Lithuania summons Pope’s diplomat over remarks on Russian empire heritage
Vilnius, Lithuania Reuters Majority-Catholic EU member Lithuania has summoned the Vatican’s top diplomat in the country after Pope Francis told Russian youths to remember they are the heirs of “the great Russian empire”. In response to the impromptu remarks Francis made on Friday in a live video address to Catholic youths gathered in St Petersburg, […]
Hurricane Idalia grinds into US state of Georgia after slamming Florida
Perry, Florida Reuters Hurricane Idalia plowed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday with fierce winds, torrential rains and pounding surf before weakening but turning its fury on southeastern Georgia, where floodwaters trapped some residents in their homes. Hours after Idalia slammed ashore as a powerful Category 3 hurricane at Keaton Beach in Florida’s Big Bend […]
Ex-Catholic Cardinal McCarrick, age 93, found unfit to stand trial on teen sex abuse charges in US
Dedham, Massachussetts, USAP The once-powerful Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick will not stand trial on charges he sexually assaulted a teenage boy decades ago, as a Massachusetts judge dismissed the case against the 93-year-old on Wednesday because both prosecutors and defence attorneys agree he is experiencing dementia. McCarrick, the ex-Archbishop of Washington, DC, was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after […]
Gabon officers declare military coup, President Ali Bongo detained
Libreville, GabonReuters Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday, placing President Ali Bongo under house arrest and naming a new leader after the Central African state’s election body announced Bongo had won a third term. Saying they represented the armed forces, the officers declared on television that the election results […]
Finland counted its bomb shelters and found 50,500 of them
Helsinki, FinlandReuters Finland has finished inventorying its existing bomb shelters in a government effort prompted by neighbouring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and found it has 50,500 of them, its interior ministry said. Finland joined the NATO military alliance in April in a historic security policy U-turn but it had kept preparing for the […]
Gabonese military officers announce they have seized power
Libreville, GabonReuters A group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on national television in the early hours of Wednesday and said they had taken power, minutes after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term. Appearing on television channel Gabon 24, the officers said they represented all security and defence […]
StrangeSights: Gravy wrestling and bog snorkling; China county offers marriage “reward”; and, chewing gum artist Ben Wilson…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Sudan military ruler arrives in Egypt on first trip abroad since war began
Reuters Sudanese military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met his Egyptian counterpart on Tuesday in his first trip abroad since the April outbreak of war in Sudan, a day after rejecting calls for fresh negotiations. The two discussed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s offer to mediate the conflict during a short meeting in the coastal city […]
Zimbabwe opposition calls for re-run of elections and African mediation
Harare, ZimbabweReuters Zimbabwe’s main opposition party on Tuesday called for last week’s elections to be re-run, saying the polls were riddled with flaws and calling on other African countries to help mediate in its impasse with the ruling party. But the Citizens’ Coalition for Change party did not say how it would seek to force […]
Updated: Australia sets October date for historic vote on Indigenous recognition
Updated: 3:30pm (AEST)Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australians will vote on 14th October on whether they want to change the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait island people, a defining moment in the struggle for Indigenous rights in the country. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the date for the landmark referendum in Adelaide on Wednesday, describing it […]