Nigerien soldiers receive a class in countering roadside bombs as part of an exercise with U.S. troops in Diffa, Niger, Feb. 28, 2017. U.S. Africa Command disclosed Thursday that Nigerien and U.S. special operations forces killed 11 Islamic State militants during a firefight in December.

Why the Islamic State is surging in Africa

An African branch of the Islamic State that for years was an afterthought for the main organization is surging in strength, expanding the ranks of its fighters and controlling more territory than at any point since its founding in 2015, researchers say.

A ship is guided through the Panama Canal's Miraflores locks near Panama City on April 24, 2023. The scarcity of rainfall due to global warming has forced the Panama Canal to reduce the draft of ships passing through the interoceanic waterway, in the midst of a water supply crisis that threatens the future of this maritime route. (Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Panama Canal jam sends ships sailing continents out of the way

The Panama Canal, the century-old engineering marvel that revolutionized global trade, is being squeezed shut by drought and forcing shippers worldwide to face a painful choice.

Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, displays the document signed between the Venezuelan government and the opposition in Barbados, during a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Gaby Oraa

Secret talks, oil and sanctions: Inside a US-Venezuela breakthrough

The Biden administration bypassed Venezuela’s opposition to engage in direct talks with President Nicolás Maduro’s government toward fair elections before bringing the two back to the table.

Graduates of the 129th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) Officer Candidate School, Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois, recite the oath of office as newly-commissioned second lieutenants, at the commissioning ceremony Aug. 21 at Crowne Plaza hotel, Springfield, Illinois. Twenty-two Soldiers in the Illinois Army National Guard and one Soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves fulfilled the leadership and military education requirements to be commissioned as U.S. Army officers. Two graduates of the program decided to "hip-pocket" their commissions and seek federal recognition as officers at a later date.

Racial disparity in Army officer promotions has improved since service removed photos from selection process

The disparity between promotion rates of white and non-white Army officers has narrowed in the first two years under a policy to remove photos and data that identify an officer’s race and gender at promotion boards.

Michigan soldier killed in Korean War to be buried next week at Arlington National Cemetery

Army Cpl. Gordon D. McCarthy’s remains will be interred on Dec. 14 at the cemetery in Arlington, Va., following graveside services.

FILE -Visitors take in the massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in, Keystone, S.D. Fewer planes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the nation's most beloved natural areas.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Pilots flying tourists over national parks face new rules; none are stricter than at Mount Rushmore

Fewer planes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the most beloved natural areas in the United States.

TikTok videos reanimating Hamas’ victims spur deepfake challenge

TikTok is struggling to take down videos of so-called digital resurrections. Most recent are the Israel-Hamas war victim videos, which appear designed to generate both sympathy and virality, though their creators are often anonymous.

The P-8A Poseidon sits on the runway of Marine Corps Air Station Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Dec. 3, after a multidisciplinary team of military and civilian experts carefully raised the aircraft from Kaneohe Bay, Dec. 2. The operation began at 6:30 a.m, Dec. 2. The aircraft was floated adjacent to the runway by 10:18 a.m. And the last portion of the airframe, the nose wheel, lifted out of the water at 7 p.m., Dec. 2. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy)

US Navy plane removed from Hawaii bay after it overshot runway; coral damage remains to be seen

A team worked through the weekend to use inflatable cylinders to lift and roll the plane off the reef where it crashed on Nov. 20 and move it to the nearby runway at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Dutch lawyers seek a civil court order to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel

Human rights lawyers went to court in the Netherlands on Monday to call for a halt to the export of fighter jet parts to Israel that could be used in attacks on Gaza.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. European Union leaders gather Thursday for a two day meeting to discuss, among other issues, Ukraine and the impact of the war between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Hungary’s Orban demands Ukraine’s EU membership be taken off the agenda at a bloc summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban demanded on Monday that Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and billions of euros in funding meant for the war-torn country be taken off the agenda at a summit of the bloc’s leaders next week.