Barack Obama maneuvered himself into a corner when on Aug. 20 last year he warned “in no uncertain terms” of “enormous consequences” should the Syrian regime use its chemical weapons on rebels.

The success of an anti-Europe party once dismissed as “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists” by Prime Minister David Cameron dealt a blow to his Conservative party on Friday, producing the best results in local elections of any fourth party in Britain since World War II.

Taking over the French presidency in the midst of the worst economic crisis in decades was never going to be a bed of roses. Francois Hollande himself had predicted as much.

Cuba allowed international media a rare peek into several jails in Havana just weeks before the U.N. Human Rights Council is due to hold its periodic assessment on the island.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Mongolia became an opportunity for Tokyo to strengthen its strategic partnership with an Asian country friendly to Japan.

After another weekend of last-minute negotiations, Cyprus finally managed to get the bailout it had so desperately sought.

The eurozone economy is facing a prolonged recession with the prospects of a rebound in Germany failing to help lift the embattled region out of its downward economic spiral.

When the Italian election campaign started in December, center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani was all but assured of winning the contest. But now, three weeks from the Feb. 24-25 vote, doubt is creeping in.

The new, bipartisan initiative out of the U.S. Senate for comprehensive immigration reform is a reflection of a change in substance and attitudes among the Republican Party leadership.

Japan's election of a pro-nuclear government is a sign that the country's love affair with atomic power may be going through tough times, but it is far from over.