All Latest News Wires
- Battle for Iraq oil refinery rages, as Maliki calls for US air strikes
The battle for control of Iraq's biggest refinery continued on Thursday. Iraqi troops loyal to the Shiite-led government held off ISIL insurgents who had stormed the perimeter of the Baiji refinery a day earlier, threatening national energy supplies.
- NATO sees Russian military resume buildup near Ukrainian border
NATO's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the development in a speech Thursday.
- Kurds committed abuses in Syria - rights group
Kurds in parts of Syria have carried out arbitrary arrests and failed to investigate the killings and disappearance of political opponents, according to Human Rights Watch.
- King Felipe VI to be sworn in as Spain's royals try to update
Spain's new king will be sworn in on Thursday in a low-key ceremony which monarchists hope will usher in a new era of popularity for the troubled royal household.
- Venezuelan activists discuss protester deaths at United Nations
Representatives of the student opposition want the UN to visit Venezuela to investigate student protester deaths and possible human rights violations. In addition, Cuban activists discussed jailed dissidents with the UN.
- Boat sinks off western Malaysia, 61 feared drowned
A boat carrying 97 people from Indonesia sank off the western coast of Malaysia, with 61 of the passengers still missing.
- Yemeni forces seek to wrest Sanaa mosque from ousted president
Yemeni forces have surrounded a mosque complex in country's capital, in what is the most dramatic standoff yet between Yemen's current and former presidents.
- Africa off to miserable World Cup start
Defeat for Algeria on Tuesday completed a miserable start for Africa at the World Cup in Brazil.
- Thailand's war-weary southerners fear coup will erode new freedoms
Many Thai southerners fear the military will use the recent coup to roll back hard-won freedoms, including infringing on the freedom of the press.
- How to end the conflict in Ukraine? Build a wall in the east
A Ukrainian oligarch has offered $136 million to build a six-foot high wall to keep Russian support from flowing through Ukraine's porous border.
- USA beats Ghana 2-1: US goals bookend World Cup match
USA beats Ghana 2-1: The US team scored a goal 32 seconds into their World Cup game with Ghana, and then a second goal just 4 minutes before the end of play.
- Lionel Messi: Argentines made too many mistakes in World Cup vs Bosnia
Lionel Messi, the Argentina captain, said his team committed too many mistakes in its 2-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, including starting the game with two attackers instead of three.
- Tony Blair: Refusal to intervene in Syria to blame for Iraq crisis
In an essay issued Sunday, Blair called for Western countries to intervene in Syria, though he did not specify how.
- Aung San Suu Kyi rejects rule barring her from Myanmar presidency
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, says its up the 'will of the people,' not a Constitutional clause that forbids anyone with a foreign spouse or children from becoming president.
- Israeli forces sweep West Bank towns, hunting for kidnapped teens
Israel says members of Hamas kidnapped the three Israeli seminary students. They disappeared on Thursday after leaving a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.
- ISIS militants post images that reportedly show massacre of Iraqi soldiers
Also, as the government stepped up security around Baghdad, a deadly car bombing took ten lives in the capital on Sunday.
- Curfew lifted in Bangkok, giving a green light to the red-light district
A midnight curfew that had been in place in Bangkok since the Thai army staged a coup May 22, was lifted Friday. Bangkok is known for its notorious nightlife, a big draw for tourists.
- World Cup 2014: Colombia trounces Greece, so who needs Falcao?
Colombia beat Greece 3-1 in the first World Cup 2014 match. Colombia's attacking style, even without star striker Radamel Falcao,
was too much for Greece. - Rouhani says Iran is ready to help in Iraq
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday, Iran would be willing to help fight militants in Iraq, if asked. More than 4,200 Iranians have reportedly volunteered to go into Iraq to protect Shiite shrines.
- Accidental explosion kills eight in Syrian town near Iraq border
A British human rights group says eight people were killed and 21 wounded when a bomb exploded accidentally in the car of a local arms dealer who was at a weapons market in the eastern Syrian town Mayadeen trying to sell the device.