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U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as concerns escalated about Iraq and after disappointing economic data on retail sales and jobless claims. The three major U.S. stock indexes ended off their session lows. With the day's decline, though, the S&P 500 was down for three straight sessions for the first time since early April. The Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 100 points for the second day in a row.   true       Hours after ethnic Kurdish forces took control of the oil hub of Kirkuk after the Shi'ite-led government's troops abandoned their posts, President class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Barack Obama was asked if he might order drone strikes or other action to halt the insurgency that has seized much of northern Iraq this week. Obama told reporters that he refused to rule out U.S. action in Iraq against Sunni Islamist militants who have surged out of the north toward Baghdad, threatening to divide the country and establish their own jihadist state.

Six dancers who defected over the weekend from the famed National Ballet of class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Cuba appeared in Miami on Tuesday and said they planned to pursue careers in the United States. "The dancers defected because they need personal freedom and opportunity in their career," said Pedro Pablo Peña, founder of the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, a nonprofit dance organization. "It's a short career. Here they'll at least get paid more than they do in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Cuba ," he added. It was the second major defection of Cuban ballet dancers in the United States in a little more than 12 months, though none are principals or soloists. Cuba is one of the world’s top producers of ballet talent but dancers are restricted from working abroad and some leave the island frustrated by lack of opportunity, and high paying salaries. At a press conference in Miami on Tuesday, the six dancers, aged between 21 and

A French court breached freedom of expression laws when it censured the glossy magazine Paris Match in 2005 for class="mandelbrot_refrag"> publishing photos and an article about the illegitimate son of Prince Albert of Monaco, Europe's human rights court ruled on Thursday. _0"> The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights ruled that the article in which "Ms C" alleged that the ruler of Monaco had fathered her son, and photos of the prince with the child, fell outside the sphere of private life protected by French law. "As this was an issue of political significance, the court found that the public had a legitimate interest in knowing of the child's existence and being able to conduct a debate on the possible implications for political life in the Principality of Monaco," the court wrote.   true       Prince Albert II is the head of the centuries-old House of Grimaldi and son of the late Prince Rainier III and actress Grace

Soccer fans visiting Recife for the World Cup may be unaware that the city is not just famous for football - it is also one of the most dangerous places in the world to swim due to the risk of shark attacks. Supporters strolling on the sandy beaches of the city, which will host five World Cup matches, are being met by a forest of warning signs in English and Portuguese, and newly-built watchtowers where lifeguards keep a close eye on bathers. The Boa Viagem beach suffers a high number of shark attacks and an above-average number of fatalities, and local authorities are keen to avoid any incidents with unsuspecting soccer fans during the World Cup. "In the 20 kilometers of beach we have in the state of Pernambuco, we have an atypical concentration of sharks, above the world average," local lifeguard captain Helder Silva told Reuters in an interview at one of the many watchtowers along the shore. "Across these 20 kilometers of coastline we’ve had 59 incidents over 21

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie appeared together on Thursday at a global summit on ending sexual violence in conflict, in a show of celebrity power that British Foreign Secretary William Hague said was helping put a spotlight on the issue of rape as a weapon of war. Dressed in black, Pitt and Jolie flanked Hague at the opening of the third day of a four-day summit in London that is the culmination of two years' joint work by the actress and Hague. Up to 1,200 government ministers, officials, activists and members of judiciaries and militaries from more than 120 countries are at the summit that aims to find practical steps to punish those responsible for sex violence and help victims.   true       Hague said his partnership with Oscar-winning Jolie, special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), had put the issue of sexual violence in conflict on the world agenda and was an example of how foreign policy could be conducted in the future. "She brings what gov