Britain’s Margaret Thatcher died Monday at 87 from a stroke. Thatcher, also known as the Iron Lady, was the first and only female prime minister. She ruled for 11 years. Queen Elizabeth II authorized a ceremonial funeral to be held for Thatcher at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London with next week with military honors.

Read the full story here.

Secretary of State John Kerry worked Monday to bring peace between Israel and Palestine. Kerry’s peace plan includes the revival of a pervious plan that was first embraced by the Arab world back in 2002. The initiative states Israel gets recognition throughout the Arab world in exchange for a pullout from territory conquered in 1967. Kerry’s first goal is to restart peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Read the full story here.

A suicide car bomber hit Monday in the financial heart of the Syrian capital. The blast killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more. The bomb also damaged a central bank, several cars and other structures in the neighborhood. This attack was the most recent in a series of bombings in Damascus during the Syrian civil war. Rebel fighters hope to close in on President Bashar Assad’s power in the capital. The civil war has been going on for about two years.

North Korea said Monday it would stop operations in a factory complex, which it has jointly run with South Korea. The suspension of work will result in the pull out of more than 53,000 North Korean workers. North Korean officials closer in cutting its economic ties with its southern rival as tensions deepen. South Korean officials are mainly concerned with the North’s recent nuclear threats and rocket launches.

The World Health Organization is talking with the Chinese government about sending international experts to China. These experts will investigate a new strain of the bird flu that has made 24 people ill and killed seven. This virus was not previously known to infect humans. WHO hopes to research the flu in an attempt to contain it and prevent mass outbreaks.

All information is from The Associated Press.

Contact Maura Zurick at