Bill Chappell

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for multiple bombings on Sunday, which left at least 140 people dead in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs.

Syrian state media reported least 83 people were killed and at least 170 wounded in at least four blasts in the Damascus suburb of ...

"The commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' has absolute value and concerns both the innocent and the guilty," Pope Francis said Sunday, urging that the death penalty be abolished.

Addressing a crowd of the faithful who were gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, Pope Francis said, "All Christians and ...

Authorities in Kalamazoo, Mich., are piecing together clues from a weekend shooting spree. At least six people are dead after multiple shootings in three different locations in the area on Saturday night.

Police arrested 45-year-old Jason Dalton. He worked as an Uber driver — and may have logged some hours ...

Today was trash day on the International Space Station, and as you might expect, it's not as simple as rolling a can out to the curb. Instead, a used resupply capsule was stuffed with 1.5 tons of trash and cut loose.

All that trash will burn up over the Pacific ...

Harper Lee, the author of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, has died in her hometown of Monroeville, Ala. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer was 89.

Monroeville city officials confirmed reports of Lee's death to Alabama Public Radio. Her publisher, HarperCollins, also confirmed the news to NPR.

Her famous ...

A long line of mourners queued up to pay their respects to late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, whose body is now lying in repose at the Great Hall of the Supreme Court.

Parts of the observances will be open to the public. A private ceremony was slated to begin ...

Saying he won't hold Syrian peace negotiations until there's a chance of success, U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is delaying talks that had been slated for next Thursday.

"We need real talks about peace, not just talks about talks," de Mistura says.

The envoy discussed the delay ...

In a mission targeting a senior operative who's blamed for deadly terrorist attacks in Tunisia, U.S. warplanes hit an ISIS outpost in Libya on Friday. The airstrike at Sabratha, close to the Tunisian border, killed at least 40 people, according to multiple reports.

News of the strike first came from ...

Despite gains in car safety, 2015 saw the largest percentage rise in motor vehicle deaths in the past 50 years, according to the National Safety Council. Cheaper gas and a stronger economy were likely key factors in the rise, the nonprofit group says.

The figures are preliminary estimates from the ...

The Freedom 251 smartphone, which went on sale Thursday, has sparked intense interest in India and beyond. Priced at 251 rupees ($3.65), the 3G device is being called the cheapest smartphone in the world. But it's also sparking questions about how the phone works — and whether it's legal.

Made ...

Shawna Cox, one of the last militants to be arrested for occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge last month, has filed a countersuit against the U.S. government and others in which she alleges "damages from the works of the devil in excess of 666,666,666,666.66."

While she invoked the number of the ...

Manny Pacquiao will need to look for a new apparel sponsor, after his remark that homosexuals are worse than animals led Nike to terminate its dealings with the boxer, who's also running for a Senate seat in the Philippines.

Anger over Pacquiao's comments led him to deliver an apology ...

One day after a car bomb targeting military vehicles killed at least 28 people in Ankara, Turkey's leaders say the attacker was a Syrian man with links to Kurdish militants in both Turkey and Syria. Police have arrested 14 people over the attack; a militia leader denies any involvement.

"Fourteen ...

Thousands of small investors who lost some or all of their savings when a large bank in Spain failed in 2012 may now get their money back. Bankia, which needed a $19 billion bailout just one year after its initial public offering, announced the surprise move Wednesday.

The plan was ...

Some of the hands reaching out to touch Pope Francis during his visit to Morelia, Mexico, became too forceful Tuesday, yanking the pontiff off-balance and drawing a stern look from the normally easygoing pontiff.

Francis' neck had already been pulled at when he stooped over to greet a disabled girl ...

"We have seen evidence of surface-to-air missile deployments to Woody Island," a U.S. defense official says, in the first official public comments about China placing a weapons system on a disputed island in the South China Sea.

From Shanghai, NPR's Frank Langfitt reports:

"The missiles appear to be Chinese ...

Three months after their concert at the Bataclan music hall was ended by a deadly terrorist attack, California band Eagles of Death Metal is back in France. The rock group's members say they have a "sacred duty" to finish the show.

It won't happen until Tuesday night, but the concert ...

His career ranged from teaching law in Egypt to attending the historic Camp David summit of 1978 and then to leading the world's pre-eminent international organization. Former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has died at age 93.

The diplomat's death comes days after news emerged that he had been admitted to ...

Facing a sharp backlash over his remarks in a recent TV interview, boxer and politician Manny Pacquiao has apologized for saying that people who are in gay relationships are "worse than animals."

Here's the famous boxer's apology:

"I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please ...

For the first time, one of Spain's major national parties is calling for a vote on whether the region should secede from the country. The issue has gained new prominence as Spain tries to organize a new government following its inconclusive elections in late December.

From Madrid, Lauren Frayer reports ...