UNITED NATIONS, Jennie Matthew- Italian-Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura was named UN mediator for Syria on Thursday, taking on the challenging task of finding a political solution to the dragging...

WASHINGTON- The Senate confirmed US ambassadors to Kuwait and Qatar on Thursday, as top Democrats fumed that lawmakers are slow-walking dozens more of President Barack Obama's nominations. Career...

PARIS- A glass or two of booze is good for your heart, according to long-standing medical advice that drinkers are often fond of citing. But, according to a study published on Friday, this cherished...

ISTANBUL, Camille Antunes- The main exiled Syrian opposition group on Wednesday elected Saudi-based businessman Hadi el-Bahra as its new president in a bid to end internal divisions and breathe fresh...

LONDON- Britain's Daily Mail newspaper apologised to George Clooney on Wednesday after the Hollywood star hit out at an inaccurate story about his forthcoming marriage that he branded irresponsible....

GAZA CITY- Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed 20 people on Thursday including four women and four children, medics said, on the third day of a widening military operation. The deaths bring...

GENEVA, Jonathan Fowler- Syrian Kurdish forces have demobilised scores of child soldiers from their ranks over the past month, a Swiss group that works to save under-age fighters said Tuesday. The...

PARIS- A common set of genes play a role in learning to read and do maths, with tiny variants influencing a child's skills in these tasks, according to a study published Tuesday. But this ability is...

TUNIS- Beji Caid Essebsi, the 87-year-old ex-premier and leading opponent of the Islamists, said Tuesday he will stand in Tunisia's presidential poll later this year, if he's "still alive". "At the...