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, …

SEATTLE (AP) – Astrid Rau just baked 16 kinds of Christmas cookies, including a batch in the shape of snowflakes. But she’s nevertheless having trouble getting in the holiday spirit, thanks to forecasts that have the temperature in her hometown of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, hitting 72 degrees on Thursday. “I associate …

HONG KONG (AP) – The Japanese company that owns the Hello Kitty brand said it has fixed a security leak in an online fan site for the character that compromised the personal information of 3.3 million users. Sanrio Co.’s digital arm said Tuesday that it “corrected” a security vulnerability on …

GENEVA (AP) – More than 1 million migrants and refugees have crossed into Europe this year, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday, passing a symbolic milestone amid the fallout of war, poverty and persecution in Africa and the Middle East. With just days left in 2015, the Geneva-based intergovernmental …

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Fierce battles were underway Tuesday between Afghan forces and the Taliban in southern Helmand province where the insurgents have almost completely captured a strategic district as Britain deployed military advisers to the restive area. The development came a day after a Taliban suicide bomber killed six …