Jihadists threaten Kurds after battlefield victories

The Islamic State group warned on Monday it would seek to further expand into autonomous Kurdish territory after claiming key towns and areas over the past 48 hours.

Ferry with up to 200 on board capsizes and sinks

A ferry with about 200 passengers aboard capsized on Monday in the Padma River southwest of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and rescue teams got about half of them to safety, the chief of the district administration said.

Modi helps Nepali man reunite with his family

More than the political and economic significance of the two-day state visit to Nepal of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was his role in facilitating the reunion between a Nepali man and the family he has not seen in years.

Australia might intervene on behalf of baby

Australia's government is considering intervening in the case of a baby with Down syndrome who was left with a Thai surrogate mother by his Australian biological parents, with a government minister saying on Monday that the child might be entitled to Australian citizenship.

Women accused of child-trafficking at Vietnam orphanage

Two women have been arrested on suspicion of trafficking a child at an orphanage in a Hanoi pagoda renowned for rescuing abandoned babies, Vietnamese media reported on Monday.

World War I centennial events strike somber note

World leaders marked the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I on Monday, warning of the lessons to be learned in the face of today's many crises.

Palestinians accuse Israel of breaking 7-hour Gaza truce

A seven-hour truce under which Israel would unilaterally hold its fire in most of the Gaza Strip went into force on Monday, but Palestinians immediately accused Israel of breaking the cease-fire by bombing a house in Gaza City.

Spies targeted Kerry, claims Der Spiegel

German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Sunday that Israel and at least one other intelligence agency were listening in on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's unsecured phone calls last year when he was holding nearly daily negotiations for peace with various leaders in the Middle East.

US sent Latin youths undercover in anti-Cuba ploy

Fernando Murillo was typical of the young Latin Americans deployed to Cuba by a US agency to work undercover. He had little training in the dangers of clandestine operations - or how to evade one of the world's most sophisticated counter-intelligence services.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Leaders pay tribute to WWI dead

Putin says world should take Great War as a cautionary tale for future

France, Germany remember first fallen soldiers

Descendants of two soldiers from France and Germany who were the first fatalities of World War I gathered in eastern France on Saturday for a ceremony marking the centenary of their deaths.