POPE, PATRIARCH DEMAND END TO ISLAMIC STATE ATTACKS

istanbul Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians on Sunday demanded an end to the persecution of religious minorities in Syria and Iraq and called for a “constructive dialogue” with Muslims, capping the pontiff’s three-day visit to Turkey with a show of Christian unity in the face of suffering and violence.

Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I issued a joint declaration urging leaders in the region to intensify assistance to victims of the Islamic State group, and especially to allow Christians who have had a presence in the region for 2,000 years to remain on their native lands.

No bail for two charged with hiding boy in homeB

jonesboro, ga. » A Georgia judge has denied bail for a man and woman chargedwith child cruelty and false imprisonment after police found the man’s 13-year-old son hidden behind a false wall in the couple’s metro Atlanta home.

The couple were arrested when police found the boy Saturday after he used a cellphone to send his mother a text message. Police said the mother told them she reported her son missing to child welfare officials four years ago.

Four killed in Afghan attack

kabul » Taliban suicide attackers killed the South African leader of a foreign aid group, his son and daughter and an Afghanworker in an assault on the agency’s Kabul offices, authorities said Sunday, as the city’s police chief resigned in thewake of the latest insurgent attack there.

Police Chief Gen. Mohammed Zahir told reporters before his resignation that the attack Saturday actually killed four people, raising the death toll in the assault near the Afghan parliament.

A Redlands, Calif.-based group called Partnership in Academics and Development later posted a notice on its website saying several of its staffers died during an attack Saturday in Kabul.

Study: Toomany infants sleep with blankets

chicago » ToomanyU.S. infants sleep with blankets, pillows or other unsafe bedding that might lead to suffocation or sudden infant death syndrome, despite guidelines recommending against the practice. That’s according to researchers who say 17 years of national data show parents need to be better informed.

Almost 7 out of 8 used blankets or other soft bedding for their infants in 1993. That dropped sharply over the years, but by 2010, more than half still were doing so. The practice was most common among young mothers, blacks and Latinos.

The study by researchers for the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was publishedMonday in Pediatrics.

Swiss reject referendums

bern, switzerland » Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected three citizenbacked proposals to protect the country’s wealth by investing in gold, drastically limit immigration and eliminate a special tax that draws rich foreigners.

The separate proposals— put to voters nationwide Sunday by conservative politicians, ecologists and a liberal group— had needed a majority of voters and Switzerland’s 26 cantons to pass.

“Mockingjay” again tops box office

los angeles » “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay— Part One” ruled the Thanksgiving box office for a second weekend in a row with $56.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The total haul for the latest installment of the Lionsgate dystopian series starring Jennifer Lawrence stands at $225.7 million domestically and $254.4 million internationally.

“Penguins of Madagascar” opened in second place with a $25.8 million. Disney’s animated romp “Big Hero 6” and Paramount’s space-time saga “Interstellar” respectively held onto the third and fourth positions with $18.7 million and $15.8 million.

Hong Kong protesters arrested in clash B »

hong kong Pro-democracy protesters clashed with police early Monday as they tried to surround Hong Kong government headquarters, stepping up their movement for genuine democratic reforms after camping out on the streets for more than two months.

Obama to hold meetings Monday on Ferguson B

washington » President Barack Obama will discuss the situation in Ferguson, Mo., onMonday with his Cabinet, civil rights leaders, law enforcement officials and others.

TheWhite House said Obama’s Cabinet meeting will focus on his administration’s review of federal programs that provide military-style equipment to law enforcement agencies.