As part of the EU’s move to seek Turkish help in tackling the continent’s migration crisis, Brussels has opened further talks on Ankara’s long-standing bid to join the 28-member bloc.Negotiations have stalled for years, but now officials are discussing the EU’s financial and economic rules.A Turkish delegation was in Brussels on Monday to kick off the talks.

Pope Francis has said that all he wants is to go out one day to a pizzeria "without being recognized."

The Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin hasn't been invited to a ceremony in Poland marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by the Soviet troops.

Pope Francis wants to bring hope to Christians and other ethnic and religious groups suffering "brutal persecution" in Iraq and Syria.The Pope used his Christmas Day blessing,"Urbi et Orbi," to draw attention to displaced children and adults in the Middle East "who for too long now have suffered the effects of ongoing conflict," he said, in a reference to the Syrian civil war and increased instability in Iraq with the rise of ISIS.

… and five found dead: Still more desperate refugees attempt the deadly crossing to Europe from AfricaMore than 1,000 migrants have been saved after they attempted to cross the Mediterranean in the last 24 hours before Christmas.Five of the desperate refugees died as they attempted the deadly crossing from Africa to Europe.Italian authorities said they had rescued a total of 1,026 survivors during several missions by the country's navy in the Strait of Sicily in the last 24 hours.

Tensions between the major powers have led to the brink of a new Cold War, with failures to achieve security in Europe likely to make the continent irrelevant in world affairs, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned.The 83-year-old has accused the West, particularly the U.S. of giving in to 'triumphalism' after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the communist bloc a quarter century ago.

Type: BulbFamily: AmaryllidaceaeNative Range: EuropeZone: 3 to 7Height: 0.50 to 0.75 feetSpread: 0.25 to 0.50 feetBloom Time: FebruaryBloom Description: WhiteSun: Full sun to part shadeWater: MediumMaintenance: LowFlower: ShowyTolerate: Deer, Clay Soil, Black WalnutGarden locationsCultureEasily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, humusy soils in part shade. Grows particularly well under deciduous trees where exposure to the sun is full in early spring ...