RUSSIA

The guards hung me by my wrists from the ceiling for eight days, said one of the interviewees.

Pro-regime forces Monday continued attack on Douma, a city in the Damascus province, using helicopters which left dead bodies scattered on the streets.

The best reason for any undertaking? Making sure a Michael Bay and Ben Affleck movie doesn't become a reality. A nonprofit foundation aims to launch a space telescope that will track half a million asteroids in the solar system, searching for any potential threats to our planet before it's too late.

The Arab League has called on the various Syrian opposition factions to unite in light of their rejection of a U.N.-brokered plan for a transitional government that, as a gesture to Russia, would possibly include President Bashar al Assad in any decision-making on the country's future government.

Syrian opposition groups denounced a U.N.-sponsored international agreement to set up a transitional government in Syria, calling it ambiguous and a farce, even as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged that there was no guarantee that the new deal would succeed in ending the 16-month-long Syrian crisis.

Wrapping up a mission that lasted six-and-a-half months, three members of the Expedition 31 crew undocked from the International Space Station and landed safely in the steppe of Kazakhstan in the early hours Sunday.

Why did Mawby betray his country and sell some of its secrets to a foreign country?

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who clung throughout his life to the belief that Israel should hang on to territory and never trust an Arab regime, passed away at 96 in a nursing home in Herzliya, Israeli officials said Saturday.

How powerful is the Syrian military? How do Western nations stack up against it? And would it be wise to intervene in the first place?

A full preview and tactical breakdown of the Euro 2012 final between Spain and Italy/

The Supreme Court has spoken, the president has spoken, and Congress has spoken. Now it is time for the American people to speak.

A roundup of the latest transfer news as Manchester United continue to be linked with a number of midfielders.

Meanwhile, activists said that up to 190 people were killed in the besieged city of Douma on Thursday in one of the bloodiest days of the 16 month old crisis.

Three Chinese astronauts, including the first woman, returned to Earth after their manned spaceship successfully docked to another craft in orbit. The Shenzhou 9 space capsule safely parachute landed about 10 a.m. Beijing time Friday in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, following a 13-day mission that marked a major stride in China's ambitious space program.

In Nigeria, overpopulation is a definite problem. Cutting down on fertility rates would help, but the government must choose the right plan of attack.

Russia reaffirmed its rejection of international calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down while indicating support for the formation of a unity government to appease opposition groups, as the military continues a bloody conflict with rebel insurgents.

Under Islamic president-elect Mohamed Morsi's government, many in Egypt's beleaguered tourism industry are dreading bans on everything from alcohol to modern art to bikinis.

Two bombs exploded Thursday in the parking lot of Syria's Palace of Justice, according to the country's state television, which reported plumes of smoke billowing up from downtown Damascus. The official media organ blamed the attack on terrorists.

Worries about present-day issues overshadowed unsavory history this week as Russian President Vladimir Putin made a 24-hour whirlwind visit to Israel.

Russia and other big powers have told mediator Kofi Annan they support his idea of a Syrian national unity cabinet, diplomats told Reuters Wednesday.

Russia and Syria signed a $100 million deal for the transaction last year.