An ongoing "massive deployment" against insurgent groups in northern Nigeria by the nation's special forces killed at least 14 suspected terrorists and captured 20 others, according to a statement released Sunday by Nigeria's defense ministry.

NASA reports a boulder sized meteoroid slammed into the surface of the moon igniting a bright lunar explosion.

A man is arrested at the Cannes Film Festival after firing a gun loaded with blanks during a live television interview, sending an Oscar-winning actor running for cover.

A former "top cop," who had the honor of sitting next to first lady Michelle Obama during a televised presidential speech four years ago, is facing rape allegations.

Emmelie de Forest carried Denmark to triumph Sunday in the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual musical spectacle known for its combination of over-the-top costumes, kitsch pop songs and international rivalries.

Julian Zelizer says that Obama, like many before him, chose to work within the system to get things done rather than lead transformative change.

A new virus in the same family as SARS -- found for the first time in humans in recent months -- has infected 40 people, most of them in the Middle East.

I have the great privilege of writing the theater column for The New Criterion, the arts-and-culture journal founded by New York Times art critic Hilton Kramer and pianist Samuel Lipman in 1982. Some people have to be in an office at 8 a.m., but I get to be at the theater at 8 p.m. It is a pretty sweet gig.

Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton write that people pass up opportunities to spend their money to avoid disagreeable tasks

Our democracy is endangered. Not by the Russians, North Korea, the Iran regime, or even terrorists. To quote Pogo: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Scores of people were killed across Syria Monday as the fighting took another dangerous turn with rebels targeting Hezbollah locations in Lebanon.

As Syrian forces pound the strategic town of Qusayr with airstrikes, President al-Assad says he's dealing appropriately with the people he calls "terrorists."

CNN's Nic Robertson reports on the alarming increase in atrocities in the Syrian conflict.

CNN's Nic Robertson says a rare interview with Bashar al-Assad shows the Syrian president hasn't changed his narrative.

A rash of tornadoes wreaked havoc in Oklahoma and the Midwest on Sunday and Monday, destroying homes and tossing trees around like toothpicks.

A writer for magazine and website Computing explains his skepticism over Yahoo's deal to buy Tumblr for $1.1 billion.

A car bomb kills 8 people in Makhachkala, Dagestan, the semi-autonomous Russian republic where the Boston bombing suspects lived before moving to the U.S.

North Korea on Monday fired a projectile into the sea off its east coast, the fifth in three days, South Korea said.

A suicide attack in northern Afghanistan on Monday morning killed at least 11 people, including the head of the local provincial government, police said.

At least one person was killed when two hot air balloons collided mid-air in central Turkey early Monday, the country's semi-official Anadolu news agency reported.

Zach Sobiech, 18, passed away this morning, surrounded by family and friends.

At least 14 people are dead, 14 are unaccounted for and 10 have been rescued in Indonesia after a tunnel collapse last week at an underground mine training facility, the mining company said.

The million-dollar questions have been answered. What are the Powerball numbers, and have any winning tickets been sold?

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake rattled the coast of southern Chile early Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The FBI is mourning the deaths of two special agents killed Friday during a training exercise off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Two men who the Iranian government said worked as spies for Israel and the United States were hanged Sunday morning, according to Iranian state news outlet Press TV.

AEG Live filed an insurance claim to recover losses from Michael Jackson's death the same day he died, according to a lawyer for Jackson's family.

Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams underlined their status as overwhelming favorites for the French Open by breezing through their respective title matches in Rome Sunday.

The celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain's first French title in 19 years have only just finished but the Qatari-owned club already face a fight to keep hold of one of the their most valuable assets -- manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Dozens of people are killed and scores injured in a spate of bombings and shootings as Sunni-Shiite violence erupts in Iraq.

Religious tension, tit-for-tat attacks that's life in Iraq as CNN's Arwa Damon reports sectarian tensions escalate again.

