Top 5 at 5: International stories

Inmates' relatives stood at the gates of the prison in Comayagua after a fire swept through the prison early Wednesday. (Fernando Antonio/Associated Press) Each day, we bring you a list of Top 5 stories. Sometimes they're the most read stories of the day, other times we focus on a specific region or category.

Today, we bring you the five most-viewed stories from the CBC World page.

1. Honduras prison fire kills hundreds


A fire started by an inmate tore through a severely overcrowded Honduran prison, burning and suffocating inmates in their locked cells and killing as many as 356 people in one of the world's deadliest prison fires in a century, authorities said Wednesday.


2. Iran trying to 'distract attention' from sanctions


The United States says Iran is lashing out at the world to "distract attention" from the damage that international sanctions are having at home.


3. Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday


Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child, her family choosing to remember her in a private service rather than in a large event at an arena.


4. Syria's Assad calls for vote but steps up assault


As Syrian forces stepped up their assault Wednesday on rebellious cities, President Bashar al-Assad ordered a referendum on a new constitution that would create a multiparty system in a country that has been ruled by his autocratic family dynasty for 40 years.


5. Mormons baptize parents of Jewish Nazi-hunter


Mormon church leaders apologized to the family of Holocaust survivor and Jewish rights advocate Simon Wiesenthal after his parents were posthumously baptized, a controversial ritual that Mormons believe allows deceased people a way to the afterlife but offends members of many other religions.