The situation in Syria "remains extremely serious" and UN efforts to end the political crisis in the country have seen only "small progress", UN  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said in a report to the Security Council.

Highlighting the "human dimension" of an adopted Indian American woman who faces deportation 30 years after she came here, India has asked the US to ensure her case is treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion.

More people in Russia spent time on web portals than in watching traditional TV channels, a survey has shown.

As many as six riot police officers, injured in clashes during an anti-Putin rally in Moscow earlier this month, have been rewarded with new apartments.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement has urged country's political forces to participate in a national dialogue ahead of a tough battle between an Islamist candidate and a former government official in an upcoming presidential runoff.

Israeli police have detained 10 members of an international crime ring suspected of organ trafficking and illegal transplant surgeries, said an Israeli law enforcement source.

 At least four people were killed and two injured in a US drone strike launched early Saturday in Pakistan's northwest tribal area, Xinhua reported.

China has described the US government report on Chinese human rights practices as "biased" and suggested it to stop interfering in other nations' internal affairs, Xinhua reported.

A 73-year-old Japanese lady who climbed Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, this past week has been awarded by the Guinness World Records.

At least two people were killed and 44 others injured after their bus plunged into a ravine in Malaysia's Penang state Friday. All passengers were from Myanmar.