Obama weighs 'limited' strike on Syria
President Barack Obama said the United States was weighing "limited, narrow" action against Syria, as UN inspectors left the country Saturday and opened a window into a possible strike.
Obama not ready to order Syria strike but gives up on UN
President Barack Obama said Wednesday he had not yet signed off on a plan to strike Syria, but action appeared likely after Washington abandoned the hunt for a last-minute UN mandate.
Chinese media say 'no excuse' for West to strike Syria
Chinese state media warned the West against strikes on Syria Thursday as momentum mounted for President Bashar al-Assad's regime to be punished over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
US forces to punish Syria, not push regime change
US forces readied to strike Syria on Tuesday, as the West insisted its goal was not regime change but to punish the Assad government for unleashing chemical warfare on civilians.
Pentagon chief touts US focus on Asia as Syria looms
Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel meets his Asian counterparts on Wednesday as the United States promotes its shift to the region but a potential showdown with Syria looms over the talks.
Obama, top aides, review Egypt strategy
President Barack Obama and top aides Tuesday scrutinized US strategy on Egypt, while the White House denied it had quietly frozen millions of dollars in aid after Cairo's military crackdown.
Egypt defiant on aid after arrest of Islamist chief
Egypt's interim prime minister said his country could live without aid from the US as Washington and the EU review ties with Cairo amid a bloody crackdown on supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi.
Egypt arrests Muslim Brotherhood chief as death toll mounts
Egyptian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, as they stepped up a campaign to crush the party of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Egypt army warns on violence as EU prepares crisis talks
Egypt's hardline military leader pledged a "forceful" response to violence rocking the country, as top EU officials prepared Monday to hold emergency talks on the crisis that has claimed nearly 800 lives in five days.
European leaders vow strong response to Egypt crisis
European leaders vowed Friday to send a strong message on Egypt's bloody crackdown on supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, with Germany pledging to review ties with the country.
US leads condemnation of Egypt crackdown
US Secretary of State John Kerry led the widespread global condemnation of Egypt's bloody crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Syria on menu as Ban, Russia FM hold working dinner
UN chief Ban Ki-moon emphasized the need to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict when he met Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.
US,EU urge return to democracy in Egypt
The United States and the European Union on Wednesday urged Egypt's battling political factions and dominant military to agree a path for a return to democratic rule.
Japan summons China envoy over ships near disputed isles
Tokyo said Thursday it summoned Beijing's envoy after Chinese government ships entered Japanese territorial waters near islands at the centre of a row between the Asian giants.
Trial date set for Egypt Brotherhood leaders
An Egyptian court on Sunday set a trial date for Muslim Brotherhood leaders in a move likely to enrage supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
UN warns of plight of women, children in Syria's Homs
The UN sounded the alarm Saturday about the plight of women and children in Syria's Homs, urging all parties in the conflict to enable access to some 400,000 trapped civilians.
Kerry backpedals after seeming to back Egypt coup
US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared to try to distance himself Friday from comments he made that were seen as endorsing the Egyptian military's overthrow of a civilian ruler.
Egypt cabinet orders police to end pro-Morsi sit-in
Egypt's cabinet Wednesday ordered a police crackdown on protests by ousted president Mohamed Morsi's loyalists.
Israeli and Palestinian officials resume talks
Israelis and Palestinians resumed direct talks for the first time in three years on Monday, with the United States urging negotiators to make tough compromises to reach a peace deal.
Cairo clashes kill four as Morsi family to sue army
Clashes between supporters and opponents of Mohamed Morsi killed four people on Monday as the ousted Egyptian president's family vowed to sue the army over his ouster.