Belarussian author Svetlana Alexievich has won the Nobel Prize for Literature for her portrayal of life in the former Soviet Union which the Swedish Academy said was "a monument to suffering and courage in our time". Alexievich's work includes chronicles of the lives of Soviet...

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...

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...