ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – The latest on the war in Syria, including Russian warplane shot down by Turkey. All times local: 12:23 p.m. Syria’s army is confirming that it has rescued a Russian pilot whose plane was shot down by Turkey in an overnight “qualitative” joint operation with Russian forces. …

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Pope Francis wants to bring a message of peace and reconciliation to an Africa torn by extremist violence, but security concerns are so high that he might be forced to make changes to his itinerary for the final leg of the trip. Francis left Wednesday for …

BEIJING (AP) – The killings of Chinese citizens by Islamic militants in Syria and Mali place President Xi Jinping in a quandary: How can Beijing respond effectively without betraying its strict stance against intervention? The dilemma underscores the tension between China’s desire to be seen as a leading global power …

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is attending a summit of southeast European leaders on Wednesday that focuses on tensions and security concerns over a surge of asylum-seekers and migrants crossing the region. Biden’s trip comes amid a debate in the U.S. about whether to admit Syrian …

BRUSSELS (AP) – The latest on the attacks in Paris and security alert in Brussels: 11:45 a.m. The Belgian government has ordered health and emergency services in Belgium to take special precautionary measures to make sure their services are not infiltrated by violent extremists. Health Minister Maggie De Block told …

NEW YORK (AP) – Your phone is getting better and better at protecting your privacy. But Uncle Sam isn’t totally comfortable with that, because it’s also complicating the work of tracking criminals and potential national-security threats. For decades, tech companies have steadily expanded the use of encryption – a data-scrambling …

WASHINGTON (AP) – One of the key technologies that could help wean the globe off fossil fuel is probably at your fingertips or in your pocket right now: the battery. If batteries can get better, cheaper and store more power safely, then electric cars and solar- or wind- powered homes …