The Zika virus, believed to be linked to the serious birth defect microcephaly, presents a "formidable" challenge that will be hard to stamp out, World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan said Wednesday. "Things could get worse before it gets better," she said in Rio de Janeiro after a...

Iran's top leader said on Wednesday he was confident Friday's elections would return a parliament prepared to resist interference by foreign powers including the United States, according to his website. "The nation will vote for a parliament that puts Iran's dignity and...

Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency abuses Palestinians under interrogation in a manner so systematic it points to official endorsement, two Israeli NGOs said in a report published Wednesday. The 70-page joint study by rights groups B'Tselem and Hamoked is based on accounts by 116...

 Forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government seized a key central neighbourhood of second city Benghazi from Islamist militias on Tuesday, the military said. The advance came as Libya's parliament again failed to vote on a UN-backed unity government...