VATICAN-REFORM

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has issued a blistering critique of the Vatican bureaucracy, denouncing how some people lust for power at all costs, live hypocritical double lives and suffer from "spiritual Alzheimer's" that has made them forget they're supposed to be joyful men of God. Francis' Christmas greeting to the cardinals, bishops and priests who run the Holy See was no joyful exchange of holiday good wishes. Rather, it was a sobering catalog of 15 sins of the Curia that Francis said he hoped would be atoned for and cured in the New Year. 

SPAIN-ROYAL CORRUPTION

MADRID — A Spanish judge has ordered the king's sister, Princess Cristina, to be tried along with her husband on charges of tax fraud — making her the first member of the country's royal family to face charges in court since the royalty was restored in 1975. If convicted, Cristina could face up to four years in prison. 

FRANCE-ATTACKS

PARIS — France's top security official has raised the number of people injured by a rampaging driver to 13, and is cautioning against jumping to conclusions about the attack. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Monday that the investigation in Dijon was just beginning. Eric Delzant, a local police official, told Europe 1 radio the attacker, who was detained, suffered from psychological problems.

RUSSIA-ECONOMY

MOSCOW — A senior Russian minister says he expects the ruble to extend its recent gains and said the government is not planning to introduce currency controls on Russian companies. The ruble has been the worst performing currency this year along with the Ukrainian hryvnia, having lost half of its value. Its collapse in the past weeks sparked a consumer boom as worried Russians flocked to the shops to buy cars and durable goods before prices rose further. 

ITALY-NEO-FASCIST PLOT

MILAN — Italian authorities say they have cracked a neo-Fascist plot to attack immigrants and political targets, including magistrates. An Italian general heading an anti-terrorism group, Mario Parente, told a news conference Monday that the plotters had begun recently stockpiling arms, which prompted forces that had been monitoring their activities for the last 18 months to move in. Police were executing arrest warrants against 14 suspects in central and northern Italy. 

SPAIN-CHRISTMAS-LOTTERY

MADRID — The drawing is underway in Spain for the world's biggest lottery payoff, a 2.5 billion-euro ($3 billion) pot of cash that will be divided among thousands of ticketholders. The top prize for this year's "El Gordo" (The Fat One) drawing are tickets that will win 400,000 euros ($490,000). Many more people who bought 20-euro ($24) tickets will take home smaller amounts.

BELARUS-NEW ROLE

MINSK, Belarus — As relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated, there's one country that's reaping rewards — Belarus, whose authoritarian leader was once dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by the United States and the European Union. President Alexander Lukashenko is relishing his new role as broker of the Ukraine peace talks, and his country of 10 million people is profiting handsomely by reprocessing or simply repackaging European food banned by Moscow in retaliation to Western sanctions. In the most stunning example, exports of sea fish from the landlocked nation have doubled during the last three months — a sure sign that something curious is afoot. By Yuras Karmanau. 

FRANCE-AIRBUS

PARIS — Airbus has at last delivered its first A350 jet, handing over the wide-body plane to Qatar Airways after years of delays and a multibillion-dollar redesign. The European planemaker hopes the A350 XWB will help it catch up in a long-haul market dominated by rival Boeing's 777 and 787. Airbus revamped the original A350 design to make it more fuel-efficient and marketable. 

LEVERKUSEN-KRAMER

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Bayer Leverkusen says Germany midfielder Christoph Kramer will return to the club next season and has signed a two-year contract extension through 2019. The 23-year-old Kramer, currently on loan at Borussia Moenchengladbach, was part of Germany's World Cup winning team this year. He played in the final against Argentina for the opening half-hour before going off injured. 

GERMANY-FRANKFURT AIRPORT

BERLIN — The German government says a European Union inspection found security shortcomings at Frankfurt airport, the country's busiest, and that measures have been taken to address them. Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth said Monday that the routine inspection took place in early November and found "significant shortcomings."