Iraqi security forces arrested at least five men from a local political party's headquarters in the southern city of Basra Monday after a protester was shot dead outside the building. It was the first death since modest anti-government protests resumed Sunday, ending months of relative calm...

Saudi Arabia has directed national oil company Aramco to cut its crude oil production for June by an extra voluntary amount of 1 million barrels per day, on top of a reduction already committed by the kingdom under the OPEC+ cut deal, a Saudi energy ministry official said Monday. "This...

Syria's top tycoon publicly airing his grievances has revealed a power struggle within the ruling family as it tries to cement its power after nine years of war, analysts say. After years of staying out of the limelight, business magnate Rami Makhlouf this month in two videos on Facebook...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syria’s largest and only mobile network operators, MTN and Syriatel announced the resignation of three of their top managers, without revealing any reasons for the decision. In a disclosure statement addressed to the Syrian Commission on Financial Markets and Securities...

Yemeni authorities declared Aden, interim seat of the Saudi-backed government, an "infested" city Monday after the number of coronavirus cases there jumped to 35, with four deaths. A five-year war has shattered Yemen's health system, pushed millions to the brink of famine and divided the...

The Israeli military said Monday its forces demolished the home of a Palestinian accused of being behind a deadly blast in the West Bank last year. Israel says 22-year-old Qassem Barghouti carried out the attack in August, which killed 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb and wounded her father...

An Iranian warship was accidentally hit by a missile during exercises in the Gulf of Oman, killing at least one, state television said Monday, amid tensions with the US in the waterway. The friendly fire incident involving the Konarak vessel occurred on Sunday afternoon near Bandar-e Jask,...

New Zealand will phase out its coronavirus lockdown over the next 10 days after successfully containing the virus, although some restrictions will remain, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday. Ardern said that from Thursday shopping malls, restaurants, cinemas and playgrounds will...

Four roadside bombs detonated in less than 90 minutes Monday in a northern district of Afghanistan's capital, wounding four civilians including a child, police said. Militants have carried out several roadside bombings and rocket attacks in Kabul and other parts of the country in recent...

Global novel coronavirus-related fatalities exceeded the 280,000 mark on Sunday, according to a running tally by the US-based Johns Hopkins University. The figures counted 280,507 deaths, while the numbers of cases and recoveries stand at 4,055,863 and 1,386,631 respectively. The US is...

At least 18 civilians were wounded in a bomb attack carried out by the YPG/PKK terror group in the northern Syrian city of al-Bab, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Sunday. In a statement, the ministry said the terrorist group targeted an Operation Euphrates Shield area. At...

Clashes in northwest Syria killed 48 regime fighters and jihadists Sunday in the highest such death toll since the start of a two-month-old ceasefire there, a monitor said. A truce since March 6 had largely stemmed fighting in Syria's last major rebel bastion of Idlib after a months-long...

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has raised the spectre of legal action against Germany after the country's highest court issued harsh criticism of the bloc's top court. The unprecedented spat threatens to undermine the authority of the European Court of Justice, giving...

France on Sunday reported 70 more deaths from the coronavirus over the last 24 hours, its lowest daily toll in recent weeks just ahead of the first easing of an almost two-month lockdown. The new deaths brought the total toll in hospitals and nursing homes from the pandemic in France to...

Saudi Arabia will host a donor conference to support Yemen on June 2, state media reported on Sunday, as the conflict-torn country faces the threat of coronavirus. The conference will be held virtually in partnership with the United Nations, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, as the...

Turkey's foreign ministry warned Sunday that it would deem the forces of Libyan General Khalifa Haftar legitimate targets if their attacks on its interests and diplomatic missions in Libya continued. Turkey backs Libya's internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and...

Syria's government Sunday banned cars with large engines from receiving subsidised petrol in the latest move to curb a hydrocarbon crisis in the war-torn country the government blames on sanctions. Heating fuel, petrol and cooking gas have been in short supply over the past two years in...

Newcastle United and the Premier League should put moral values ahead of the financial rewards from a proposed £300 million ($372 million) Saudi-backed takeover, the fiancee of murdered dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Sunday. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, led by Crown...

 Lebanon’s churches welcomed worshipers Sunday for the first time in nearly two months. Most churches were closed to the public to limit the spread of coronavirus, but Lebanese authorities have started easing restrictions that were imposed in March. Churches and mosques are now...

China has issued a lengthy rebuttal of what it said were 24 "preposterous allegations" by some leading U.S. politicians over its handling of the new coronavirus outbreak. The Chinese foreign ministry has dedicated most of its press briefings over the past week to rejecting accusations by...