Russian lawmakers on Thursday unanimously approved a sweeping constitutional reform bill put forward by President Vladimir Putin in its first reading, after less than two hours of debate. All 432 lawmakers present in the lower house State Duma voted in favour of the bill, just three days...

An Iraqi demonstrator was shot dead in the southern city of Basra overnight, a security source and the human rights commission said Thursday, the latest in a string of protester deaths. The anti-government demonstrations rocking the Iraqi capital and the Shiite-majority south since October...

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued “a very strong appeal” Wednesday for a political solution to Syria’s nearly nine-year conflict, and he called for a global “push-back against the push-back” on ensuring human rights. In a wide-ranging speech and question-and-answer...

A water-bombing plane was missing and feared to have crashed in Australia's southeast on Thursday, as firefighters battled a new outbreak of bushfires whipped up by scorching temperatures and strong winds. At least seven blazes were declared emergencies, including one in the Snowy Monaro...