Vladimir Putin turned 63 this week with his now traditional display of sporting prowess, and an announcement that Russian naval vessels had launched a wave of missiles against Islamic State in Syria. The Russian leader has never appeared more confident and his grip on power...

World soccer chief Sepp Blatter and European boss Michel Platini were suspended on Thursday in a deepening corruption scandal, decapitating the leadership of a sport facing criminal investigations on both sides of the Atlantic. Blatter, the Swiss who has been president of world...

Eight people died and six others were injured when a bus hurtled off a road and into a gorge in Ecuador's southern Andes, security officials said Thursday. The Ministry of Public Health said the vehicle plunged some 250 meters (820 feet) after going off the road Wednesday in Canar province....

Syrian rebels on Thursday shot down two helicopters, including one Russian, in the northern countryside of Hama province, a monitoring group and local sources said, as Russia continued air support for Basjar al-Assad forces fighting on the ground. The two helicopters was downed near the village...