Pope Wishes Christmas Peace for Those Scarred by War, Terror
VATICAN CITY — Decrying the suffering in Syria, Pope Francis on Sunday wished Christmas peace and hope for all those scarred by war and terrorism, which he said is sowing "fear and death in the heart of many countries and cities."
Syria-Bound Russian Jet Goes Missing Over Black Sea
MOSCOW — A Russian Tu-154 aircraft with 91 people aboard, including a famed military band on the way to Syria, disappeared Sunday over the Black Sea shortly after takeoff from the resort town of Sochi, the Defense ministry said.
Singaporean Blogger-Activist Detained in US while Appealing for Asylum
SINGAPORE — A Singaporean teenager whose video posts and blogs mocking his government and its late founder landed him in jail twice has been detained in the U.S. where he is seeking asylum, his lawyer and a human rights group said Saturday.
Star Wars Actress Carrie Fisher Remains in Intensive Care Unit
LOS ANGELES — "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher is receiving treatment in an intensive care unit after suffering a medical emergency on a flight Friday, according to her brother.
Berlin Market Suspect Killed in Milan
MILAN — Italian news agency ANSA says a man killed in a shootout with police in Milan is the main suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack.
A Look at Christmas Inside North Korea
PYONGYANG, North Korea — If Santa Claus stops in North Korea this year, he'll find some trees and lights and might even hear a Christmas song or two. But he won't encounter even a hint of what Christmas actually means – not under a regime that sees foreign religion a very real threat.
Cambodia Seizes Ivory, Cheetah Bones Shipped from Mozambique
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has made one of its biggest seizures ever of smuggled animal parts, including more than a ton of ivory, a wildlife protection group said Thursday.
Pope Probes Order of Malta Ouster Over Old Condom Scandal
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis launched an investigation Thursday into the ouster of a top official at the Order of Malta, the ancient aristocratic religious order, amid evidence that Francis' own envoy to the group engineered the removal without his blessing over a years-old condom scandal.
Officials say Fingerprints Tie Tunisian to Berlin Attack
BERLIN — German officials presented mounting evidence Thursday that Anis Amri was behind the wheel of a truck that smashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12, as authorities across Europe pressed ahead with their feverish manhunt for the 24-year-old Tunisian, who has evaded capture since the attack.
Christmas Day Bomb Plot Foiled, 5 Detained in Australia
CANBERRA, Australia — Police in Australia have detained five men suspected of planning a series of Christmas Day bomb attacks in the heart of the country's second-largest city, officials said Friday.
