Pope Benedict XVI’s aide acknowledges criticism over memoir
Rome, Italy AP The longtime secretary to Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged Sunday that his tell-all memoir, published in the days after Benedict’s death, had been criticized for casting Pope Francis in an unfavourable light, but insisted that some of the polemics were more about anti-Benedict prejudice than anything else. In some of his first public […]
Postcards: Winter drought dries up France’s Lake Montbel while in Spain church tower emerges from drought-parched reservoir
MANUEL AUSLOOS, of Reuters, reports from south-west France and ELENA RODRIGUEZ, NACHO DOCE, HORACI GARCIA and JOAN FAUS from Spain…
UK cathedrals seek to expand choral tradition’s appeal
Norwich, UK UK cathedrals are seeking to make the British choral tradition more widely available by extending opportunities for children in state schools to engage with music through the National Schools Singing Programme. “First-class choral tuition has often been only the privilege of pupils at private choir schools, not children in state schools,” explained Callum […]
Israel, Palestinians pledge moves to curb violence ahead of Ramadan
Cairo, Egypt Reuters Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed on Sunday to establish a mechanism to curb violence and incitement, in talks that stressed the need to prevent any disruptive actions at Jerusalem’s holy sites when Ramadan starts later this week. In a joint statement following talks in Egypt attended by US, Egyptian and Jordanian officials, […]
Putin makes surprise trip to Russian-occupied Mariupol in wake of ICC warrant
Reuters A day after being accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court, President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, scene of some of the worst devastation of his year-old invasion. State television showed extended footage of Putin being shown around the city on Saturday night, meeting […]
Ecuador, Peru authorities assess damage after earthquake that killed at least 15
Reuters Ecuadorian and Peruvian authorities worked on Sunday to assess the damage caused by the previous day’s strong earthquake that shook the region, leaving at least 15 dead and hundreds injured. The 6.8 magnitude quake struck the Ecuadorian coastal province of Guayas at midday on Saturday, with residents reporting shaking in much of the country […]
Saddam’s rusting yacht serves as picnic spot for Iraqi fishermen
Basra, Iraq Reuters Capsized in a river in southern Iraq, the rusting wreck of a yacht that belonged to Saddam Hussein serves as a stark reminder of his iron-fisted rule that ended with the US-led invasion two decades ago. The 121-metre al-Mansur, a symbol of Saddam’s wealth and power when it was built in the […]
Vatican closes embassy in Nicaragua after Ortega’s crackdown
Vatican City AP The Vatican said Saturday it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the country’s government proposed suspending diplomatic relations, the latest episode in a yearslong crackdown on the Catholic Church by the administration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. The Vatican’s representative to Managua, Monsignor Marcel Diouf, also left the country Friday, bound […]
Deported: The Iraq War veterans denied the right to live in the US
DAVID SHERFINSKI and AVI ASHER-SCHAPIRO, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how immigrant veterans who fought for the United States are still struggling to secure US citizenship 20 years since the war began…
Trump says he expects to be arrested on Tuesday, calls for protests
New York, USReuters Former US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he expects to be arrested on Tuesday as New York prosecutors consider charges over a hush money payment to a porn star, and called on his supporters to protest. “Illegal leaks from a corrupt & highly political Manhattan district attorney’s office…indicate that, with no […]