NEW YORK — Pope Francis plunges into the melting pot of New York after reminding the country of its immigrant origins in the first papal speech before Congress. At an evening prayer service in St. Patrick's Cathedral, he thanked American nuns for their strength and courage in a deeply meaningful acknowledgement of their service following a yearslong Vatican crackdown.

UNITED NATIONS-SUMMIT

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations launches a three-day meeting attended by the world's most powerful leaders as it formally approves an ambitious and costly agenda for addressing poverty, disease, education and other major global issues. 

COLOMBIA-PEACE TALKS

BOGOTA, Colombia — A stunning diplomatic breakthrough leaves a minefield of problems standing between Colombia and the tantalizing prospect of peace after generations of armed conflict.

AP Photos. With: COLOMBIA-PEACE TALKS-POPE — Pope Francis may not have directly facilitated the breakthrough in talks to end Colombia's half-century armed conflict, but the spirit of the popular pontiff hovered over the negotiation of the historic agreement, people involved in the talks say. 

UNITED STATES-CHINA

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will test the limits of their personal ties Friday as they wade into issues that have exacerbated tensions between their nations: China's cyberspying in the U.S. and Beijing's territorial disputes in the Asian Pacific. 

MEXICO-MISSING STUDENTS

MEXICO CITY —President Enrique Pena Nieto tells the families of 43 students who disappeared a year ago in southern Mexico that he will create a new special prosecutor for all of the country's thousands of missing people. 

PRESIDENTIAL RACE-TRUMP

NEWARK, New Jersey — Donald Trump recently showed up at a gathering of Iowa conservative Christian voters with a copy of the Bible in hand. As the Republican presidential front-runner and billionaire businessman tries to maintain his lead in early polls with rivals quickly gaining ground, Trump is increasingly courting a wing of the Republican Party that might seem antithetical to his brand: evangelical Christians.