Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist group bombed a busy junction and a nearby restaurant on Sunday in the town of Baidoa, killing at least 17 people, a police officer and the group said. Al Shabaab often carries out such suicide attacks in the capital and elsewhere in its bid to topple Somalia's...

War planes attacked six towns in Syria's northern Aleppo province early on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, a day after a cessation of hostilities agreement took effect. Syrian insurgents said the air strikes were carried out by Russian war planes in support of Syria's...

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won an emphatic vote of confidence and reformist partners secured surprise gains in parliament in early results from elections that could accelerate the Islamic Republic's emergence from years of isolation. While gains by moderates and reformists in Friday's...

Syria's fragile ceasefire entered its second day Sunday, with battle-zones across the war-scarred country largely quiet for the first time in five years despite some sporadic breaches. The temporary truce, brokered by Washington and Moscow, is seen as a crucial step towards ending a conflict...