BAGHDAD (AP) — Insurgents plotting to derail next week’s Arab League meeting in Baghdad unleashed bloody attacks across Iraq on Tuesday, killing 46 people. The government vowed not to be scared off from hosting the summit — the first in the country in a generation and a chance to prove it is moving toward normalcy after years of war. Bombs struck Shiite pilgrims in the holy city of Karbala, set cars on fire in Kirkuk and targeted security forces and... Read more

FORT RILEY, Kansas (AP) — With the Afghan war’s endgame approaching, the Army’s storied 1st Infantry Division is preparing to take command in the eastern provinces, where the strategy calls for a renewed push this year even as U.S. and allied forces draw down in less violent parts of the country. After months of carefully sequenced training at Fort Riley for what will be its first Afghanistan command tour, the 1st Infantry will take over in April for the 1st... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City man accused of four New Year’s Day arson attacks, including one on an Islamic cultural center, has been indicted on state and federal hate crimes charges. Ray Lazier Lengend was charged with arson as a hate crime and other charges accusing him of throwing Molotov cocktails at four buildings, including the Islamic cultural center and a home used as a Hindu temple. No one was injured in the attacks. Authorities say Lengend... Read more

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a request by Christian groups on a college campus to allow them to limit membership based on religious beliefs. Justice turned back a legal effort by a Christian fraternity and sorority at San Diego State University that challenged an anti-discrimination policy at California state universities. The lawsuit filed in 2005 said the plaintiffs should be allowed to insist members follow their religious standards of conduct and avoid... Read more

TOULOUSE, France (AP) — Police spread out across southern France by the hundreds Tuesday, hunting for an expert gunman suspected in three deadly attacks who may have neo-Nazi ties or grudges against minorities. The manhunt took place as friends and family tearfully mourned four people slain at close range Monday at a Jewish school in the city of Toulouse — a rabbi, his two young sons and a young girl. Authorities suspect the school killer was also behind two recent... Read more

TOULOUSE, France (AP) — Police blanketed southern France on Tuesday, searching for a gunman — possibly a racist, anti-Semitic serial killer — who shot dead four people at a Jewish school and may have filmed his attack. The manhunt took place as friends and family tearfully mourned those slain at close range in the city of Toulouse — a rabbi, his two young sons and a young girl. Authorities suspect the killer at the Jewish school was also behind two... Read more

TOULOUSE, France (AP) — Hundreds of police blanketed southern France on Tuesday, searching for a gunman — possibly a racist, anti-Semitic serial killer — who killed four people at a Jewish school and may have filmed his attack. Authorities suspect the same killer was behind attacks last week on French paratroopers of North African and French Caribbean origin. France was reeling Tuesday after Monday’s shooting in the southern city of Toulouse, the deadliest school shooting in the country and the... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — An annual U.S. government report is adding U.S. ally Turkey as well as Tajikistan to a list of the worst violators of religious rights. The report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom cites Turkey for “systematic and egregious limitations” on religious liberty. Turkey and Tajikistan are among a total 16 nations listed by the commission as countries of particular concern. The report criticizes Turkey for regulating non-Muslim groups, restricting how they can train clergy, offer... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department has stepped up security at synagogues and other sites around the city following a deadly attack on a Jewish school in France. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Monday there are no specific threats in New York, which has the largest Jewish population outside Israel. But he says as a precaution the police department has increased patrols in Jewish neighborhoods and other locations. The locations include the Museum of Jewish Heritage in... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department has stepped up security at synagogues and other sites around the city following a deadly attack on a Jewish school in France. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Monday there are no specific threats in New York, which has the largest Jewish population outside Israel. But he says as a precaution the police department has increased patrols in Jewish neighborhoods and other locations. The locations include the Museum of Jewish Heritage in... Read more