Israel's ex-military chief Benny Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival, submitted himself Thursday as a candidate for speaker of parliament, a move that could lead to an emergency alliance between the two. The parliament announced that Gantz was the only candidate to succeed...

French economic activity and household spending are running at about 65% of normal levels due to the coronavirus outbreak, the INSEE official statistics agency said on Thursday.   INSEE gave the first picture of the impact of the nationwide lockdown as it published its monthly...

Since the coronavirus took hold in Europe, Moscow has sent planes of virus experts and aid to Italy while fighting accusations of spreading disinformation, flexing its "soft power" in various ways during the pandemic. The Russian defence ministry released multiple daily statements after the...

The Iraqi government said Thursday that it will extend a countrywide lockdown it imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic until April 11. Schools, universities, shopping centres and other large gathering places will remain closed, as will the country's international airports....

Iran on Thursday announced 157 new deaths from coronavirus, raising the official number of fatalities to 2,234, as it slapped a ban on intercity travel to try to curb the spread. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour also said that 2,389 new cases have been confirmed in the past 24...

The lockdown in the Chinese outbreak city of Wuhan brought the COVID-19 epidemic crashing to a halt, giving health systems crucial breathing room to deal with serious cases, new research showed Thursday. Chinese authorities ordered schools, universities and businesses shut following a...

The novel coronavirus pandemic that has forced billions of people across the globe to stay home is making parents skip routine immunisations for their kids, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF warned Thursday. The phenomenon is being aggravated by overburdened health services where...

The United Arab Emirates will halt all public transport and restrict people's movements in the evening for a weekend nationwide disinfection campaign starting Thursday to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. The regional business hub, which has confirmed 333 cases of the virus with two...

Saudi Arabia has released 250 foreign detainees held on non-violent immigration and residency offences as part of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, the state-backed Human Rights Commission (HRC) said Thursday. "Releasing them for eventual repatriation will help decrease the...

The Israeli parliament will select a new speaker Thursday after the Supreme Court forced the vote amid an unprecedented challenge to Israeli democracy unfolding amid the country's battle against the rapid spread of coronavirus. Outgoing Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein resigned in protest...

 Human rights groups warned Tuesday of a "catastrophe" if the novel coronavirus hits the Syrian regime's overcrowded and squalid prisons, where inmates are routinely denied medical care. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have long documented abuses in the prisons of...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Turkish army on Thursday has established a new observation point on the strategic M4 highway near Jisr al-Shughour city, according to Zaman Al Wasl reporter.  The new outpost was established in the town of al-Kfayr west of Idlib city on the Aleppo-Latakia...

 (Zaman Al Wasl)- Iran's Revolutionary Guards have formed a command center in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo province as regime and Iran proxies keep fortifying positions near the last rebel stronghold in Syria. The joint command room included top commanders of the IRG,...

The US Senate unanimously passed the nation's largest-ever rescue package late Wednesday, a $2 trillion lifeline to suffering Americans, critically depleted hospitals and an economy ravaged by a rapidly spreading coronavirus crisis. The measure cleared the Senate 96-0 after days of...

Rescheduling the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will involve "massive" additional costs, organisers of the Games conceded Thursday as they convened a taskforce to begin working on the "unprecedented" and complex task. The historic decision to postpone the Games over the new coronavirus outbreak leaves...

Spain awoke to the prospect of more lockdown on Thursday after parliament approved an extension to its state of emergency in the early hours of the morning following a mammoth session of debate. Parliament eventually voted to extend emergency measures - including the state of lockdown that...

Britain on Thursday said Prince Charles, who has coronavirus, did not jump the queue for a test because his symptoms and condition met the criteria. Charles tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week but is in good health and is now self isolating in Scotland with mild symptoms,...

Yemen’s warring parties welcomed a United Nations call for an immediate truce on Thursday as the country entered its sixth year of a conflict that has unleashed a humanitarian crisis, rendering it more vulnerable to any coronavirus outbreak. A Saudi-led military coalition said late on...

 Iran has started an intercity travel ban, an Iranian official said in a televised news conference on Thursday, a day after Iran’s government spokesman warned the country might face a second outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Officials have complained that many Iranians ignored...

Two rockets late on Wednesday struck Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign missions, but there were no casualties, the Iraqi military said. “Two Katyusha rockets fell near Baghdad operation command. Details to follow,” the military statement...