LOS ANGELES Carrie Fisher, a princess on screen and off, played both roles in her own gutsy way. As Leia of the “ Star Wars” franchise, she commanded the troops, enjoyed a fling with Han Solo — and, in real life, co- star Harrison Ford — and showed fledgling 1970s feminists what life as a […]

WASHINGTON Donald Trump hammered rival Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign for failing to prevent the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, when she was secretary of state. Soon he’ll be the one responsible for protecting America’s diplomats, but he’s offered virtually no insight into how he’ll do that. After the 2012 Benghazi […]

Dylann Roof may soon show how hard he intends to fight to save his life as prosecutors seek the death penalty for killing nine black worshippers in a hate crime at a Charleston church. A judge scheduled a hearing Tuesday in federal court to hear motions before the penalty phase in Roof ’s trial starts […]

BEIRUT Turkish and Russian officials are discussing the contours of a cease-fire for Syria, Syrian opposition factions said, building on cooperation between the two countries following a deal they brokered for the evacuation of opposition fighters from the northern city of Aleppo earlier this month. Several rebel groups said, however, that they are withholding their […]

MOSCOW Search teams on today recovered another flight recorder from a military plane that crashed in the Black Sea, killing all 92 people aboard, the Defense Ministry said. The first flight recorder was found the previous day and experts have started analyzing its data, seeking to identify the cause of the crash. The Tu-154 of […]

HAVANA Cuba announced Tuesday that its economy shrank this year for the first time in nearly a quarter century as a plunge in aid from Venezuela overwhelmed a surge in tourism set off by detente with the United States. Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas and President Raul Castro told Parliament that the island’s gross domestic product […]

BAGHDAD Residents of Iraq’s Islamic State-held city of Mosul said today that an airstrike disabled the city’s last functioning bridge across the Tigris River, forcing residents to cross the river in boats and further disrupting the IS group’s movement. The residents, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity fearing for their safety, […]