From Washington,this is VOA News.

A U.S. judge says the government's secret collection of telephone records from millions of Americans is likely unconstitutional.

In an effort to prevent another terrorist attack on the US, the National Security Agency has for years been collecting a vast stockpile of the telephone numbers people have called, as well as the dates and lengths of those calls, although not their content.

But on Monday, Judge Richard Leon in Washington said he "cannot imagine a more indiscriminate and arbitrary invasion" of peoples' privacy.

Former U.S. national security contractor Edward Snowden leaked information about the telephone data collection earlier this year.

At the White House on Monday, spokesman Jay Carney was asked about Snowden,"Mr Snowden has been accused of leaking classified information and he faces felony charges here in the United States. He should be returned to the United States as soon as possible, where he will be accorded full due process and protections in our system. So that's our position and it has not changed."

Snowden is now living in Mosco.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir says soldiers allied with the former vice president of attempting a coup in the capital Juba but were foiled by government forces.

Get the story now from VOA east African correspondent Gabe Joselow.

In a press conference in the capital Monday, President Kiir said a group of soldiers allied with former Vice President Riek Machar launched an attack late Sunday at army headquarters.
 
Witnesses reported hearing heavy bouts of gunfire and explosions in the capital into Monday morning.
 
The president said the government now has the situation under control.

Machar, who has announced his ambitions to run for president, was dismissed from his position in July as part of an overall Cabinet reshuffle.

Gabe Joselow VOA News NAIROBI.

Iraqi officials say car bombs targeted Shi'ite pilgrims near Baghdad as Iraq-wide violence killed at least 65 people Monday.

More than 55 people were wounded in the attack.

Meantime, in the northern city of Mosul, militants gunned down 11 Shi'ite pilgrims on a bus when they were travelling to Karbala.

And in the northern city of Tikrit, three suicide bombers set off explosive belts in a bid to break into the city council building.They killed two civilians.

A group of suicide bombers attacked the city of Beiji, killing at least eight policemen. Several bombings across Baghdad killed 11 others.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has cited armed conflict in Syria and the Central African Republic as the two most serious crises facing United Nations agencies.

At a news conference Monday in New York, Mr. Ban demanded a cease-fire in Syria before peace talks between the government and opposition begin in Geneva next month.

He also spoke about the new appeal for more money to help UN provide a in Syria.

"The 2014 appeal for Syria launched today in Geneva is the biggest in the history of the United Nations: $6.5 billion to meet needs inside Syria and to help the more than 2 million people who have fled the country."

Mr. Ban also spoke about the situation in Central African Republic.

"I am gravely concerned about the imminent danger of mass atrocities. I call on the country’s transitional authorities to protect people. I appeal to religious and community leaders to prevent polarization. I welcome the deployment of African and French troops, which is already making a difference."

France has deployed 1,600 troops to the C.A.R as part of a U.N.-authorized mission to stabilize the landlocked country, which has been ravaged by a cycle of revenge killings between Muslims and Christians.

Ireland has announced it now can finance its government without help from its neighbors in the euro currency bloc.

Ireland received the last portion of its $93 billion bailout last week, and Prime Minister told his nation Sunday that Ireland is "moving in the right direction."

Ireland was forced to accept the rescue package in 2010 after borrowers defaulted on a wide collection of real estate loans, overwhelming the Irish economy.