Under fire from Republicans over rising gasoline prices, the White House on Tuesday highlighted factors beyond its control for gains in global oil markets, as it sought to deflect blame over a potentially damaging election-year issue.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it had failed to secure an agreement with Iran during two days of talks over disputed atomic activities and that the Islamic Republic had rejected a request to visit a key military site.

Mitt Romney's future hangs in the balance. In one week's time he could either be restored as the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race or be left staring into a political abyss.

Hundreds of opposition supporters clashed with Senegalese security forces in the capital on Tuesday as European Union observers criticised a ban on protests and an African envoy jetted in to try and stem rising violence.

The United States appeared to open the door to eventually arming Syria's opposition, saying that if a political solution to the crisis was impossible it might have to consider other options.

Indonesian police stormed a prison on the resort island of Bali on Wednesday to regain control after inmates took over and set part of it on fire in a riot during which at least two prisoners were shot and wounded, officials said.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said on Monday its security forces would use "an iron fist" to end violence in a Shi'ite Muslim area of the country and defended its tactics against what it called foreign-backed troublemakers.

Police and militia patrols fanned out in the Syrian capital's Mezze district on Sunday to prevent more protests like those that have threatened President Bashar al-Assad's grip on Damascus.

Syrian government forces, disregarding U.N. condemnation, renewed their bombardment of the opposition stronghold of Homs as a Chinese minister arrived for talks with embattled President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday.

The chairman of the London 2012 Olympics said on Thursday that the Olympic committee needed to encourage more inclusiveness by countries that failed to send women to the games but cautioned that "sport is not the panacea for all ills."