a new constitution to waste time until presidential elections in 2021, and avoid UN-supervised voting as called for by the UN Security Council. US deputy ambassador...

Germany and France prepared to announce restrictions approaching the level of last spring's blanket lockdowns Wednesday as COVID deaths across Europe rose almost 40 percent in a week, sending financial markets sharply lower on fears of the likely costs. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is...

Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to push for a "lockdown light" in crisis talks with Germany's regional leaders Wednesday, as the number of coronavirus cases soars and hospital beds fill up. The proposed new restrictions would include closing restaurants and bars and putting strict...

Global shares slipped on Wednesday as coronavirus infections grew at an alarming pace in the United States and Europe, while uncertainty over next week’s U.S. elections added to a “risk off” tone. European shares look set to tumble amid reports of potential lockdowns in Germany and France,...

A senior Chinese official accused the United States on Wednesday of deflecting blame and breaking its word when it comes to fighting climate change, as the simmering diplomatic row between the world’s two biggest economies shifts to the environment. The U.S. State Department said last month...

Top Turkish officials condemned a caricature scorning President Tayyip Erdogan in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, calling it a “disgusting effort” to “spread its cultural racism and hatred”. Turkish anger at the caricature added fuel to a row between Turkey and...

A first-of-its-kind study using satellite images to count fresh graves and analyse burial activity in Yemen has estimated the death toll there from COVID-19 or COVID-related causes is far higher than official government figures suggest. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, researchers...

Algeria’s president has been admitted to a specialised treatment unit in an army hospital, his office said on Tuesday, days before a critical referendum on changes he has pushed to the constitution. The statement from the presidency carried on Algerian state media did not specify if...

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Republicans will approve a pandemic rescue package for the US economy after the November 3 election, seeming to concede defeat on efforts to reach a deal this week. He also improbably predicted Republicans would regain control of the lower house of...

A UN envoy acknowledged Tuesday that a new meeting aimed at winding down Syria's civil war would not happen as planned this month but voiced hope it would take place in November. Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, said after a trip to Damascus that there had been no accord on...

The United Nations acting Libya envoy expects coming political talks to designate a date for national elections, she told Reuters on Tuesday, after the country’s two warring sides agreed a ceasefire last week. “What resonates is a clear and direct desire for there to be elections in as...

Iraqi authorities Tuesday reopened a bridge in central Baghdad leading to the high-security Green Zone, in a sign of easing tensions a year after the launch of an anti-government protest movement. The fragility of the return to normal, however, was underlined by the killing of a prominent...

Inspectors from the U.N.'s atomic watchdog have confirmed Iran has started building an underground centrifuge assembly plant after its previous one exploded in what Tehran called a sabotage attack over the summer, the agency's head told The Associated Press Tuesday. Iran also continues to...

 Cristiano Ronaldo remains uncertain to take on Lionel Messi's Barcelona Wednesday as he recovers from coronavirus, Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo said on the eve of the match in Turin. Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19 two weeks ago while playing with Portugal, and has been in...