Amid Syria’s devastating civil war, Russia and China’s UN Security Council vetoes to help the Assad regime have caused the deaths of "nearly a quarter of a million Syrians and the arrest of nearly 150,000 others," according to a human rights group. "The Security Council’s most serious...

Tension is mounting between Egypt and Ethiopia over their failure so far to reach agreement on a mechanism to fill and operate the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam, or GERD.  Egypt opposes the $5 billion hydropower project that Ethiopia began in 2011 on the Blue Nile, a tributary of...

The United States' COVID-19 epidemic is once more blowing up at an exponential rate, even as leaders of some of the worst-hit states resist mandatory mask measures to stem the spread. Health authorities reported 78,000 new cases on Thursday, according to the database run by Johns Hopkins...

French authorities are opening an investigation into accusations of complicity in acts of torture against the powerful crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, sources said Friday. Multiple sources with knowledge of the case told AFP that a French investigating magistrate...

Sebastian Vettel provided a reminder of the talents that won him four drivers' world titles on Friday when he topped the times for Ferrari in a wet second practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton opting to sit out the session. Vettel, looking for a new team for 2021 after...

The keenly-awaited full results from a UK trial of the steroid dexamethasone were published Friday, confirming its life-saving benefits for COVID-19 patients on ventilators but suggesting it may cause harm if given too early. A total of 2,104 hospitalized patients were assigned to receive...

An exiled Iranian opposition group that was the target of a failed bomb plot in France two years ago took its annual rally to the internet on Friday as it sought to pressure the Tehran government despite the coronavirus outbreak. The Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran...

Lebanon’s financial adviser Lazard will see if a government financial rescue plan can be adjusted to reach a compromise workable for the International Monetary Fund, two sources said on Friday, after the plan hit resistance from politicians, banks and the central bank. The plan, which...

Oil prices were broadly stable on Friday in early U.S. trading, as expectations of stimulus programmes balanced concerns about the recovery in fuel demand as coronavirus cases surged, while major crude producers prepared to lift output. Brent crude futures fell 15 cents to $43.22 a barrel...

Iran reported 183 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus on Friday, raising the nationwide death toll to 13,791. A further 2,379 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall count to 269,440, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. She...

Former US ambassador Bill Richardson has failed to bring back jailed Americans from Venezuela after meeting President Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington is seeking to topple. The Democratic political figure said he met Thursday with Maduro -- whom, unlike President Donald Trump's...

Ferrari and their engine customer teams have all lost power and performance due to a regulation clampdown this year, the Italian team's principal Mattia Binotto said on Friday. Speaking at an official video news conference at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the under-pressure team...

Elyes Fakhfakh’s resignation as Tunisia’s prime minister has sparked a crisis in a country already in the throes of economic and political turmoil. He stepped down on Wednesday after less than six months in office, facing a no-confidence vote amid allegations of wrongdoing from Tunisia’s...

Converting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque is a matter of sovereignty, Turkey's president told reporters on Friday. Turkey does not see international reactions on the reopening of the Istanbul landmark to Muslim worship as binding, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed. The first prayers will be...

In one of the most significant shake-ups in years, the Taliban put the son of the movement's feared founder in charge of its military wing and added powerful figures to its negotiating team ahead of expected talks aimed at ending Afghanistan’s decades of war, Taliban officials say. As head...

Thomas Bach said Friday he will stand in 2021 for a second term as president of the International Olympic Committee. The 66-year-old German was elected for an eight-year term as Olympic chief in September 2013, taking over from Belgian Jacques Rogge. Bach will be eligible for a second and...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced 3 billion pounds in funding Friday to help the country’s health service cope with a possible second wave of the coronavirus this winter. The money will allow the state-funded National Health Service to buy up space in private hospitals and...

Barcelona made it all about the Champions League and after surrendering La Liga to Real Madrid, now it is all they have left. Winning the title last season for an eighth time in 11 years was never going to be enough. Winning the double had not been either the year before. La Liga and...

The world came crashing down on the hurly-burly collage going Palestinian girls when Israeli troops raided their homes past midnight near Ramallah. They were handcuffed and blindfolded in front of their family members before bundled into the security vehicles. Samah Jaradat, 22, was...

Countries in Latin America continued to hit grim COVID-19 milestones Thursday amid fears the worst is yet to come.   The virus has infected thousands of people in Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Colombia, while authorities in some nations consider reimposing strict containment...