August 28th 4:09 am ET

International

UN chemical experts leave Damascus hotel
U.N. chemical weapons experts who are investigating an alleged poison gas attack near Damascus have left their hotel.

Thin veneer of normalcy in Syria's wartime capital

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 file photo, Syrians swim in a pool in Damascus. Even in the capital of a country torn by civil war, Syrians have to find some way to enjoy themselves on a hot summer weekend. So the pool at a Damascus luxury pool was packed. The children splaying in the water paid no attention to the frequent thump of artillery and shells from fighting on the city outskirts. The veneer of normalcy is thin in Damascus, the stronghold of President Bashar Assad's rule, after more than 2 1/2 years of bloodshed.(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Even in the capital of a country torn apart by civil war, Syrians have to find some way to enjoy themselves on a hot summer weekend.

Peace Palace marks centenary as Syria strikes loom
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is celebrating the centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague, even as major world powers appear to be moving toward punitive military strikes against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad for what the United States and its allies say was a deadly chemical weapons attack last week.

Officials: Attacks kill at least 51 people in Iraq
Iraqi officials say a coordinated wave of bombings that mainly struck Shiite neighborhoods in and around Baghdad has killed at least 51 people.

US, allies going beyond UN to justify Syria action
The United States and its allies are looking beyond the painfully divided U.N. Security Council to legitimize military action against Syria, trying to build a cohesive rationale for a strike and win broad international backing.

Russia evacuates citizens from Syria
Russia has evacuated dozens of its citizens from Syria as the country's foreign minister warns that a military intervention by the U.S. and its allies would destabilize the region.

Fukushima crisis new blow to fishermen's hopes
Fumio Suzuki, a third-generation fisherman, sets out into the Pacific Ocean every seven weeks. Not to catch fish that he can sell but to catch fish that can be tested for radiation.

Afghan army seen improving, but public fears mount
Hamida Gulistani was getting ready to leave home for her office when she heard the crack of gunfire. What she saw as she peered through the steel gates of her house deepened her fears about the future of her country.

Iran to debate suing US over 1953 coup support
Iran's parliament has approved fast tracking debate on a bill that seeks to sue the U.S. for its involvement in the 1953 coup that overthrew the country's democratically elected prime minister.

Cairo nighttime curfew sparks defiance and boredom
In every corner of the Egyptian capital, a bustling city of 18 million that rarely sleeps, people are locked up in their homes at night under a military-imposed curfew that has driven people up the walls, sometimes literally.