President Barack Obama and military chiefs from more than 20 nations gathered in a show of strength against Islamic State (IS) fighters in Iraq and Syria.

US defence secretary Chuck Hagel has said it is far less likely that America will undertake an Iraq rescue mission because fewer refugees are stranded on Sinjar Mountain.

Somalia's prime minister said he could go after pirates if other nations gave him the resources he needed.

SECRETARY of State Condoleezza Rice turned the tables on European critics of tough US tactics in the war on terror yesterday, maintaining that intelligence gathered by the CIA has saved European as well as American lives.

Hurricane Isabel is closing in on the North Carolina coast with 105 mph winds and the potential for up to a foot of rain, threatening to cause ruinous flooding across the region.