World News

Pope Francis attends a session of the two-week synod at the Vatican that wrapped up over the weekend. The usually predictable event produced a robust debate among the bishops on how the Catholic Church should deal with gays as well as Catholics who are di

Catholic Synod Highlights Divisions, Sets Stage For Future Battles

2:29pm October 21, 2014

by Sylvia Poggioli

Roman Catholic bishops openly addressed hot-button topics that included questions about gays and Catholics who are divorced or remarried. Rarely has a synod attracted such attention.

Queue Listen Now

Jeffrey Fowle, an American who had been detained in North Korea, spoke to The Associated Press last month in Pyongyang. Fowle was released by North Korean authorities and flown back to the U.S. on Tuesday.

American Freed After Months Of Detention In North Korea

2:19pm October 21, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Jeffrey Fowle was arrested in June for allegedly leaving a Bible in his North Korean hotel room. Americans Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae remain in custody.

A scrap-wood sculpture of a man holding an umbrella is the contemporary equivalent of the "Goddess of Democracy." The umbrella became a symbol of the democracy demonstrations after protesters used them to block police pepper spray and tear gas attacks lat

World News

A Hong Kong Protest Camp Spawns Its Own Art

12:56pm October 21, 2014

by Frank Langfitt

Pro-democracy street art inspired by sources ranging from Les Miserables to John Lennon fill an open-air museum of sorts that has cropped up in Hong Kong.

French energy giant Total CEO Christophe de Margerie, posing prior to a press conference held in Paris on Feb. 13, 2013.

World News

CEO Of French Oil Giant Total Dies In Plane Accident

12:39pm October 21, 2014

by Sam Sanders

Christophe de Margerie, 63, and three other people died when his private plane collided with a snowplow at an airport in Moscow.

Protesters rail outside the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on opening night of the opera "The Death of Klinghoffer" on Monday in New York.

Opera About 1985 Achille Lauro Hijacking Draws Protests At Met

11:29am October 21, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was among those who denounced The Death of Klinghoffer by John Adams, calling it anti-Semitic and anti-Israel.

Hong Kong Federation of Students council members attend a meeting with senior Hong Kong government officials in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

World News

Hong Kong Leader Hints At Concessions As Talks With Students Begin

11:21am October 21, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying says his government cannot allow open nominations for his successor, but suggests there's room for compromise on the makeup of a committee to select candidates.

Aza Betwata (left) and his brother Mirwan (center) left Holland to join the Kurdish peshmerga fighting against ISIS militants in northern Iraq. Though the brothers come from a family of fighters, Aza had just two days of training — his brother must show

World News

Kurds Leave Life In Europe To Fight ISIS In Their Iraqi Homeland

9:33am October 21, 2014

by Alice Fordham

Until August, 24-year-old Aza Betwata was in Holland, enjoying beef and cabbage and studying to be a social worker. Now, he's among the hundreds of exiled Kurds who have returned and taken up arms.

Queue Listen Now

South African track star Oscar Pistorius is sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for the fatal shooting of his girlfriend.

Oscar Pistorius Gets 5 Years In Prison For Killing Girlfriend

9:09am October 21, 2014

by Dana Farrington

The Olympian was convicted of culpable homicide last month — rather than a more serious charge of premeditated murder — for the 2013 fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp in his home.

World News

How To Pick An English Name (Tip: Stay Away From Food)

8:16am October 21, 2014

China Central Television has a guide for helping people pick alternative English names for those studying the language or working for international firms. Among its warnings: "Many Chinese like to pick names that are in fact, not names."

Queue Listen Now

U.S. And Japan Hit Snag In Major Trade Pact Negotiations

8:16am October 21, 2014

by Jackie Northam

Japanese and American negotiators have been trying to shore up an agreement on agriculture and automobile tariffs. The two allies are the biggest players in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which, if passed, could pull together 12 nations in one trade pact. But talks haven't been going well lately.

Queue Listen Now