AP National News

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis appeared with a significant bruise on his chin Saturday, but presided over a ceremony to install new cardinals without apparent problems. The Vatican said later Saturday that the bruise was caused by a contusion on Friday morning, when Francis his a night stand with his chin. The pontiff, who

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says the U.S. should avoid engaging militarily in Syria, where an opposition offensive is threatening the rule of the country’s Russian- and Iran-allied leader. Trump’s first extensive comments on the dramatic rebel push came Saturday via his social media website. National security adviser Jake Sullivan separately said

BERLIN (AP) — The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland have strongly condemned “the disproportionate use of force” against peaceful protesters and the targeting of the opposition and media representatives in Georgia. Mass protests there fueled by the governing party’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union entered a second week on

PARIS (AP) — Notre Dame is reopening its doors for the first time since a fire five years ago nearly destroyed the beloved 12th-century cathedral. World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers are gathering Saturday in Paris to celebrate the restoration of the landmark widely considered a pinnacle of French architectural heritage. Saturday’s events began with Archbishop

Authorities in Azerbaijan have detained six journalists on smuggling charges. The independent Azerbaijani news outlet Meydan TV, whose website has been blocked in Azerbaijan since 2019, says five of the journalists are its employees. It described a sixth person as an independent reporter. Meydan TV, which is headquartered in Berlin, has complained of harassment by

Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Milan’s famed Teatro alla Scala presents Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” for its gala season premiere Saturday for the first time in 59 years, seeking to shake the opera’s reputation for bringing bad luck. The premiere is a highlight of the Milan cultural calendar, attracting top figures from the

Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian prosecutors have conducted raids linked to an man suspected of illegally financing a campaign to promote Calin Georgescu’s presidential run. It comes after the country’s top court annulled the elections in which the far-right candidate had won the first round. The raids at three properties in the central

LONDON (AP) — A man died and hundreds of thousands of people in Britain and Ireland were left without power Saturday as high winds and heavy rain battered the region. Gusts of up to 93 miles per hour were recorded as officials sent a rare emergency alert by phone to about 3 million households in

AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Weighted blankets are a popular choice to warm up in cold weather, but research on their effectiveness is limited. Such blankets come with extra heft in the form of glass beads, pellets or cotton. They’re also more expensive than regular blankets. Scientists think the added pressure could calm

Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The far-right Alternative for Germany party has presented its candidate for chancellor in the country’s upcoming election. In practice, Alice Weidel has no chance of taking the chancellery as other parties refuse to work with the populist party. But Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which was founded in 2013, has

Associated Press PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani official says armed men killed six security personnel and wounded seven in a checkpoint attack in the northwest. The assault happened in Kurram district, where fierce sectarian fighting has killed at least 130 people during the past few weeks. A ceasefire between the area’s Sunni and Shiite

Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days. Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Denmark has delivered a second batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. In a message on Telegram, Zelenskyy praised Denmark and lamented a lack of dedication from other allies. The announcement comes as Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region marks a day of mourning for 10 people killed in a

Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion and fire rocked a neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague on Saturday, killing three people and injuring other people and destroying several apartments, according to authorities. The cause of the disaster was unclear. Mayor Jan van Zanen said investigators were looking into “all possibilities.”

Associated Press ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Voting has officially closed in most polling centres throughout Ghana, bringing to an end the presidential and legislative elections poised to be a litmus test for democracy in a region shaken by extremist violence and coups. The capital, Accra, was almost a ghost town for much of the day

Associated Press MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan high school choir performs its annual holiday concert not near a Christmas tree, but rather in it. The Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree is set to wrap up its 40th year with two shows on Saturday at the Frauenthal Center in Muskegon. The 67-foot-tall, tree-shaped structure features

Associated Press ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday installed 21 new cardinals, many of whom are key figures in his reform agenda: A Dominican preacher who acted as the spiritual father for Francis’ recent gathering of bishops, a Neapolitan “street priest” like himself, and a Peruvian bishop who has strongly backed his crackdown on

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer likely left New York City on a bus soon after the brazen ambush that has shaken corporate America, police officials said. But he left something behind: a backpack that was discovered in Central Park. Nearly four days

AP Health Writers For years, patients in the U.S. health care system have grown frustrated with a bureaucracy they don’t understand. Doctors are included in an insurer’s network one year but not the next. Getting someone on the phone to help can be next to impossible. Coverage of care and prescriptions is often unceremoniously denied.