Boko Haram video shows kidnapped students

Looking sad and frightened, dozens of barefoot girls sat huddled together wearing gray Muslim veils as they chanted Quranic verses in Arabic. Some Christians among them said they had converted to Islam. In the video released on Monday, the Boko Haram terrorists offered the first public glimpse of what it claimed were some of the nearly 300 girls kidnapped from a Nigerian school.

S. Sudan cease-fire broken as rebels and army battle

Fighting between South Sudanese rebels and government troops raged on Monday, just days after a fresh cease-fire deal, dashing hopes to a swift end to five months of civil war.

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Israel's 5 entries at Cannes festival eagerly awaited

Bigger budgets, higher quality drive new run of cinematic success

Breast cancer linked to 17 ordinary chemicals, US researchers say

Certain chemicals that are common in everyday life have been shown to cause breast cancer in lab rats and are likely to do the same in women, US researchers said on Monday.

Scientists: Antarctic Ocean has strongest winds in 1,000 years

Winds in the wild Antarctic Ocean are blowing their strongest in a millennia as climate change shifts weather patterns, leaving Antarctica colder and Australia facing more droughts, a study showed on Monday.

Russia urges dialogue after Ukraine vote

Poll results show strong support for sovereignty of Donetsk, Luhansk

Violence plagues ballot day

Sunday's voting in eastern Ukraine appeared mostly peaceful, although isolated violence flared in some areas, including one attack on civilians by alleged pro-Kiev gunmen. A group of armed men was seen firing into a crowd of pro-Russian activists in Krasnoarmeisk, about 30 km west from Donetsk.

Muslim insurgents launch multiple raids in Thai south

Suspected Muslim separatists in southern Thailand launched a wave of more than 30 attacks on Monday, including shootings, bombings and arson, police said, killing one person and injuring more than 10.

Somali leader solicits airlift of aid

Somalia needs help airlifting basic supplies to towns recently retaken by African Union-led forces because Islamist insurgents are blocking aid convoys, said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

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Mexico converts anti-cartel vigilantes into police force

Mexico has begun handing blue police uniforms and assault rifles to vigilantes in the west of the country, legalizing a movement that formed last year to combat a vicious drug cartel.