The ceasefire in Aleppo could prove to be a real turning point in the Syrian conflict, and what happens in the city could be seen as setting the tone for the rest of the country, says Peter Apps

An ageing gangster went on trial on charges he was in on the $6m Lufthansa holdup in 1978, a legendary theft dramatised in the hit film Goodfellas.

Hackers stole social security identification numbers and other highly sensitive data from more than 21 million people in the US.

Iraqi forces, trained by the US in recent years and reinforced with US armour, is losing military equipment to Islamic State at a staggering rate, writes Peter Van Buren

US special operations troops went on a secret mission to Syria this summer to rescue American hostages, including journalist James Foley.

A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching the military decided not to exert extraordinary efforts to rescue him, according to a former senior defence official.

The new Ukrainian prime minister has said that embattled Crimea must remain part of Ukraine, but may be granted more local powers.

Congress needs to pass a debt ceiling increase by Oct 17 or the US will default, said Treasury Secretary Jacob J Lew.

Barack Obama has yet to take a decision on whether to go ahead with a military strike against Syria, the White House has said.

The former CIA employee who leaked top-secret information about US surveillance programmes said in an interview in Hong Kong he is not attempting to hide from justice but hopes to use the city as a base to reveal wrongdoing.

The former CIA agent who revealed himself as the source of top-secret leaks about US surveillance programmes has denied attempting to hide from justice in Hong Kong.

The United States Government is seeking a sum of over €91m in damages after filing a lawsuit accusing disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong and his associates of defrauding the US Postal Service (USPS).

The United States Government has confirmed it has joined a civil lawsuit against Lance Armstrong to claim around $100m (€75m) from the disgraced cyclist.

A last-minute deal to avoid the US “fiscal cliff” sent world stocks climbing today but did not solve the massive budget deficit, meaning other battles on deep spending cuts are looming.

Iran's president says a new world order needs to emerge, away from American "bullying" and domination.

America, caught by surprise by the ferocious September 11 attack against the US consulate in Libya that killed the US ambassador and three other countrymen, is bracing itself for more potential violence in parts of the Muslim world today.

Tensions in the Middle East - in response to an anti-Islam film - show no sign of abating.

Colette Browne (Aug 28) makes some very valid points which would be very reasonable if we were dealing with people (governments) of honesty or integrity.

Manchester United have applied to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the hope of raising $100m (€80,) from selling shares in the club.

President Barack Obama called Mitt Romney today to congratulate him on winning the Republican nomination.

The Soldier’s Wife

Apple Computer Inc. now has more cash to spend than the United States government.

Efforts to avert a threatened US government default were thrown into renewed crisis today after House of Representatives speaker John Boehner abruptly broke off talks with President Barack Obama on a deal to make major spending cuts.

President Barack Obama summoned leaders of both parties to the White House to hammer out a deal to stave off a US debt default with the potential to trigger a major, worldwide financial crisis.

A collection of previously unseen photographs of Adolf Hitler sold at auction for £30,000 (€35,600), an auctioneer said today.

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has welcomed new "pre-clearance" facilities for passengers travelling to the US from Dublin Airport.

WikiLeaks’ true legacy might not be more transparency but the destruction of internet freedoms, says Dan Buckley

ONLY one cent of each dollar the US is spending on earthquake relief in Haiti is going in the form of cash to the Haitian government, according to an Associated Press.

The US administration is set to order bailed-out firms to slash their payouts to top executives.

British tourists were warned today of a "general threat" of terrorism against Germany ahead of elections in the country.

SCOTLAND yesterday released a former Libyan agent jailed for life for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people, most of them Americans, because he is dying of cancer.

PRIDE and prejudice are the prevalent themes running through this book. From the dramatic first chapter it’s a powerful story of courage in the face of adversity.

A British resident held at Guantanamo Bay for more than four years arrived back in the UK today.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband was tonight urged to intervene after an extraordinary row erupted between the British courts and the US administration over the release of documents relating to allegations of torture.

President-elect Barack Obama can “count on complete cooperation” after his “impressive victory” as he prepares to take over at the White House, President George Bush said today.

US President George Bush said today that the fighting in the Georgia republic of South Ossetia was endangering peace throughout the volatile region, and he urged an end to the violence.

Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama, looking to chart a US foreign policy course far removed from the Bush administration’s path, said he would bring Osama bin Laden to justice in a way that would deny the al-Qaida leader the chance to become a martyr.

Former US president Jimmy Carter defied American and Israeli warnings and met the exiled leader of Hamas and the militant group’s deputy chief.

Former US President Jimmy Carter defied American and Israeli warnings today and met the exiled leader of Hamas and the militant group's deputy chief.

EUROPEAN Indoor 60 metres champion Jason Gardener believes drug cheat Justin Gatlin is unlikely to compete at the 2012 London Olympics.

THE United States government was warned that it should look to the experiences of Northern Ireland and learn that the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention camp will serve as a recruiting ground for al-Qaida in the same way that internment without trial in the North led to a growth in the IRA.