IRAQ

Among the slick, million-dollar ads airing during the Super Bowl this Sunday, viewers in New York and Boston will see a far more modest spot. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will be sitting on a couch touting an issue most politicians avoid like the plague: gun control.

Three years ago Gabe Collins was on the front line in Kandahar province, one of the most dangerous places in war-ravaged Afghanistan, conducting search and rescue missions with the U.S. Navy.

President Barack Obama confirmed that the U.S. has been using drones to strike Taliban and al-Qaeda targets within Pakistan.

Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be a guest character and voice on animated TV comedy The Simpsons, playing a neighbor of the family after they move from their home in fictional Springfield.

President Barack Obama Monday played down the use of U.S. drones in Iraq, saying the program was very limited and focused mainly on protecting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

An Occupy Oakland protest once again spiraled into mass arrests and property destruction on Saturday, underscoring the city's reputation for hosting some of the most tumultuous and occasionally violent demonstrations of the Occupy movement. That volatility reflects both the tactics used by Occupy Oakland and the Oakland Police Department's tendency to resort to heavy handed enforcement.

The Occupy movement resurged from a relatively quiet winter after about 400 people were arrested in Oakland over the weekend.

Although honor killings are typically associated with Muslim countries like Turkey, Iraq and especially Pakistan, the practice has nothing to do with Islam

The U.S. Department of Defense cannot account for about $2 billion in Iraq development funds made available to it by the government of Iraq, and it hasn't been able to furnish a complete list of U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, two new government audits have found.

Iran is considering banning all oil exports to the European Union for five to 15 years, a senior Iranian lawmaker was quoted as saying on Sunday, while the country's deputy oil minister said prices would surge should the EU stop importing Iranian crude.

French oil firm Total is close to securing exploration rights over several oil-and-gas blocks in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Sunday Times reported. The paper said a deal could be announced within weeks, although it also cited sources close to the situation as saying that the deal could still fall apart.

Oil prices could rise as high as $150 per barrel because of the European Union ban on imports of Iranian crude, the country's deputy oil minister was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency on Sunday.

If his son gets into deeper trouble, Ray's future political ambitions might be thwarted.

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum faced off last night in the final GOP debate in Florida before the Jan. 31 primary. Here, find out what statements from the primary debate were true and which got the facts wrong, from Santorum on Latin America to Mitt Romney's involvement in Freddie Mac.

The average Muslim convert in the U.K. is described as a “27-year-old white woman.”

A coalition of veterans say retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin's inflammatory rhetoric is incompatible with Army values, and only puts our troops in danger.

The Navy SEALs strike that rescued two Western aid workers on Tuesday, coming as the Pentagon begins detailing how it will adapt to massive budget cuts, reflects a shifting emphasis toward elite, nimble units that can carry out targeted operations.

Greg Kelly, the son of Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, is currently being investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance after reports surfaced that a woman accused him of rape. But what do you know about Greg Kelly?

She could hardly talk about Africa without tears in her eyes.”

President Obama delivered his 2012 State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, making a bid for 2012 reelection. In a sweeping speech, the President touched upon issues like taxes, the economy, manufacturing and keeping the American dream alive. Though the current State of the Union is quite shaky, Obama highlighted the progress being made and attempted to solidify a sturdy campaign base.

The International Business Times has compiled comprehensive profiles on Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum and their positions on 11 issues: entitlement programs, health care, job creation, taxes, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, abortion, education, gay marriage and immigration.