Russian warplanes bombed Syrian rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria and government forces pounded a suburb of the capital on Thursday, ahead of a planned halt to fighting which rebels predicted Damascus and Moscow would ignore. The "cessation of hostilities" agreed by the...

(The New York Times)- When the World Health Organization wanted to know how the war in Syria was affecting the mental health of those forced to flee their homes, the agency hired someone known less for her expertise than for her connections: The consultant, Shukria Mekdad, is the wife of Faisal...

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian and Russian warplanes have carried out at least 30 raids on the northern countryside of Homs province, targeting rebel-held areas by internationally banned bombs, activists said Thursday, 48 hours before the provisional planned ceasefire takes into effect. An Ahrar...

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...