Pope Francis has met with a German bishop whose 31 million-euro ($42 million) building renovation has scandalized Germany.

The Vatican gave no details about Monday's meeting with Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, bishop of Limburg.

McDonald's says its third quarter profit rose 5 percent, as the world's biggest hamburger chain benefited from a Monopoly promotion in the U.S. and strength in the UK and Russia.

The company says it earned $1.52 billion, or $1.52 per share, for the quarter ended September 30. That compares with $1.46 billion, or $1.43 per share, last year. Analysts expected $1.51 per share.

Britain has agreed to build the country's first nuclear power plant in a generation, ignoring concerns raised by the Fukushima meltdown in Japan as the UK seeks to secure its future energy needs and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The government struck a deal with Electricite de France and a group of Chinese investors Monday to build the country's first nuclear power plant since 1995 — a massive project that will bring in 16 billion pounds ($25.9 billion) of investment to keep the lights on amid declining supplies of North Sea gas and rapidly escalating fuel costs.

We all know to back up our files and photos, but what about our castles and churches?

A nonprofit named CyArk has created digital copies of more than 100 of the world's best-known monuments, mapping Roman ruins, ancient statues, and even an entire island. Now it plans 400 more, with the goal of preserving the world's most important sites against war, wear, and the impact of climate change.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal must beat Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden in a playoff to advance to the World Cup in Brazil.

The two were drawn to face each other Monday in a two-leg series scheduled for November 15 and 19.

Roma captain Francesco Totti will be sidelined for at least 10 days with a hamstring injury.

Totti had to be replaced after 30 minutes in Friday's 2-0 win over Napoli with a right thigh muscle problem.

When Carol Burnett launched her namesake variety show in the 1960s, one TV executive told her the genre was "a man's game." She proved him wrong with an 11-year run that averaged 30 million viewers each week.

On Sunday, the trailblazing comedienne received the nation's top humor prize at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Top entertainers including Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and others performed in Burnett's honor as she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

When Dominique Duhme dives into a river canal among the thousands of starters at the Noosa Triathlon, he'll achieve the first of two life-changing goals he set for himself when he decided to shed a significant amount of weight.

The second won't come until early next year when he's able to donate one of his two healthy kidneys to his wife, Karina, who been undergoing three five-hour dialysis sessions a week since an organ donated by her sister began to fail.

Michael Phelps has been working out with his former coach but there is no word yet on a return to swimming for the Rio Olympics.

Bob Bowman told The Associated Press on Sunday that Phelps has been taking part in workouts with the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. He's not yet committed to the sort of grueling program that would be needed if he decided to return to competition.

Japan's Mao Asada beat American Ashley Wagner on Sunday at Skate America despite a fall on her triple axel and a two-footed landing on her triple lutz.

Asada, the leader going into the free skate, scored 204.55 points thanks to her elevated technical difficulty. Wagner, the 2012 Skate America champion, finished with 193.81.