BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s new president urged his compatriots on Friday not to turn their backs on European unity amid the debt crisis and said he wants to help ensure that people of all origins feel at home in the country. Joachim Gauck, a former Lutheran pastor and East German pro-democracy activist with no party affiliation, was formally sworn in after a parliamentary assembly elected him by an overwhelming majority last weekend. In an inaugural address to Parliament, the 72-year-old... Read more

ROME (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI on Friday used a cane — apparently for the first time in public — to help him walk up to a plane during an airport ceremony to see him off on a pilgrimage to Mexico and Cuba. Benedict, who turns 85 next month, leaned on a black cane with his right hand as he walked steadily for about 100 meters (yards) to the foot of the Alitalia plane from the helicopter which flew him... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama blocked construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline as a gift to environmentalists. Newt Gingrich calls Obama “President Algae” for supporting research on biofuels. And Rick Santorum says Obama’s environmental views constitute a “phony theology” that prioritizes the earth over people. The leading Republican presidential hopefuls have cast Obama as environmental extremist whose policies have put him out of touch with the needs of ordinary Americans. It’s a characterization that... Read more

LEON, Guanajuato (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has landed in Mexico to begin first trip to Spanish-speaking Latin America. He has started a pilgrimage to the New World, calling on Mexicans to conquer an “idolatry of money” that feeds drug violence and urging Cuba to leave behind a Marxism that “no longer responds to reality.” A swelling crowd gathered Friday afternoon along the route he plans to take after delivering a speech at the airport. day. On Monday, Benedict will... Read more

SILAO, Mexico (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage to the New World on Friday calling on Mexicans to conquer an “idolatry of money” that feeds drug violence and urged Cuba to leave behind a Marxism that “no longer responds to reality.” Mexican President Felipe Calderon and first lady Margarita Zavala greeted the pope and escorted him along a red carpet amid a clanging of church bells and cheers from a crowd waving Vatican flags. A swelling throng gathered... Read more

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI denounced the drug-fueled violence wracking Mexico and urged Cubans to use dialogue to find new models to replace Marxism as he began a pilgrimage Friday that will take him to both countries. Benedict spoke to reporters after breakfast aboard a special Alitalia flight carrying him to central Mexico later in the day. The pope said “idolatry of money” lies behind the violence that has claimed more than 47,000 lives in Mexico... Read more

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI denounced the drug-fueled violence wracking Mexico and urged Cubans to use dialogue to find new models to replace Marxism as he began a pilgrimage Friday that will take him to both countries. Benedict spoke to reporters after breakfast aboard a special Alitalia flight carrying him to central Mexico later in the day. The pope said “idolatry of money” lies behind the violence that has claimed more than 47,000 lives in Mexico... Read more

LEON, Mexico (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival in Mexico on Friday will reveal his ability to communicate with a people whose passionate adoration of his predecessor threatens to overshadow the pontiff’s message of peace and continuing faith for a country shaken by horrific drug violence, the Vatican’s ambassador pledged on the eve of the trip. Pope John Paul II was greeted with ecstatic scenes on each of his five trips to Mexico, whose faithful today consider him practically one... Read more

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was charged on Friday with 17 counts of premeditated murder, a capital offense that could lead to the death penalty in the massacre of Afghan civilians, the U.S. military said. The 38-year-old soldier is accused of walking off a U.S. military base with his 9mm pistol and M-4 rifle, which was outfitted with a grenade launcher, before dawn on March 11, killing nine Afghan children and eight adults and burning... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — While walking out of the Neil Simon Theatre, one might be forgiven for wondering: Who knew the greatest story ever told needed this much help? Des McAnuff’s hyped-up vision of “Jesus Christ Superstar” opened Thursday with a showbiz bang — pimping the story of Christ with riffs from mega-movie franchises like “The Matrix” and “The Mummy” and daring to wow by cramming in as many eye-popping visuals as a summer blockbuster. The cast scampers up and... Read more