The offensive to seize back Mosul from Islamic State (IS) is going faster than planned, Iraq's Prime Minister says, as the army, Shiite militia and Kurdish forces advanced on multiple fronts to clear villages on the city's outskirts.

Seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed when separatist shelling hit their armoured vehicle near Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine, putting a fragile ceasefire under further strain. It is the largest loss of life among Ukrainian soldiers in a single incident since the ...

Writer Anatole France once said, "until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened". If that is the case, the soul of the woman who owns George the fish is fully alert after her beloved pet underwent brain surgery this week. George ...

US attorney-general Eric Holder has vowed a thorough civil rights probe into the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, after meeting with residents of the Missouri town. Mr Holder, the first African-American to head the Justice ...

US president Barack Obama says Iraqi and Kurdish forces have recaptured a key dam near Mosul in Iraq's north from Islamic State (IS) militants. The troops were backed by another day of US air strikes, part of what Mr Obama says is a limited mission to ...

The World Bank is allocating 200 million dollars in emergency assistance for West African countries battling to contain the ebola outbreak. The WHO says the number of people killed in this outbreak is fast approaching 900 with more than 1600 infected.

The World Bank is allocating 200 million dollars in emergency assistance for West African countries battling to contain the ebola outbreak. The WHO says the number of people killed in this outbreak is fast approaching 900 with more than 1600 infected.

Hundreds of troops are being deployed in Sierra Leone and Liberia to fight the worst outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, as the death toll climbed to 887. With healthcare systems in the West Africa nations overrun, the African Development Bank said it would ...

A lull in fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists has allowed international experts to resume their search for human remains at the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was downed in eastern Ukraine last month. About 70 ...

Indonesia's election commission has named Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo as the country's next president. Jokowi will take office in October to serve a five-year term. Ahead of the announcement, Indonesian Democratic Party party chairwoman ...

US president Barack Obama is increasing pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, saying his responsibility is to compel pro-Russian separatists to clear the path for an investigation. Mr Obama has said ...

Sally Pearson is confident she has what it takes to retain her Commonwealth Games title despite being trumped by her principal rival in her final race before Glasgow. Looking her best since suffering a hamstring injury in Rome in early June, Pearson clocked ...

Twenty-seven Australians were among 298 people on board a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet which was shot down over Ukraine, representing the third largest group of nationals to be killed in the airline disaster. According to Dutch authorities, 283 ...

The presidents of China and South Korea have held talks in Seoul, reiterating their firm opposition to nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula. China's president Xi Jinping, who arrived in South Korea on Thursday, made no mention of North Korea by name, ...

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced Tokyo will lift some of its sanctions on North Korea. The move comes after the two sides met in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss what happened to the dozens - or even hundreds - of people Japan says ...

Just two years after the withdrawal of US troops, Iraq has again been plunged into sectarian-fuelled violence and chaos. Terrorist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has routed the Iraqi army in the north of the country and seized the country's second ...

For those new to the phenomenon that is Luis Suarez, the events of yesterday may seem completely incomprehensible, but for those familiar with the Uruguay star they fit pretty neatly in an overall pattern of madness. Similarly, the responses from Suarez's ...

Just two years after the withdrawal of US troops, Iraq has again been plunged into sectarian-fuelled violence and chaos. Terrorist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has routed the Iraqi army in the north of the country and seized the country's second ...

Just two years after the withdrawal of US troops, Iraq has again been plunged into sectarian-fuelled violence and chaos. Terrorist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has routed the Iraqi army in the north of the country and seized the country's second ...

At least 10 people have been killed in a new attack near Kenya's coast, with Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab rebels claiming responsibility. Police said gunmen, apparently part of the same group that massacred close to 50 people in the town of ...