Israel's parliament suspended sessions scheduled for Thursday after a lawmaker tested positive for the coronavirus, while some schools shut down anew amid worries about fresh outbreaks. Having moved aggressively against the global pandemic in March and seen a tailing-off of new cases,...

On a summer day last year, presidential guards drove out of the charity organization founded by Syria’s wealthiest businessman and a close cousin of President Bashar Assad, carting away boxes of documents and computers. At the same time, the charity’s director was being questioned at the palace...

Thousands of peaceful demonstrators gathered in Washington, DC for the sixth consecutive day Wednesday to protest the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died last week after being pinned down by a white police officer.    This time, the protestors were not allowed to...

The United States said Wednesday it was waiting to build an "empowered" UN mission for Libya, frustrating France and Germany which say the delay in approving an envoy is jeopardizing momentum to end the conflict. The position of UN envoy for Libya has been vacant for three months, even with...

From an empty movie theater in Paris, organizers of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday announced the films that would have played at there in May had it not been canceled by the pandemic. The selections were an exercise in what-might-have-been for Cannes, the international French...

Brazil and Mexico reported record daily coronavirus death tolls as governments in Latin America battled to fortify defenses against the accelerating pandemic with fresh lockdown orders and curfews. European nations are emerging from months of devastation with some borders re-opening, but...

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will wait until the new season starts before discussing the renewal of a contract for six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. But Wolff said talks with Hamilton would not preclude a move for Sebastian Vettel, who is set to leave Ferrari at the end of the campaign....

Breaking with President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes using military forces for law enforcement in containing current street protests. Esper said the Insurrection Act, which would allow Trump to use active-duty military for law enforcement in...

The Central Bank of Syria imposed a cap of five million Syrian liras ($9,746) on the amount of cash that travellers may carry with them when they move from one province to another within the country. In an official memo, the bank required travellers to transfer any money that is more than...

The WHO announced Wednesday the resumption of its hydroxychloroquine trials after The Lancet cast doubt over a large-scale study it published last month that led to temporary suspension of testing of the drug. The medical journal has issued an "expression of concern" over a large-scale...

Millions of children have been displaced and more than 29,000 others killed since the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, according to a joint report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) and Anadolu Agency. The United Nations observe the International Day of Innocent Children Victims...

The UN rights chief on Wednesday decried "structural racism" in the United States, and voiced alarm at the "unprecedented assault" on journalists covering protests across the country after George Floyd's death in custody. Michelle Bachelet insisted that the grievances at the heart of the...

President Donald Trump's administration said Wednesday it will bar Chinese passenger carriers from flying to the United States starting on June 16 as it pressures Beijing to allow US air carriers to resume flights. The move, announced by the US Department of Transportation, penalizes China...

The spread of novel coronavirus has accelerated again this month in Iran which Wednesday officially confirmed over 3,000 new cases for a third consecutive day. The country has recorded an additional 3,134 cases, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told state television, bringing...

Human Rights Watch Wednesday accused Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces of laying Russian landmines in residential southern suburbs of the capital. "An armed group and affiliates fighting for control of the Libyan capital Tripoli appear to have used antipersonnel landmines...

President Donald Trump on Wednesday denied media reports that he was rushed for his safety to the White House bunker while protests raged in the streets outside. "It was a false report," Trump told Fox News radio, before elaborating that he did go into the secure area but only for a "tiny,...

Most Israelis think their government's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank will spark a Palestinian uprising, but around half favour going ahead anyway, a poll showed Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to take steps towards annexation as soon as July 1,...

Bundesliga players including Jadon Sancho who staged protests during matches following the death of American man George Floyd will not be punished, the German Football Federation said on Wednesday. In a statement, the DFB said "no action" would be taken against Borussia Dortmund players...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government Wednesday condemned new financial sanctions that the US is due to impose this month, arguing they will increase hardships in a country deep in economic crisis. The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, a US law that aims to sanction any...

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said it is "common sense" to bring Russia back into the G7, despite Moscow's expulsion from the club after invading part of Ukraine. Speaking to Fox News radio, Trump said that the G7 countries -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the...