The Italian navy has rescued more than 1,100 migrants from nine large rafts in the waters south of Sicily, the latest arrivals from North Africa. Patrol helicopters identified the overcrowded rafts on Wednesday and four navy vessels participated in the rescue which ended early on Thursday, a...

Stroking a Persian leopard sprawled on his lap, tough-guy President Vladimir Putin showed his softer side Tuesday as he prepared to welcome the world to his budget-busting Winter Olympics. Basking in the glow of support from International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach, Putin...

There is little food or hope left in Syria's besieged Old City of Homs. But an elderly Dutch priest has remained there in solidarity with the Syrians he considers countrymen. Father Frans van der Lugt has spent nearly five decades in Syria, a country he loves so dearly that he...

With estimates of up to 11,000 foreign fighters in Syria, Western powers are increasingly worried about the potential national security threat posed by returning fighters. But in a country more than 14,000 kilometres from the frontline, Syria's civil war is also playing out in...