
Islamic State campaign tests Obama’s commitment to Mideast allies
After about 15 hours of flying and five hours of meetings, sleep finally caught up with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Baghdad. It was 6:04 p.m. After sinking into his seat at the center of the cavernous interior of a C-17 military transport plane, he cradled his head in his palm, put his... read more »

Obama Urges Global Effort to stop Ebola as Virus Spreads
President Barack Obama urged aid groups and other nations to dramatically escalate their response to the Ebola outbreak in western Africa, warning that the epidemic is spiraling out of control. “If the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected,... read more »

Judge in Pistorius Trial Faces Criticism
Several legal groups in South Africa have expressed concern about threats and harsh criticism of the judge who found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, but not guilty of the more serious charge of murder. Some South Africans said they were surprised and even shocked when Judge Thokozile... read more »

Magnitude-5.6 quake hits north of Tokyo; no tsunami warning
A strong earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 struck in the Kanto region north of Tokyo on Tuesday, but no tsunami alert was issued. The 12:28 p.m. quake, which originated in the southern part of Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of around 50 km, registered lower 5 on the Japanese... read more »