WORLD

Was President Barack Obama born in Kenya? Conservative Web site breitbart.com has taken a stab at relighting the debate, after it found promotional booklet produced by a literary agency in 1991 that describes Obama as born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii. However, an former employee for the agency chalked up the Kenya reference to nothing more than a mistake.

Brazilian naval authorities are investigating yet another oil sheen seen floating near a platform owned by state oil company Petrobras.

On Thursday, 70 troops arrived in Guinea-Bissau as part of a peacekeeping initiative by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The troops are meant to stabilize the country as it prepares for national elections in 12 months, following a military coup that deposed the civilian government.

Burhan Ghalioun is quitting the Syrian National Council amid criticism of his leadership.

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon will be invited to testify before Congress over the recent trading losses announced by the bank, U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson said in a statement on Thursday.

U.S. will begin to issue licenses to allow investments in the country, but maintain the arms embargo.

Iran is threatening to seek legal action against Google for failing to use the term 'Persian Gulf' on its maps. The issue over name labels actually elicits strong nationalistic sentiments in the country.

The embarrassing delay at the ?2.5 billion Berlin Brandenberg airport ($ 3.17 billion) has angered airlines and the German capital's authorities, who reacted by firing the airport's managing director for technical issues Manfred Koertgen.

Virginia delegate and Republican Senate candidate Robert Marshall defended his push to block the judicial confirmation of an openly gay Richmond prosecutor on Thursday, saying that the nominee's homosexuality could lead to biased rulings.

Greece's center-right New Democracy party has a slight edge among voters over the Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza, party ahead of the June 17th parliamentary elections, according to a new opinion poll.

Hollande will now take home about 14,910 euros ($19,100) per month, down from 21,300 euros.

The perpetrators of the next 9/11 terrorist attack may avoid airport terminal security altogether by infiltrating airports and planes parked on the tarmac, said Chip Cravaack, a Republican congressman who knows the industry well - he used to be an airline pilot.

Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fuele visited the Turkish capital on Thursday to launch a new positive agenda aimed at overcoming the numerous hurdles to the country joining the union.

The chairman of the Family Research Institute, while arguing it is possible for individuals to choose their sexual preference, admitted he was attracted to men as a child.

Chinese water experts say that around 50 percent of the country's tap water may not meet national pollutant standards and that water quality in non-coastal cities remains seriously neglected.

In bilateral discussions on Friday, British Prime Minster David Cameron is expected to urge newly elected French President François Hollande to renege on campaign promises to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012.

The world's 29 largest banks will need an extra $566 billion to comply with Basel III capital rules by the end of 2018, which could dampen their ability to increase dividends and buy back shares, according to Fitch Ratings.

Ex-Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic's trial on charges of war crimes was postponed indefinitely due to a procedural snafu, prolonging a hearing that has already taken over a decade to get started.

On a percentage basis, the biggest spikes came from Greece and Spain.

A rash of late-night break-ins at offices in the House of Representatives has one member suggesting an inside job.

The European Central Bank in Frankfurt said Wednesday it is temporarily cutting off liquidity to Greek banks that are inadequately capitalized, pushing the onus of emergency assistance on the Greek central bank.

Federal judge Jane Triche Milazzo has recused herself this week from the first criminal case stemming from BP's Deepwater Horizon 2010 oil spill.

The Israeli Defense Forces opened fire on Palestinians at a border crossing near northern Gaza Thursday, wounding eight civilians, according to Palestinian officials.

French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said any agreement would need to include an ambitious strategy for growth.

Mitt Romney's campaign sought to temper any fallout from a planned advertisement attacking President Obama's former pastor, releasing a statement that deplored attempts at character assassination.

Mitt Romney's campaign has nearly matched President Obama's skyrocketing fund-raising efforts by bringing in over $40 million in April, largely helped by that fact that Republicans are coalescing around the presumed Republican presidential nominee.

Brazilian oil company Petrobras, which helps U.S.-based Chevron develop offshore oil fields in Brazil, said regulators there are not likely to shut down Chevron's operations in the Frade oil field in the wake of oil spills.

The no. 1 endangered river in America is the Potomac, according to a leading environmental group. The body of water, which separates Maryland from Virginia, has been polluted over time by the 5 million people that live in its watershed, leading to its current fragile state.

Mexico's drug war has left 50,000 people dead; if generals are playing both sides, who is winning?