AL-QAEDA

Gunmen sprayed bullets at New Year's revelers in two bars in northeastern Kenya Sunday, killing five people, a witness and police said, the latest in a wave of attacks near the border with Somalia.

President Barack Obama, striking a hopeful note in a year-end weekly address, hailed foreign policy milestones while keeping pressure on Congress to further extend payroll tax cuts through the end of 2012.

The threats are not to be taken lightly, given that Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries on earth for reporters.

While it may appear that the government's document-leaking case against U.S. Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning is strong, the defense could have some surprising leverage with prosecutors and force plea negotiations.

In a year filled with partisan strife, economic calamities and foreign policy conundrums, picking President Barack Obama's biggest achievements feels darned near impossible. But whittle away lowlights and a rather substantive list remains.

In a press release, the FBI released its top terrorism cases this year.

At least 39 people are reported dead in Nigeria after a series of church bombings during holiday services and one suicide bomber attack by Muslim extremists left a horrifying mark on Christmas Day. As world leaders condemn the attacks, Nigerians ask why President Jonathon failed to prevent them, with some youths rioting and setting up burning barricades in the street.

A grand jury on Passaic County, N.J. on Tuesday, indicted Joe Guidice, a former developer, on charges that include wrongfully using identifying information of another and impersonation. The first charge reportedly carries as sentence of up to 10 years in prison while the second charge carries an 18-month prison term.

The incredible events of 2011 will likely influence global history for decades to come.

Pakistan's powerful military pledged on Friday to continue supporting democracy, reiterating it was not planning a takeover as tensions grew over a controversial memo alleging an army plot to seize power.

The U.S. has announced a reward of $10 million for providing information leading the arrest of an accused al-Qaida fundraiser.

Pakistan has officially protested, with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), against a NATO attack on its military outposts that resulted in the death of 25 soldiers, terming it a gross violation of the United Nations Charter.

President Barack Obama's backtracking from his earlier stand to veto the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has put Americans under the risk of losing their human rights. The Senate and Congress have already passed the bill and Obama now seems ready to sign a piece of legislature that could become a draconian piece of legislature making U.S. citizens vulnerable to legal abuse.

The NDAA Bill 2012 contains language that allows the Pentagon to wage cyberwar against any domestic enemies of the state, including activists and independent news outlets.

Congress Thursday approved a defense bill requiring the military to handle suspected foreign militants allied with al-Qaida, sending it to President Barack Obama for his expected signature.

The U.S. Congress sought to avoid a showdown with the White House over detainee policy in the war against al-Qaeda on Monday, with a panel approving new rules for handling terrorism suspects after adding changes wanted by the administration. Further, the White House said senior officials will not recommend that President Barack Obama veto the bill.

American officials believe homemade weapons made in Pakistan are being used in Afghanistan against U.S. and NATO force

A U.S. Congressional panel has frozen $700 million in aid to Pakistan until it gives assurances that it is helping fight the spread of homemade bombs in the region, a move one Pakistani senator called unwise and likely to strain ties further.

Kevin Lunsmann, a 14-year-old American boy, outwitted the al-Qaeda-linked militants who had held him captive for five months in a jungle in the Philippines by finally escaping to safety.

The Pakistani Taliban has taken responsibility for a number of devastating attacks across Pakistan in recent years.

Dutch architects MVRDV may describe their tower design as a pixeled cloud, but all viewers see are the Twin Towers exploding, and the striking resemblance has sparked instant controversy and threats against the designers. Though MVRDV claims the association is accidental, an earlier interview reveals Sept. 11 was a design inspiration for the team.