POPE-SOUTH AMERICA

QUITO, Ecuador — Pope Francis has a whirlwind final full day in Ecuador on Tuesday, with an open-air Mass in the capital of Quito sandwiched between meetings with bishops, indigenous groups and university students, capped by a visit to an important Jesuit church. By Nicole Winfield. AP Photos.

QUITO, Ecuador — Rich traditions dating back centuries before European priests arrived are on display throughout South America, including in Ecuador where the government recruited indigenous people to greet Pope Francis during his visit. With photo gallery by Dolores Ochoa. AP Photos.

CONFEDERATE FLAG-DEBATE

COLUMBIA, South Carolina — The South Carolina Senate votes to remove the Confederate flag from a pole on the Statehouse grounds, though the proposal still needs approval from the state House and the governor. By Jeffrey Collins. 

PIER SHOOTING-IMMIGRATION

SAN FRANCISCO — The killing of a woman at a sightseeing pier has brought criticism down on this liberal city because the Mexican man under arrest was in the U.S. illegally, had been deported five times and was out on the streets after San Francisco officials disregarded a request from federal immigration authorities to keep him locked up. 

BILL COSBY

PHILADELPHIA — Bill Cosby admitted in 2005 that he secured quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with, and that he gave the sedative to at least one woman and "other people," according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

OBAMA-ISLAMIC STATE

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama portrays the U.S.-led coalition as gaining ground against the Islamic State amid an expanded U.S. effort and ample signs of progress, but concedes more difficulties lay ahead in fighting what he described as a nimble and opportunistic enemy. 

VENEZUELA-GUYANA

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolas Maduro announces that he is recalling Venezuela's ambassador in neighboring Guyana for consultation amid mounting tensions over their disputed border. 

PRESIDENTIAL RACE-TRUMP

NEW YORK — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stood firm Monday on his description of Mexican immigrants as criminals.