All eyes turned to the European Central Bank Monday following the resounding 'No' in Greece's referendum, as it is seen as the only institution capable of stemming market panic and preventing the Greek economy from collapsing.

In Sunday's referendum, more than 61 percent of Greeks rejected creditor demands for further austerity in return for more bailout funds, sending Greece's eurozone partners scrambling to respond. 

The number of Cubans heading to the U.S. has surged in the months since the historic thaw in bilateral relations -- a swell experts attribute to uncertainty over the future of U.S. policy that favors such travelers.

According to the U.S. Customs Department, 9,371 Cuban migrants came into the U.S. between January and March, more than twice the number from the same period in 2014.

Despite a two-year campaign, Egypt is facing an increasingly powerful and sophisticated insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula and the jihadist hotbed is emerging as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's biggest challenge.

The arid and rugged peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip has long been a breeding ground for militancy, especially from Bedouin tribes who have complained of being marginalized by Cairo.

The buildings that will become U.S. and Cuban embassies in their neighbor's respective capitals on July 20 have seen over five decades of Cold War protests, provocations and strains.

Now, with the longtime enemies finally putting aside all that enmity, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro have exchanged letters agreeing to restore full diplomatic ties.

No matter what the political outcome of the current Greek debt crisis, in practical terms Greece will find it very difficult to turn its back on the euro.

On Sunday the Greek nation goes to the polls in what European leaders say is effectively a vote on whether or not to stay in the eurozone.

Iran's president has been pursuing a nuclear agreement for two years but even if a deal is reached Hassan Rouhani and his government will soon face mounting political pressure at home.

Having sought to end the nuclear crisis -- and with it the international sanctions that have paralyzed Iran's economy -- Rouhani's fate is often seen as inextricably linked to the negotiations.

The Islamic State group's "caliphate" enters its second year Monday with the jihadists expanding their territory in Syria and Iraq and their global reach by claiming attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait.

The extremist group headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced on June 29, 2014 that it was reviving a form of Islamic government known as the "caliphate", pledging it would "remain and expand".

By snubbing a bailout deal and slapping capital controls on its banks Greece has set a course into choppy, uncharted waters that could lead to fresh economic upheaval and a euro exit.

After five months of torturous negotiations and just days away from a default, Greece's radical leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras threw the political equivalent of a curve ball by calling a referendum on the bailout proposals for next Sunday.

Just three months after an attack on the National Bardo Museum, Tunisia is reeling from an even deadlier attack on tourists, raising questions about its ability to counter the jihadist threat.

Friday's assault by a Tunisian student at a popular resort at Port El Kantaoui that killed 38 people illustrates the complexity of the challenges ahead for Tunisia four years after its revolution.

Saudi Arabia is pursuing its own nuclear projects and building alliances to counter Iran, which is days away from a potential atomic deal Riyadh fears could further destabilize the region.

The United States and other major powers will hold weekend talks with Iran in Vienna, aiming to finalize by Tuesday an agreement to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon.