Month: August 2023

Pope Francis visited the Portuguese town of Fatima to pray for peace at a shrine Saturday known for apocalyptic prophesies of hell, peace and Soviet communism that have found new relevance with Russia’s war in Ukraine. But for the third time during his trip to Portugal for World Youth Day, Francis ditched his prepared remarks and didn’t even recite a prayer written for the occasion pleading for peace. The prayer had been expected to be a highlight of Francis’ visit to Fatima, given the shrine’s century-old affiliation with exhortations of peace and conversion in Russia. Francis instead “prayed silently for …

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Japan scored its 14th goal of the Women’s World Cup and conceded its first Saturday, beating Norway 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals for the fourth time. Hinata Miyazawa sealed the win with her fifth goal of the tournament in the 81st minute to remain the leading scorer. Risa Shimizu’s 50th-minute goal followed an Ingrid Syrstad Engen own goal in the first half to help give Japan its fourth straight win of the tournament. Guro Reiten headed a superb goal for Norway in the 21st minute to end Japan’s flawless defensive performance and leave the teams locked 1-1 a halftime. After …

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Saudi Arabia was set to host talks on Russia’s war on Ukraine on Saturday in the latest flexing of its diplomatic muscle, though expectations are mild for what the gathering might achieve.  The meeting of national security advisers and other officials in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah underscores Riyadh’s “readiness to exert its good offices to contribute to reaching a solution that will result in permanent peace,” the official Saudi Press Agency said Friday.   Invitations were sent to around 30 countries, Russia not among them, according to diplomats familiar with the preparations.  The SPA report said only …

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Latest developments: Saturday intelligence update on Ukraine from the Britain’s Ministry of Defense says strike on 113-meter-long Russian landing ship, the Olenegorsky Gornyak, was the largest naval vessel damaged since sinking of the Moskva in April of last year. Poland has detained another person suspected of being a member of a Russian spy network, bringing the total number of people detained as part of an investigation to 16, Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said Friday.  The direct channel between the Russian Agricultural Bank and J.P. Morgan, as part of the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal, was closed on August 2, RIA …

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Tensions are high along the Poland-Belarus border after two Belarusian helicopters entered Polish air space. Poland’s army has moved additional troops and combat helicopters close to the border and there is increasing talk about the possibility of military incursion. Eastern Europe chief Myroslava Gongadze traveled to the border and has this report. Camera: Daniil Bratushchak …

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Pope Francis presided over a Way of the Cross reenactment at a Lisbon park on Friday before hundreds of thousands of flag-waving pilgrims, part of a global Catholic youth festival.  The rite commemorating Jesus Christ’s suffering and death is one of the highlights of World Youth Day festivities, a six-day international Catholic jamboree.  Pilgrims shrieked and waved as the pontiff, surrounded by bodyguards, slowly drove by in his popemobile to the stage set up at the hillside Eduardo VII park for the event.  The 86-year-old pope, wearing a white cassock, paused several times to have babies brought to him, and …

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West African defense chiefs have drawn up a plan for potential military intervention if Niger’s coup is not overturned by the weekend, a leader from the regional bloc said on Friday, after mediation failed in a crisis that is troubling global powers. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has given Niger’s coup leaders until Sunday to step down and free elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The bloc has taken a hard stance on last week’s takeover, the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. Given its uranium and oil riches and pivotal role in the war with …

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For staff at the Turkish LGBTQ online magazine Velvele, the worry that content will be censored is constant. “That’s one of the biggest threats that we might face in the near future,” said Ilker Hepkaner, an editor at Velvele. “They might block an essay — or the whole website,” he said, referring to Turkish authorities. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made attacking the LGBTQ community a focal point of his political agenda in the run-up to his reelection this year, and Ankara has long used internet blocks and legal threats to silence critical outlets. In an environment that already has a …

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At first sight, Tiembe studies his frozen breakfast with hesitation: Chunks of red meat and bone packed in a foot-long block of ice.  The 15-year-old Angolan lion eventually licks the ice before gnawing free pieces of meat.  Animals at the Attica Zoological Park outside the Greek capital were being fed frozen meals Friday as temperatures around the country reached 40 C (107.5 F) and were set to rise further, in the fourth heat wave in less than a month.  The extreme temperatures and wildfires — a growing concern for biodiversity in southern Europe — have had an impact on Greek …

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AUCKLAND, Australia — As the Women’s World Cup enters the business stage when the round of 16 kicks off Saturday, the surprises and shocks in the group stage have thrown up some stunning fixtures, starting with the clash of former champions Norway and Japan. There is a sense that the expanded 32-team format has improved the tournament after heavyweights Germany, Canada, Brazil and China were knocked out while minnows like Morocco and Jamaica advanced for the first time. While Japan came through their group unscathed, Norway lost to co-hosts New Zealand in the tournament opener, while a public spat threatened …

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