HERKIMER, New York (AP) _ A 64-year-old loner sauntered into a barbershop in upstate New York, coolly asked if the man cutting hair remembered him and then opened fire with a shotgun, the first shots in a burst of violence that left four dead and two critically wounded.Kurt Myers, the suspected gunman, then holed up in an abandoned building which was surrounded by police early Thursday. Police periodically blaredg sirens in an apparent attempt to encourage Myers to surrender, if alive. Booms als

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― President Barack Obama entered the fray Wednesday on cyberattacks from China, saying some intrusions affecting U.S. firms and infrastructure were “state sponsored.”The comments appeared to step up the rhetoric against China following similar remarks from other members of the U.S. administration.“What is absolutely true is that we have seen a steady ramping up of cybersecurity threats. Some are state sponsored. Some are just sponsored by criminals,” Obama said in an interview w

VATICAN CITY (AP) ― On the streets in Buenos Aires, the stories about the cardinal who would become the first pope from the Americas often include a very ordinary backdrop: The city bus during rush hour. Tales are traded about chatting with Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio as he squeezed in with others for the commute to work. They sometimes talk about church affairs. Other times it could be about what he planned to cook for dinner in the simple downtown apartment he chose over an opulent church estat

China's new leader Xi Jinping capped his rise Thursday by adding the largely ceremonial title of president, though he will need cautious maneuvering to consolidate his power and build support from a public that is increasingly clamoring for change.The elevation of Xi to the presidency by the rubberstamp national legislature gave him the last of the three titles held by his predecessor, Hu Jintao. The move was expected after Xi was named head of the Communist Party and chairman of its military, p

The pomp surrounding his selection was just the beginning of an exceptionally busy few days for Pope Francis. A look at the first night _ and what comes after. THE SELECTIONFrom the moment of uttering ``I accept'' in Latin, in front of his fellow cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, the job is his, and it starts instantly.According to tradition, his first act is declaring his choice of name as the Roman Catholic church's 266th pontiff. That done, he's whisked off to the Room of Tears, just beyond th

Huge oCatholic worshippers erupted in applause Wednesday at the cathedral in Buenos Aires upon learning that the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina had been elected Pope Francis I.Some 200 somewhat surprised worshippers gave the new pontiff a standing ovation after the announcement, as crowds and media descended on the cathedral, which is located on the historic Plaza de Mayo.Crowds of people and mobile television crews rushed to the area outside the cathedral where the new pontiff used t

The papal conclave is steeped in mystery _ and the church likes it that way. Elaborate ritual and veils of secrecy, after all, are fundamental to the papal mystique, seen as the glue the binds worshipers in faith. But in this conclave, the church appears to be making some concessions to the instant clarity expected in the Internet era: Just look at the thick plumes of black smoke that poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday and Wednesday to tell the world that the votes had not

Shanghai said it pulled hundreds more dead pigs out of its main river Wednesday, bringing the total to just over 6,600, as residents worried over drinking water criticised the handling of the incident.Shanghai recovered 685 more dead pigs from the Huangpu river, which cuts through China's commercial hub and supplies 22 percent of its water, but water quality was within national standards, a government statement said.The pig carcasses, believed to have been dumped by farmers upstream after dying

Cardinals remained divided over who should be pope on Wednesday after three rounds of voting, an indication of disagreements about the direction of the Catholic church following the upheaval unleashed by Pope Benedict XVI's surprise resignation. In the second day of the conclave, thick black smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, prompting sighs of disappointment from the thousands of people gathered in a rain-soaked and chilly St. Peter's Square.“I'm not happy to see black smoke