News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch on Thursday filed for divorce from his wife of 14 years, Wendi, seeking to end a marriage that had been irretrievably broken for more than six months, according to his spokesman. By Liana B. Baker.

President Barack Obama came under mounting pressure on Thursday to act more forcefully in the Syria crisis with Bill Clinton offering a sharp critique of his policy, even as the White House signaled a growing urgency in deliberations on arming increasingly desperate Syrian rebels. By Matt Spetalnick.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said on Thursday that authorities would move aggressively to track down Edward Snowden and hold him accountable for leaking the details of extensive and top-secret U.S. surveillance efforts. By David Ingram and Patricia Zengerle.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the governor of Istanbul made what appeared to be final efforts to end two weeks of anti-government unrest by negotiation on Friday, meeting opponents of controversial plans to redevelop a city park. By Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk.

Hundreds of anti-government demonstrators chanted and sang in Istanbul's Taksim Square early on Thursday, defying an order to end almost two weeks of protests against Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. By Nick Tattersall and Jonathon Burch.

U.S. government investigators began an urgent search for Edward Snowden several days before the first media reports were published on the government's secret surveillance programs, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. By Mark Hosenball.

Turkish riot police using tear gas and water cannon battled protesters for control of Istanbul's Taksim Square, hours after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan demanded an immediate end to 10 days of demonstrations. By Nick Tattersall and Ece Toksabay.

Thomas Drake is one of the few people who understands from personal experience what the future may hold for Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old former NSA contractor who exposed the U.S. government's top secret phone and Internet surveillance programs. By Andrea Shalal-Esa.

The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to begin debate and amendments on a historic immigration bill, burying a procedural roadblock that opponents regularly use to delay or even kill legislation. By Jeff Mason and Richard Cowan.

Exiled former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani-Sadr accused Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday of using this week's presidential election to weaken the office and cement his own power. By John Irish.

A former CIA employee working as a contractor at the U.S. National Security Agency said he was the man who had leaked details of a top secret U.S. surveillance programme, acting out of conscience to protect "basic liberties for people around the world." By Andrew Osborn and Peter Graff.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela was in a "serious but stable" condition after being taken to hospital early on Saturday with a recurring lung infection, the government said in a statement.

The leak of a document showing the Obama administration asked for millions of phone records has turned a spotlight anew on a secretive U.S. federal court set up 35 years ago to curb intelligence abuses. By Lawrence Hurley.

Britain's Prince Philip was taken to a London hospital on Thursday for a planned operation on his abdomen, Buckingham Palace said, in the latest round of medical treatment for Queen Elizabeth's 91-year-old husband. By Michael Holden.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan denounced those behind a week of violent demonstrations on Thursday, causing a sell-off on the Turkish stock exchange from investors worried that his defiant rhetoric will further enflame public wrath. By Tarek Amara and Nick Tattersall.

Britain expressed regret on Thursday for the abuse of Kenyans by colonial forces during the 1950s Mau Mau insurgency and announced compensation for 5,228 survivors, but stopped short of apologising. By Estelle Shirbon and Drazen Jorgic.

Andy Coulson, British Prime Minister David Cameron's former media chief and ex-editor of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid, pleaded not guilty to charges related to phone hacking on Thursday.

President Barack Obama chose close confidante Susan Rice as his new national security adviser on Wednesday, increasing White House control over foreign policy and defying Republican critics of her handling of last year's deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya. By Steve Holland and Mark Felsenthal.

France said on Tuesday it had performed tests that proved President Bashar al-Assad's forces had used nerve gas in Syria's civil war, a "red line" that the United States and other countries have repeatedly said would demand a response. By Suleiman Al-Khalidi.

From the streets of Seoul to the European parliament, a new generation of North Korean defectors is stepping into the limelight, telling their personal stories to highlight the human rights abuses in their homeland. By Michelle Kim.

Families of the victims of the Connecticut elementary school massacre are fighting to keep graphic crime scene photos and audio recordings from being released to the public under the state's freedom of information law. By Richard Weizel.

Gallup, one of the world's most prominent polling groups, said on Tuesday it would adjust some of its survey methods after drawing criticism for inaccurately forecasting that Republican Mitt Romney would win the 2012 presidential election. By John Whitesides.

The court-martial of the U.S. soldier accused of the biggest ever leak of U.S. secrets focused on Tuesday on his motives for giving classified data to the WikiLeaks website and prosecutors sought to show how he discussed his acts with others. By Ian Simpson.

A Tampa woman whose name surfaced in the scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus' extramarital affair has sued the FBI, Defense Department and unidentified government officials alleging they defamed her and violated her rights.

Brilliant Brazil striker Neymar flew into Barcelona and signed a five-year contract amid great fanfare on Monday before announcing his priority was to help his idol Lionel Messi remain the world's best player.

The International Criminal Court could hold a trial outside The Hague for the first time, after ICC judges said on Monday they may hear the case against Kenya's deputy president in his own country or neighbouring Tanzania. By Thomas Escritt.

If there is a "Turkish Spring" to rival the pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan believes that he, and not protesters in Istanbul, is leading it. By Nick Tattersall.

U.S. military prosecutors said arrogance drove the American soldier who went on trial on Monday accused of orchestrating the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history through the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website three years ago. By Ian Simpson.

Chelsea welcomed back fan favourite Jose Mourinho, their 'Special One', as manager for the second time on a four-year contract on Monday. By Alan Baldwin.