Twenty-five people died in a spate of car bombs Monday. Three of the bombs exploded at markets where people were shopping. Last week, bombs blew up at Sunni mosques amid Friday prayers and at a restaurant in a Shiite area.

Exclusive: AC Milan forward Mario Balotelli says he'll leave the pitch if he is subjected to racist abuse again.

Man who charged elephant spared life, but not job. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.

Japan's figure skating champion Daisuke Takahashi on why he loves the adoration of the crowd and his hopes for Sochi 2014.

The current wave of violence sweeping Nigeria has its citizens asking if the country has descended into civil war.

Zain Verjee speaks with author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the inspiration behind her book "Half of a Yellow Sun."

Angelina Jolie stunned many people with an op-ed Tuesday describing her reasons for choosing to have a preventive double mastectomy. Her mother passed away at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer. Moreover, Jolie found that she had the BRCA1 gene, which significantly increases the lifetime risk of breast cancer. In fact, she reports that her doctors estimated that she had an 87% chance of developing breast cancer.

In recent weeks, Google Glass has been distributed to its first group of beta testers outside Google and in the real world. As the pool of new smart-glass wearers grows, they are feeling out the etiquette of using the new technology.

A group of bright minds at Caltech invented the 'toilet of the future' that could save lives.

A tiny device that can recharge cell phone batteries in as little as 30 seconds won 18-year-old Eesha Khare a major science award that will help fund her college education at Harvard University.

Yahoo's purchase of hot blogging platform Tumblr, which it announced Monday, was big news for the hundreds of millions of folks who already post to the site or check in to follow those who do.

On the eve of the French Open, many are concerned by a disease that has struck several players. Why is the "kissing disease" hitting tennis?

Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, the nine-time European champion's president Florentino Perez announced at a news conference on Monday.

Tuna fishing is big business in the Seychelles, forcing the island nation to guard its industry from Somali pirates.

The first Saudi woman to conquer Mount Everest says convincing her family to let her take part was as great a challenge as the climb itself.

Beware the "crazy ants."

Who will win when the world's biggest boy band takes on the world's biggest name in football? CNN's Neil Curry finds out.

CNN's Jake Tapper looks into the secretive program.

The cast of "Star Trek Into Darkness" take a break from fighting space villains to answer questions from CNN iReporters.

For all the upsides of networked transportation, one issue darkens the horizon for some experts on the future of travel.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang has called on his nation's tourists to improve their behavior, stressing it was important to project a "good image of Chinese tourists," official state media outlet Xinhua reported.

CNN's Erin McLaughlin reports on Emmelle de Forest and Denmark's triumphant win in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Julian Zelizer says that Obama, like many before him, chose to work within the system to get things done rather than lead transformative change.

Despite unemployment being close to 12%, Italians are snubbing traditional jobs like pizza-making.

CNN's Neil Curry gets a rare audio interview with camera-shy musicians, Daft Punk to discuss their new album.

The woman behind the Chelsea Flower Show talks with CNN about the event preparations and the 100th anniversary.

May 20, 1873, is considered the birthday of blue jeans. Readers shared their best and worst moments in denim to mark the occasion.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is meeting India's leaders at a delicate time: weeks ago Chinese soldiers crossed into an Indian region, raising the stakes in one of Asia's least understood disputes.

Beware the "crazy ants."

Anthony Bourdain discovers a U.S.-style, fast-food chicken restaurant that opened in Libya after the revolution.

Daycare, hour-long lunch breaks and free medicine? Not all of Bangladesh's factories are sweatshops, but many fear the crisis will hit them hard.

The war in Syria seems to be getting more cruel by the day. Nic Robertson reports on the alarming increase in atrocities committed on both sides.

CNN's Dan Rivers investigates the ethnic violence between Buddhists and Muslims plaguing Myanmar.

Molecular biologist David King hits out at the scientists and PR people who he says are selling "false promises" about cloned human stem cells.

