Germany stunned by rash of New Year's sex assaults
The German government condemned dozens of coordinated sexual assaults against women on New Year's Eve in Cologne blamed on Arab men.
Turkish Internet servers reeling under huge cyber attack
Turkish Internet servers are suffering a powerful cyber attack from abroad, slowing banking services and fanning fears.
Assad says enemies boosting his opponents
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his enemies have increased support for rebels fighting his regime as loyalists backed by Russia and Iran push an offensive to regain lost territory.
French PM Valls calls on Gulf to accept more refugees
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has called on the Gulf states to accept more refugees fleeing Syria, saying that a "humanitarian disaster" could erupt in the Balkans if Europe does not control its borders.
NATO head urges 'calm, de-escalation' after Russian plane downed
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that the military alliance stands by key ally Turkey after it shot down a Russia fighter jet on the Syrian border but urged both sides to try to calm the crisis.
Lavrov warns citizens off travel to Turkey as cancels visit
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recommended against Russians travelling to Turkey and cancelled his own planned visit after Ankara shot down a Russian fighter jet.
This is a point of no return in Syrian crisis: Yerlan Karin about Russian warplane shot down by Turkey
According to Kazakhstan’s political scientist and Director of Kazakhstani Institute of Strategic Studies Yerlan Karin, Russian plane shot down by Turkey is a point of no return in the Syrian crisis.
EU's Tusk urges all to stay 'cool headed' after Russian jet downed
European Union president Donald Tusk called for calm after Turkey, a candidate for membership of the bloc, shot down a Russian war plane on the Syrian border.
Kerry in Abu Dhabi for talks on Syria peace plan
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Abu Dhabi to meet his Emirati counterparts on efforts to build a Syrian opposition coalition to lead peace talks with the Damascus regime.
Syrian war likely to dominate Putin's visit to Iran
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Tehran for talks sure to sharpen attention on his alliance with Iran in Syria after the Islamic State group's deadly attacks in Paris.
Obama meets refugees as bitter Syria debate rages
US President Barack Obama said the world must offer haven to refugees, as he visited a Malaysian centre for displaced children amid a bitter and racially tinged US debate over the Syria exodus.
Hopes for Syria peace dim after Assad, Obama remarks
Hopes for a quick political transition in war-ravaged Syria dimmed as embattled President Bashar al-Assad threw cold water on an ambitious timetable agreed at international talks in Vienna.
Pressure rises on Canada to delay bringing in Syria refugees
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced increasing calls to delay bringing in 25,000 Syrian refugees by year's end due to security concerns, following attacks in Paris.
France strikes IS bastion in Syria after Paris attack
Blasts shook the Islamic State group's Syrian stronghold Raqa as French air strikes hit weapons depots and a training camp in response to the attacks in Paris.
Paris attacks heighten pressure at Vienna Syria talks
Multiple "terror" attacks in Paris increased the pressure on some 20 countries and organisations meeting in Vienna on Saturday to overcome deep divisions and help end Syria's horrific civil war.
'Jihadi John': quiet football fan who became the symbol of IS
From a quiet, football loving child to an Islamic State executioner, the man who became one of the most haunting figures of the jihadist movement remains a mystery even after being the high-profile target of a US air strike.
Turkey's Erdogan urges Syria safe zone ahead of G20
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on world leaders to rally behind Turkey's plan for a safe zone inside Syrian territory, days before it hosts the G20 summit.
Trudeau says Canada ready to settle 25,000 Syrian refugees
Canada's new prime minister vowed to make good on campaign promises to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the beginning of next year and bring home fighter jets battling the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
British PM denies Syria strikes climbdown
The British government denied it was abandoning plans for a parliamentary vote to join air strikes in Syria as an influential committee of MPs advised against action.
Russian air strikes hit Syria's historic Palmyra region: Moscow
Russia's air force has struck the area around the Islamic State-held ancient city of Palmyra, as Moscow pressed on with its bombing campaign in Syria.