Syria-Civil-War

"May God bring you pain, Bashar." The plea is from a woman as she stands over a young child, dressed in purple pants and a matching shirt. Cursing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, she asks why the girl had to die -- one of eight children killed by shelling on a playground in a Damascus suburb, according to opposition activists.

Turkey-Syria-NATO

Syrian warplanes bombed a village within sight of the border with Turkey on Monday, sending hundreds of panicked civilians running for safety to a nearby barbed wire fence that separates the two countries.

Congo-Unrest

Tension loomed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo city of Goma on Monday night as rebel commanders refused to leave the city ahead of a midnight deadline imposed by regional leaders and the African Union.

POL-Mexico-President-US-Visit

Mexico's new leader has a message for U.S. officials as he heads to Washington this week: Ties between the neighboring nations must go beyond the drug war. Just four days before his inauguration, Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday. And he says he wants to reshuffle the list of priorities the United States and Mexico share.

Mexico-Leaving-US

In a remote town in northern Mexico, a 10-year-old-boy is struggling with his homework. His name is Oscar Castellanos and the fifth grader is getting extra help from his father because he's having trouble adjusting to his new school. The student enrolled at Leona Vicario Elementary in the town of Cananea is technically a foreigner in his father's land. Oscar was born in Arizona and is a U.S. citizen. He recites the U.S. pledge of allegiance by memory without hesitation. His English accent is that of a boy raised in the American southwest.

Mexico-Beauty-Queen-Death

A Mexican beauty queen was killed during a weekend shootout in the restive northern state of Sinaloa, authorities said Monday. Maria Susana Flores Gamez , 20, was the 2012 Woman of Sinaloa. She was killed Saturday during clashes between criminals and military troops in the municipality of Mocorito. Two others, both men, also were killed in the shootout.

Global-Climate-Talks

On December 11, 1997, the world agreed that climate change needed to be tackled. The grandly named United Nations Framework on Climate Change adopted the Kyoto Protocol on that day, and it was eventually ratified by 191 countries. Now it's about to expire with a whimper.

Germany-Workshop-Fire

Fire raged through a workshop for the disabled in southwestern Germany on Monday, killing 14 people, police said.

Bangladesh-Fire-Mourning

As Bangladesh prepared to mourn the deaths of more than 100 clothing factory workers, firefighters battled a blaze at another apparel factory near Dhaka on Monday.

Israel-Barak-Resigns

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced his resignation Monday, saying he will quit politics in January to spend more time with his family.