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Al-Qaida-linked fighters have taken Mosul and Tikrit, while Kurdish fighters have seized Kirkuk. President Obama says he hasn't ruled out any options for a U.S. response.

The Dubai-based airline says the contract for the new planes, which was worth $16 billion, had "lapsed," but did not elaborate.

A Beijing policy paper makes it clear that autonomy in the former British colony only goes so far, saying "many wrong views" are held by Hong Kong residents.

Authorities say Jared Michael Padgett stole an "AR-15-type" rifle that was locked up in his home, as well as a semi-automatic handgun and nine magazines of ammunition.

The Pentagon's lawyer said the deal to swap the Army sergeant for Taliban prisoners wasn't a first, citing the release of an Army pilot in Somalia. But the man who engineered that release disagrees.

A "cross-site scripting" vulnerability apparently left the social media service interface open to attacks.

The seven-term representative from Virginia had widely been considered the heir apparent to House Speaker John Boehner. Cantor lost to Tea Party insurgent Dave Brat in Tuesday's primary.

Brazil's Catholic Church has threatened a lawsuit against Italian state broadcaster RAI, which has since withdrawn the ad with the famous statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro dressed in "Azzurri" blue.

The bill was shot down days after President Obama urged Congress to help ease the burden of student loan debt. It would have required a higher tax on the wealthy.

Dukes of Hazzard alumnus and former Rep. Ben Jones urged Democrats, independents and libertarians to use the open Republican primary to oust Rep. Eric Cantor. He mentioned his 2002 loss to Cantor.