07/23/2015 5:24 pm ET Sixty big-city mayors from around the world gathered at the Vatican this week to discuss their role in addressing climate change. Mayors often play an unheralded role in reducing carbon emissions.

07/23/2015 6:01 pm ET In an age when much of aerial combat seems to involve pilotless drones, it may be difficult to comprehend the dangers of military flying. Vietnam tested many pilots, including Sen. John McCain and one Monitor reporter.

07/23/2015 2:55 pm ET The overtures to the Brotherhood included a visit to the kingdom by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, whose offices in Qatar were closed just in January at the Saudis' behest.

07/23/2015 3:52 pm ET NASA announced Thursday that its planet-hunting mission, Kepler, has found an exoplanet that very closely resembles our own. 

07/23/2015 12:24 pm ET Anticipation of President Obama's visit has been high in his ancestral home, where he is seen as a rare example of success from the politically sidelined region. But news that he will not make a stop here has left many disappointed.

07/21/2015 8:39 am ET Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, continues to pillory US 'arrogance.' But the nuclear deal offers a possible path forward toward greater cooperation, analysts say.

• 'Great Satan' and 'axis of evil' no more? How US, Iran show similarities (+video)
• The Monitor's View After Iran, is North Korea next?
• Iran nuclear deal 101: five big questions answered

07/22/2015 7:33 pm ET A new strain of rice produces more and larger grains and reduces methane emissions from rice farming, perhaps the largest human-based source of the greenhouse gas. But it's genetically modified, which could lead to a backlash.

07/22/2015 5:42 pm ET The improving US-Cuba relationship is still fraught with challenges. One of the toughest is control of Guantánamo Bay. But another US-Latin American power play from the past could offer lessons.

07/22/2015 3:41 pm ET Arson and assaults targeting immigrants have become nearly a daily occurrence in Germany – even as the country seeks more workers to offset its demographic 'gray bomb.'

07/22/2015 11:51 am ET The Saudi-backed government of President Hadi has a foothold now in Aden. It must provide Yemen's urgent needs and restore its legitimacy after sitting out months of war in exile.

07/22/2015 2:11 pm ET Existing home sales rose 3.2 percent to a 5.49 million annualized pace in June as stable job prospects and a much-improved economy encouraged buyers. But thanks to shifting demographics and the lingering effects of the housing crash, more Americans are still renting than they have in decades. 

07/22/2015 9:46 am ET A briefing on what China wants: It speaks of a 'peaceful rise' in Asia and of binding the region with liberal markets. But it's creating military bases and throwing sharp elbows far below its own territory.

• Beijing's push on South China Sea rattles Pacific nations