Egypt: In a tactical escalation of violence, Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula used a surface to air missile to shoot down an Egyptian military helicopter, killing five people on board. The militants released a video showing a man firing …

Egypt: Nearly 50 people died in political clashes in Egypt on the third anniversary of the uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarek. Riot police were called to break up a disturbance between anti-government Islamists and left wing activists. About a …

Ukraine: President Viktor Yanukovych is holding talks with the opposition after demonstrations and violence continued. Demonstrators briefly occupied the energy ministry in Kiev and fires burned in the streets throughout the night. In a growing crisis for the government, demonstrators …

Middle East: Syrian representatives are threatening to pull out of peace talks with the rebel opposition as both sides refuse to meet face to face. >A car bomb outside the police headquarters in central Cairo this morning killed four people …

Syria: Peace talks in Switzerland immediately stumbled over the continued tenure of President Bashar al-Assad. Secy. of State John Kerry said Assad could not be part of a negotiated interim government and that, “The right to lead a country does …

Sochi: A local Russian website says police and security officers are searching for a known female terrorist identified as Ruzana Ibragimova, 22, who may have been seen in Sochi, site of the Winter Olympics. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he …

Deep Freeze: It’s 5 degrees in Green Bay, Wisc., where the Packers meet the 49ers on Lambeau Field this afternoon. Bone crunching. The lowest temperatures in almost 20 years are spreading into the Northern and Central US today, bringing wind …

Women to the Front: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is expected to announce today that he is lifting the ban on women in combat. It may take until 2016 to integrate women into all aspects of the military, including front …

National: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became somewhat emotional this morning testifying about the attack on the Benghazi consulate. “For me, this is not just a matter of policy, it’s personal,” she said.  So far there have been no revelations …