The class of 1963 crowded in a rectangle on the dance floor, the memories of high school fresh on their minds as the band played in a sea of pink and blue hues.

CNN's Dan Rivers reports on the influx of companies into Myanmar as the country opens up to foreign business.

Global reaction to David Beckham's retirement and his legacy.

Grace Liu says It's time for some tiger cubs to approvingly roar for our strict and demanding parents.

With tears streaming down his face, David Beckham said farewell in his final home game as a professional footballer Saturday.

Yoon Hee spent 10 years on the streets in North Korea after she was abandoned, nearly freezing to death and eating grass.

The cast of "Star Trek Into Darkness" take a break from fighting space villains to answer questions from CNN iReporters.

CNN's Jake Tapper looks into the secretive program.

NASA is trying to fix the planet-finding Kepler satellite -- but one expert says it's only a matter of time before we find signs of life on other worlds.

As legendary Man Utd manager Alex Ferguson gets set for his final match in charge of the team, take a look back at the defining moments of his career.

With tears streaming down his face, David Beckham said farewell in his final home game as a professional footballer Saturday.

Global reaction to David Beckham's retirement and his legacy.

Yoon Hee spent 10 years on the streets in North Korea after she was abandoned, nearly freezing to death and eating grass.

North Korea said Wednesday that the U.S. citizen it sentenced last month to 15 years of hard labor has begun his stay at a "special prison."

She was a sickly four year old, struggling with health problems. The Syrian civil war drove her family into a refugee camp but with the help of relief organizations, an Israeli hospital has given her vital heart surgery.

After battery woes troubled the Boeing 787, it is ready for a comeback as Dreamliner flights return to the U.S. CNN follows the return to the air.

Suicide bombings, towns getting blown up, allegations of extra-judicial killings by the police, kidnappings -- the current wave of violence sweeping Nigeria has its citizens asking if the country has descended into civil war.

At least eight people are dead and 20 are injured after a car bombing Monday in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, security officials told CNN.

On the eve of the French Open, many are concerned by the prevalence of a disease that has struck down several players. Why is the "kissing disease" hitting tennis so hard?

After battery woes troubled Dreamliner's debut, Boeing's 787 is ready for a comeback in the U.S. Fans already call it Dreamliner 2.0.

A group of bright minds at Caltech invented the 'toilet of the future' that could save lives.

Beware the "crazy ants."

NASA is trying to fix the planet-finding Kepler satellite -- but one expert says it's only a matter of time before we find signs of life on other worlds.

A meteoroid struck the surface of the moon recently, causing an explosion that was visible on Earth without the aid of a telescope, NASA reported Friday. But don't be alarmed if you didn't see it; it only lasted about a second.

Four months before the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, a woman fired a gun in China's National Art Gallery -- all in the name of art.

The decision to grant permanent observer status to China and five other nations by the Arctic Council meeting in Sweden Wednesday reflects the heightened interest by some of the world's most powerful economies in an area rich in oil, gas, minerals, fish and new transport possibilities.

Three Chinese airlines received "false bomb threats" on Wednesday that caused disruption to five different domestic flights destined for the southern city of Shenzhen, state-run media reported.

Buoyed by the runaway success of "Gangnam Style," the South Korean company behind music sensation Psy is taking on what has been a tricky market for international record labels to crack -- China.

A senior official in China's economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, has become the latest target of Beijing's crackdown on excess and corruption.

There is an old African proverb: "If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together."

A cold case involving the poisoning of a college sophomore in Beijing almost two decades ago has captured the imagination of Chinese communities around the world, landing a petition on the White House website and igniting an emotional debate on the pursuit of justice in China.

The Bank of China has stopped doing business with a large North Korean bank, falling into line with a US-led sanctions push to restrict funding for Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

Poultry workers moving to and from wet markets and farms may be responsible for the spread of the deadly H7N9 virus in China, says a virologist who's working with the World Health Organisation to investigate the outbreak.