Dutch forensic investigators told armed separatists guarding train cars full of bodies from the downed Malaysia Airlines jet that the train must be allowed to leave within hours.

President Barack Obama is having an historic first meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

MPs in the embattled Crimean region of Ukraine have decided to hold a referendum on March 16 on whether Crimea should become part of Russia.

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

President Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of Russian troops participating in military exercises near Ukraine’s border to return to their base today as US Secretary of State John Kerry was on his way to Kiev.

Thousands of Iranian protesters packed the streets outside the former US Embassy in Tehran in the biggest anti-American rally in years.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that a pair of military raids against militants in north Africa sends the message that terrorists “can run but they can’t hide”.

Ireland is to help bankroll the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria with €200,000 in funding.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad confirmed his country will hand over its chemical weapons to international control.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the Obama administration is distributing videos showing a chemical weapons attack in Syria to help convince Americans and Congress that a military intervention against the Syrian government is needed.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is asserting the United States now has evidence of sarin gas use in Syria and says the “case is building” for a military attack.

The Syrian regime spent days carefully preparing to launch a chemical weapons attack, US Secretary of State John Kerry has disclosed.

The death toll in Syria’s civil war has passed 100,000, up from nearly 93,000 just over a month ago, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.

Israeli and Palestinian officials will meet soon in Washington to work out final details on relaunching Mideast peace negotiations for the first time in five years, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Oblivious to international tensions over a possible North Korean missile launch, Pyongyang residents spilled into the streets today to celebrate a major national holiday, the birthday of their first leader, Kim Il Sung.

The Taoiseach and Tánaiste are in Washington today for high-level meetings with business and political leaders.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has defended costly Government plans to send 19 ministers on St Patrick’s Day trade missions to 21 different countries.

A Tibetan poet and activist due to be presented with an international award for courage in the United States will not be able to receive the honour because Chinese authorities have denied her a passport.