Masks and social distancing can help control the coronavirus but hand washing and other measures are still needed, a new analysis finds. Researchers concluded single-layer cloth masks are less effective than surgical masks, while tight-fitting N95 masks provide the best protection. A...

Ties between the Taliban, especially its Haqqani Network branch, and al Qaeda remain close, independent UN sanctions monitors said in a report made public Monday, despite a US-Taliban pact Washington hoped would sever them. "The Taliban regularly consulted with al Qaeda during negotiations...

Hong Kong's leader accused the United States on Tuesday of applying "double standards" in its response to violent protests as she warned Washington's plan to place trade restrictions on the financial hub would "only hurt themselves". Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has been rocked by months of...

Trade negotiators from Britain and the EU embark on a fourth round of post-Brexit negotiations Tuesday but no-one in London or Brussels expects a breakthrough. Instead, once the latest cross-Channel video conferences are over, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen...

An Iranian scientist imprisoned in the U.S. after being acquitted in a federal trade secrets case is on his way back to Iran after being deported, the country’s foreign minister said Tuesday. Sirous Asgari was in the air on a flight back to Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an Instagram...

The United Nations and Saudi Arabia host a pledging conference for war-ravaged Yemen on Tuesday to help raise some $2.4 billion as funding shortages imperil the world's biggest aid operation. The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthi group has left 80% of...

New York was under a curfew that would last until early Tuesday morning, officials said, after looters raided stores in central Manhattan, targeting some of the city's top retailers. Upmarket fashion store Michael Kors on Fifth Avenue was among the luxury outlets hit, along with Nike, Lego...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to end violent protests in major cities across the nation "now," saying that he would deploy the military if mayors and state governors refused to call out the National Guard. As Trump spoke in the Rose Garden of the White House, live...

The first day of June saw coronavirus restrictions ease from Asia to Europe to the United States Monday, even as U.S. protests against police brutality sparked fears of new outbreaks. The Florida Keys welcomed visitors for the first time in two months, the Colosseum opened its ancient doors...

The clash between Twitter and Donald Trump has thrust rival Facebook into turmoil, with employees rebelling against CEO Mark Zuckerberg's refusal to sanction false or inflammatory posts by the US president. Some Facebook employees put out word of a "virtual walkout" to take place Monday to...

A top UN expert urged global governments Monday to ban the "degrading" practice known as conversion therapy, which aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The call came as new United Nations research said the widely discredited treatment was used in at least 100...

Mosques in the Gaza Strip will reopen to worshippers as of Wednesday after more than two months of closure due to the spread of coronavirus, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Monday. "All mosques will reopen for prayers," ministry undersecretary Abdel-Hadi al-Agha told a press...

Active coronavirus cases in Turkey fell to 30,000 in the past 24 hours, said the health minister on Monday. The number of patients who recovered from COVID-19 in Turkey reached almost 128,947 as 974 more were discharged from hospitals over the past day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the situation in Syria and Libya in a phone talk on Monday. The diplomats discussed in detail efforts of Russia and Turkey to stabilize the situation and ensure a cease-fire in Syria's Idlib...

A total of 125 civilians, including 26 children and six women, were killed in Syria this May, mostly as a result of bombings, a rights group said on Monday. Of these fatalities, the Syrian regime forces killed 10 civilians, including two women, while Russian forces killed one civilian,...

La Liga clubs returned to full training Monday for the first time in almost three months as Real Madrid and Barcelona stepped up preparations ahead of the season restarting on June 11. It has been 82 days since the Spanish top-flight suspended fixtures due to the coronavirus pandemic and...

Iraqi paramedic Sarmad Ibrahim cut his teeth treating fellow Shi'ite Muslim militiamen in the war against Daesh. Now, he buries COVID-19 victims - an exhausting task where he must also get to grips with both Muslim and Christian burial rites. "So far, we're coping," Ibrahim said as fellow...

The attorney for George Floyd's family was set to announce findings Monday of an independent autopsy into his death a week ago after a Minneapolis officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes. Floyd, a black man who was in handcuffs at the time, died after the white officer...

President Donald Trump Monday derided the nation’s governors as "weak" and demanded tougher crackdowns on protesters in the aftermath of another night of violent protests in dozens of American cities. Trump spoke to governors on a video teleconference with law enforcement and national...

It could take up to four years for Emirates airline's operations to return "to some degree of normality", its president said Monday, a day after it announced job cuts over the coronavirus crisis. The Middle East's largest carrier, which has a 100,000-strong staff and a fleet of 270...