JERUSALEM (AP) – Four Palestinians were killed on Thursday, among them three who Israel said were carrying out attacks on soldiers in the West Bank, the latest in a three month-long wave of unrelenting Israeli-Palestinian violence. The four separate incidents came as revelers were gathering in the West Bank city …

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) – Christian faithful from around the world descended Thursday on the biblical city of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, as an outburst of Israeli-Palestinian violence dampened the typically festive mood. Before the celebrations began, Israeli authorities said three Palestinians involved …

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghan forces backed by U.S. air strikes pushed back a Taliban onslaught Thursday in a strategically important district in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, officials said. Sangin district had been besieged by the insurgents for weeks before an uptick in the ferocity of the fight …

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – After his morning prayers at the mosque, 25-year-old Mamadou Aliou Ba puts on his Santa suit, the padded belly protruding from his thin, tall frame, and goes to work. He stands proudly, smiling from behind a snowy white mustache and beard that take over his face, …

JERUSALEM (AP) – Ahmad Sub-Laban’s family has lived for decades under threat of eviction from their home overlooking the gold-topped Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem’s Old City. The experience inspired the 37-year-old Palestinian father of two to become a researcher for groups fighting attempts by Jewish settlers to move …

NEW YORK (AP) – With the launch of Samsung’s Gear VR headset a few weeks ago, virtual reality for the masses is finally a thing. Now comes the next big challenge: Who, exactly, will care? If you’re a gamer, the appeal of immersing yourself in a virtual world might be …

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Reinforcements have been rushed to a besieged southern district threatened for days with takeover by Taliban fighters, Afghanistan’s acting defense minister said on Wednesday. Fighting in the Sangin district of Helmand was continuing as army and police arrived to help security forces who had been pinned …

PARIS (AP) – France’s government hardened its position toward dual-national terrorism convicts Wednesday, saying they deserved to have their citizenship revoked as part of a series of constitutional changes upholding the state of emergency imposed after the Nov. 13 attacks. In a speech presenting the proposed changes to France’s constitution, …

BANGKOK (AP) – It’s the kind of poll result you’d see in a North Korean election or Saddam Hussein’s Iraq: Thailand’s military-ruled government says 99 percent of the country’s people are happy with its performance since it took power in a coup last year. The junta has relentlessly pursued critics, …