IRAQ

A wrongful death lawsuit linked to a defining moment of the Iraq war has ended with the company formerly known as Blackwater agreeing to settle with the families of four security contractors killed in a gruesome 2004 ambush.

Western powers this week readied a contingency plan to tap a record volume from emergency stockpiles to replace nearly all the Gulf oil that would be lost if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, industry sources and diplomats told Reuters.

Some things haven't changed since 2008: for the second time, the largest newspaper in Massachusetts has endorsed someone other than former Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination.

President Barack Obama revealed that the United States will be sending more troops to the Asia-Pacific, a move that China was quick to criticize on Friday.

A brewing crisis in the Middle East is causing an almost daily uptick in oil prices but early signs of a rebound in the U.S. economy is indeed offering substantial tailwind to crude too.

U.S. Army Cpl. Jesse Thorsen took the stage at Ron Paul's caucus night rally in Iowa on Tuesday with a few things on his mind. By the time he finished speaking, the 28-year-old would come to embody a breed of supporter seemingly unique to the Ron Paul universe: The War-Weary Veteran.

Assad’s regime has thus far spent about $40-million on militias to brutalize the opposition.

Thursday’s carnage represented the worst brutality in Iraq since 60 people were killed by explosions in late December in Baghdad.

The Obama administration will unveil a more realistic vision for the military Thursday, with plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops and invest more in air and sea power at a time of fiscal restraint, officials familiar with the plans said Wednesday.

Byron Wien, vice chairman at Blackstone Advisory Partners issued his list of surprises for 2012 on Wednesday. The tradition of giving his views on a series of economic, financial market and political surprises for the coming year started in 1986.

Iraq war veteran and “Dancing With the Stars” champion J.R. Martinez is penning his memoir.

Wesley Durden isn't the first reality star who died by suicide. Many others have fallen under the bright light of reality television only to commit suicide after the television cameras leave.

The latest threat comes days after U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law sanctions against Iran's central bank which processes most of the country's oil-export payments. Obama and other leaders, including European Union foreign ministers set to meet in Brussels on Jan. 30 to consider a oil-export ban on Iran, hope more sanctions will slow the country from further developing its nuclear weapons program.

Fans of TLC's Next Great Baker were saddened to learn that one of its contestants, Army Sgt. Wesley Durden, had committed suicide last October. They didn't know that Durden had passed until he was voted off the show one Monday night and saw the memorial note after the episode. Here are some interesting facts about Wesley Durden.

Benjamin Colton Barnes, who was found dead in Mt. Rainier National Park, is believed to be the shooter in the death of park ranger Margaret Anderson. Barnes died from freezing as he tried to escape police.

Wells Fargo Securities believes 2012 will be very similar to 2011 in that there are plenty of risks affecting prospects for economic growth across the world.

Crude prices started their jolly ride to the top in February last year when simmering discontent in the Middle East erupted into several violent anti-government protests.

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.

Happy New Year! 2012 is almost upon us and we can only hope it will be as interesting and eventful as was 2011. There were several major events that happened in news, entertainment and technology throughout 2011. The U.S. captured and killed Osama Bin Laden, the iPhone 4S was released, Apple Inc. lost its CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs and the Iraq War ended.

Iran said it had delayed its promised long-range missile tests in the Persian Gulf on Saturday and signaled it was ready for fresh talks with the West on its disputed nuclear program.

A nuclear-powered Iran poses a grave threat not only to the Jewish state, but to the entire Middle East, warned Israeli defense chief.