Assad says Russian action key to stability

Syrian president says terrorist forces must be crushed before political process begins, accuses West of fueling refugee crisis

IS destroys historic Arch of Triumph in Palmyra

Islamic State group jihadists have blown up the Arch of Triumph in Syria's Palmyra, the country's antiquities chief said on Monday, stepping up their campaign of destruction at the world heritage site.

World Bank says globe has fewer poor

Extreme poverty will this year fall to less than 10 percent of the global population for the first time, although there is still "great concern" for millions in Africa, a World Bank report said.

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PM urges Indonesia to tackle fires

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has called on Indonesia to take action against people setting fires that have caused choking smoke to drift across the region, with the sky over southern Thailand the latest to be clouded by the pollution.

Doctors Without Borders hit by airstrike

International medical charity Doctors Without Borders said on Sunday it has withdrawn from the northern Afghan city of Kunduz after a deadly airstrike destroyed its hospital, killing 19 people.

A deadly mudslide buries hopes, dreams

A wall of mud stopped everyday life mid-text, mid-sentence, mid-dream for the family of Manuel Sandoval and Maritza Aquino.

Moderates expected to prevail in election

Moderate mainstream parties were expected to triumph in Portugal's general election Sunday, after more radical alternatives failed to exploit public discontent over austerity measures.

Pope faces divisive issues at meeting with bishops

Pope Francis opened a divisive meeting of the world's bishops on family issues by forcefully asserting that marriage is an indissoluble bond between man and woman. But he says the church must "seek out and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy."

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Ten killed in college shooting

Armed with multiple guns, a 26-year-old man walked into a morning writing class at a community college in a rural Oregon town and opened fire, hitting some students with multiple gunshots. A witness said a teacher was struck in the head.

In a Lesbos cemetery, nameless refugees

Shrouded in white, the little girl lies on the ground in the paupers' section of Lesbos cemetery. Strangers attend her burial, and she will forever rest next to an unknown woman who died with her.