Polish activists pull down statue of priest in abuse protest

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Activists in Poland pulled down a statue of a priest early Thursday after increasing allegations that he sexually abused minors, a stunt they said was to protest the failure of the Polish Catholic Church in resolving the problem of clergy sex abuse. The protest comes as Pope Francis...

Pope opens sex abuse summit amid outcry from survivors

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis warned bishops and religious superiors summoned Thursday to a landmark sex abuse prevention summit that the Catholic faithful are demanding more than just condemnation of the crimes but concrete action to respond to the scandal. Francis opened the four-day summit by telling...

The Latest: Pope demands bishops act now to end sex abuse

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Latest on the Vatican's conference on dealing with sex abuse by priests (all times local): 9:20 a.m. Pope Francis has warned bishops and religious superiors summoned to a landmark sex abuse prevention summit that the Catholic faithful around the world are demanding more than just...

Pope Francis opens sex abuse summit by warning bishops the faithful want concrete action, not just condemnation

German police raid 16 homes of suspected Islamic extremists

BERLIN (AP) — German police are searching 16 homes of alleged Islamic extremists in central and western Germany. Frankfurt prosecutor Nadja Niesen said Thursday that authorities were acting on the suspicion that the extremists were planning an attack. Niesen said she could not give any further details...

Catalan secessionists block highways, train tracks in strike

MADRID (AP) — Strikers advocating for Catalonia to secede from Spain are blocking major highways, train tracks and roads across the northeastern region. Thursday's general strike has been organized by unions of pro-independence workers and students. On paper, they are demanding improved social policies...

Vatican's legal procedures for handling sex abuse, explained

VATICAN CITY (AP) — For centuries, the Vatican's canon law system busied itself with banning books and dispensing punishments that included burnings at the stake for heretics. These days, the Vatican office that eventually replaced the Roman Catholic Inquisition is knee-deep in processing clergy sex abuse...

Feds: Coast Guard lieutenant compiled hit list of lawmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Coast Guard lieutenant who was arrested last week is a "domestic terrorist" who drafted an email discussing biological attacks and had what appeared to be a hit list that included prominent Democrats and media figures, prosecutors said in court papers. Christopher Paul Hasson is due to...

Where the investigations related to President Trump stand

Where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him: WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT? Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation. Trump also plays a central role in a...

Commodities giant Glencore to cap coal output over climate

BERLIN (AP) — Commodities giant Glencore said Wednesday it will cap how much coal it mines amid shareholder pressure for it to help reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases. The move is a sharp reversal for a company that has long championed the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, and which recently...