Peter Kenyon

As civilians continue to pour out of Syria, some countries are pushing back and telling the refugees they aren't welcome. Bulgaria has been particularly harsh, according to Human Rights Watch.

The Atlanta rapper who has become an influential figure in hip-hop and pop over the last couple of years says he wants to quiet the club with his songs.

Turkey has been roiled by street protests, a Twitter ban controversy and, most recently, a growing rivalry between the ruling party's top two figures, the president and prime minister.

As Ukraine seeks international help to bring Crimea back from Russian control, residents of Odessa watching warily. The historic Black Sea port has been conquered repeatedly throughout history.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have left Moscow on the outs with Germany, France, Britain and the U.S. Those countries are partnered with Russia in talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

With the Crimean peninsula effectively controlled by Russia, Ukrainian officials worry about another Black Sea port, Odessa. Ukraine fears this area with a Russian minority could be a tempting target.

A former prime minister and a candy billionaire lead the pack of presidential contenders for the May election. One big question is whether voters in Crimea, which Russia now controls, will have a say.

Even before Russia's annexation of Crimea, residents began fleeing the area. Volunteers in Kiev and elsewhere in Ukraine have offered their homes to displaced women, children and military families.

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to a large bailout for Ukraine's struggling economy, but the austerity measures that come with it will have a severe impact on the population.

A Turkish court is trying to ban Twitter, setting off condemnation of the government's increasingly heavy hand and prompting Turks to find a workaround for the social media site.

The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, including the U.S., drew to a close in Vienna, Austria. Both sides were relieved to avoid any dust-ups and plan to meet again in April.

At issue in Iran nuclear talks is a heavy water reactor the country is building. Iran says it wants the reactor for medical research, but the West is worried that such reactors can produce plutonium.

With the clock ticking on a six-month deal to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing economic sanctions, negotiators from Iran and world powers meet this week in Vienna.

The minority Tatar population is watching as pro-Russian sentiment builds in Crimea. Turkey has ties to Crimea's Tatars but it can't do much to help for fear of jeopardizing ties with Moscow.

With no end in sight to the Ukraine crisis, Russian lawmakers say they're considering a bill to make it easier for ethnic Russians and other Ukrainians to obtain Russian passports.

Russian President Putin says that there are no extra Russian troops in Crimea — but that claim is being disputed by officials and journalists, who speak of soldiers fanning out across the peninsula.

Ukrainian troops have been inside their bases in Crimea with sizable numbers of Russian troops and Crimean self-defense units blocking the entrances.

Vladimir Putin orders tens of thousands of troops in military exercises near Ukraine to pull back. Thousands of Russian servicemen control border crossings and block military bases inside Crimea.

Not everyone in Crimea is happy with recent events. Muslim Tatars, who'd lived there for centuries, were exiled by Stalin and could only return with the fall of Communism. Now, the Russians are back.

Attention is focusing on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin will stop at Crimea or order his troops into eastern Ukraine, which also has a sizable pro-Russian population.