President Obama will sign an executive order establishing a presidential commission to investigate the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, an administration official said on May 17.

U.S. oil prices fell a fifth straight session and settled at a five-month low on May 17 as the dollar surged against the euro and energy markets fretted over swollen U.S. oil inventories and signs that China's growth may have peaked.

Plans to announce a curfew have been put on hold, but all schools and government offices in Bangkok will be closed on May 17 as chaos continues to wrack the capital.

Britain's two busiest airports have closed as a volcanic ash cloud drifts further south, threatening major disruption to many thousands of people.

A recount of votes in the Iraqi election found no change in seat allocation for any of the blocs in the most populous province, Baghdad, officials said on May 16.

Al Qaeda in Iraq has named replacements for the top leaders killed in a U.S-Iraqi raid north of Baghdad in April, according to a statement posted on jihadist Web sites on May 16.

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said troops will "push forward" with an operation to end an anti-government protest in the heart of Bangkok. He said military intervention was the only way to end the protest.

Parts of British airspace may have to close from May 16 until May 18 due to volcanic ash from Iceland, the government said on May 15.

Police in Pakistan say at least 60 people have been kidnapped by suspected militants in the country's volatile north-west tribal region.

A court in eastern China on May 15 sentenced a man to death for attacking 29 kindergarten students and three teachers with a knife, state-run media Xinhua reported.