VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is urging fathers to be more involved in the lives of their children, warning that many problems adolescents run into can be traced to “absentee fathers” who are physically at home but don’t take time to actually be with their kids. Francis has frequently praised …

MANAMA, Bahrain – Bahraini authorities say they have stripped the citizenship of a senior member of the Islamic State militant group and dozens of other people. The Ministry of Interior said Saturday the government revoked the citizenship of 72 Bahrainis as part of its responsibility to “protect the security and …

WARSAW, Poland – Poland opposes as unlawful a Russian court’s order to vacate the country’s consulate building in St. Petersburg. Tension is growing between Poland and Russia over Moscow’s role in the conflict in Ukraine. The eviction order also calls for Poland to pay $1 million in rent. The Polish …

BERLIN – A prominent Jewish group has criticized a court in western Germany for concluding that two men who firebombed a synagogue weren’t anti-Semitic. Wuppertal’s district court on Thursday found the unnamed men of Palestinian origin guilty of attempted serious arson for throwing a molotov cocktail at a synagogue in …

And now the most telling two minutes in television, the latest from the political grapevine: FOX Fans: Missed the Grapevine? Watch it in the Screening Room! Tough Timing? A new poll out today by Quinnipiac University showsNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (search)has not only the lowest approval rating of his …

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni security officials say a suicide car bomber has struck a police headquarters’ recently captured by Shiite rebels who have seized power in the country. There was no immediate word on casualties. The officials say the bomber detonated his explosives in front of the security headquarters in …

PARIS – The French government has decided to invoke a constitutional article allowing for passage of a bill without a vote to get its economic reform bill through a contentious lower house. The decision came shortly before a scheduled vote on the measure that is a centerpiece of President Francois …

NICOSIA, Cyprus – The longer it takes to secure a deal to keep Greece in the euro, the greater the risk the country will have to put its financial system in lockdown to prevent worried savers from pulling money out in droves. Banking industry figures suggest Greeks have been taking …

VILNIUS, Lithuania – Lithuania has decided to restore compulsory military service for young men as tensions in Ukraine continue to worry the small Baltic nation. After a meeting of military leaders and top government officials, President Dalia Grybauskaite said Tuesday the measure was necessary because of “growing aggression” in Ukraine. …

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – A Danish court has given another four weeks in custody to two men accused of helping a gunman who killed two people in attacks in Copenhagen this month. The Copenhagen police said Thursday that the men, who cannot be named under a court order, were being held …