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 ...

An Al Qaeda-linked militant group which has seized the northern Iraqi city of Mosul has extended its control to an area further south that includes the country's biggest oil refinery. Security sources said militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) ...

The world's second-largest mobile phone company Vodafone has revealed that government agencies in six unidentified countries use its network to listen to and record customers' calls, showing the scale of telecom eavesdropping around the world.

United States president Barack Obama has promised to beef up military support for eastern European members of the NATO alliance who fear they could be next in the firing line after the Kremlin's intervention in Ukraine. Under attack from critics at home, who ...

A Chinese-Australian artist has been detained by Chinese police amid a crackdown on attempts to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, friends of the artist say. Guo Jian, 52, notified friends on Sunday that he was being ...

A Chinese-Australian artist has been detained by Chinese police amid a crackdown on attempts to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, friends of the artist say. Guo Jian, 52, notified friends on Sunday that he was being ...

At least 20 people have reportedly been killed after mortar fire hit an election rally in support of president Bashar al-Assad in southern Syria. The attack also wounded at least 30 people as Assad supporters gathered in a tent in the city of Deraa, according to ...

Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki has declared "victory is certain" after casting his ballot as polls open for the country's general election. "Our victory is certain, but we are waiting to see the size of our victory," said Mr Maliki, who has been Iraq's leader since ...

Angry parents have lashed out at Nigerian authorities, condemning the lack of action and failure to rescue close to 200 schoolgirls abducted by suspected Boko Haram Islamists. It has been more than two weeks since 234 girls were taken in the middle of the ...

Liverpool's hopes of winning its first title in 24 years suffered a huge setback when it lost 2-0 at home to Chelsea and Manchester City took advantage with a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace. In the latest twist of a fascinating Premier League season, under-strength ...

Negotiators are trying to secure the release of a group of observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) being held by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. Germany's defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, has confirmed that ...

Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Barcelona Open at the hands of fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, who avenged last year's final defeat by winning their quarter-final 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. It is Nadal's first defeat at the tournament since 2003 when he was aged 15 ...

China's economy grew at its slowest pace in 18 months in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest official data. China's annual economic growth slowed between January and March to 7.4 per cent, from 7.7 per cent in the previous three months, ...

Officials are still assessing the damage caused by two large earthquakes in Bougainville in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. On Friday, a magnitude 7.1 quake hit off the coast of Bougainville. A magnitude 7.6 quake struck 100 kilometres south of ...

The United States says there is strong evidence that pro-Russian demonstrators in eastern Ukraine were being paid. Pro-Moscow protesters seized arms in one city and declared a separatist republic in another, in moves Kiev described on Monday as part of a ...

In this update: Signals consistent with those emitted by aircraft black boxes have been detected in the search for flight MH370; Japan and Australia set to announce a historic free trade deal and Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and their son Prince ...

Sri Lanka has defeated India by six wickets to win the maiden World Twenty20 title in Bangladesh on Sunday. Left-hander Kumar Sangakkara remained unbeaten on 52 off 35 balls to take Sri Lanka home after their bowlers restricted the former champions to ...

At least 23 people have been killed in tribal clashes in Egypt's southern province of Aswan, officials said. The violence started late on Friday after students from rival families scrawled insulting graffiti on the walls of a school. One family is from the Nubian ...

After a year of trying to hammer out agreements between the Israelis and Palestinians, US secretary of state John Kerry has expressed his frustration with both sides. Both sides blame the other for breaking agreements, and Mr Kerry has warned both sides his ...

After a year of trying to hammer out agreements between the Israelis and Palestinians, US secretary of state John Kerry has expressed his frustration with both sides. Both sides blame the other for breaking agreements, and Mr Kerry has warned both sides his ...