Barbara Demick

Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old contractor identified as the source of leaks about the U.S. electronic surveillance program, apparently checked out of his Hong Kong hotel at midday Monday, his destination and whereabouts unknown.

At precisely 9 a.m. Monday in Boston, Lingzi posted a photograph on her Chinese microblog page of a plate of bread and vegetables, next to a smiley face and a caption that read, "My wonderful breakfast!" It might have been her last meal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the mercurial strongman who styled himself as a "Dear Leader" while ruling over an impoverished police state, died at 69, according to North Korean state media.