Campaigning kicked off in Iran on Thursday ahead of next week's crucial parliamentary election at which conservatives are expected to win most seats after thousands of moderates and reformists were disqualified. The February 21 election comes after months of escalating tensions between Iran...

Sudan's transitional government said Thursday it has reached a settlement with families of the victims of the 2000 attack on USS Cole in Yemen, in a bid to have the African country taken off the U.S. terrorism list and improve relations with the West. At the time of the Oct. 12, 2000 attack...

All the blazes in Australia's hard-hit state of New South Wales have been brought under control, firefighters said on Thursday, signalling the end of a "black summer" that claimed 33 lives nationwide. But heavy rains that helped extinguish the blazes that have raged along the east coast...

Dams near Sydney overflowed Thursday after days of torrential rain, as Australia braced for more storms expected to bring dangerous flash flooding to the country's east. Recent downpours have brought relief to areas ravaged by bushfires and drought -- as well as chaos and destruction to...