Hightlights
Japan condemns apparent IS execution, demands hostage release
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday called the apparent killing of a Japanese captive by Islamic State militants "outrageous and impermissible," ...Saudi King Abdullah dies, new ruler is Salman
Saudi Arabia\'s King Abdullah died early on Friday and his brother Salman became king, the royal court in the world\'s ...Record 1,215 rhino poached in South Africa in 2014
The slaughter of rhinos in South Africa hit a new record in 2014, with poachers killing 1,215 of the iconic ...Argentine president convinced Nisman death was no suicide
President Cristina Fernandez made an about-face Thursday, saying she now is "convinced" prosecutor Alberto Nisman\'s death was not a suicide ...Ukraine cedes airport on one of bloodiest days of war
Ukrainian forces on Thursday ceded a long-disputed airport to Russian-backed rebels as an upsurge in clashes killed nearly 50 people ...Yemen president quits, throwing country deeper into chaos
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigned on Thursday, days after Houthi rebels battled their way into his presidential palace, plunging ...Disenchanted militants in South Asia eye Islamic State with envy
Splits within the Taliban, and doubts over whether its elusive leader is even alive, are driving a growing number of ...Libyan rival parliament suspends U.N.-sponsored peace talks
A parliament set up in Libya to rival the elected assembly has suspended U.N.-sponsored peace talks because of what it ...Ukraine leader says 9000 Russian troops backing rebels
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia on Wednesday of sending 9,000 troops to back separatist rebels in the east of ...German anti-Islam leader resigns after Hitler, refugee posts
The leader of the fast-growing German anti-Muslim movement PEGIDA resigned on Wednesday after a photo of him posing as Hitler, ...