Month: December 2023

Pope Presides Over Christmas Eve Mass: ‘Our Hearts Are in Bethlehem’

Vatican City — Recalling Jesus’ birth in a stable in Bethlehem, Pope Francis in a Christmas Eve homily said that “the clash of arms even today” prevents Jesus “from finding room in the world.” The pontiff presided Sunday over the evening Mass attended by about 6,500 faithful who took their place amid the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica behind rows of white-clad prelates. “Our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war,” the pope said, referring to the war sparked by Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 rampage and hostage-taking in Israel. …

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Serbian Police Fire Tear Gas at Protesters Threatening City Hall

Belgrade, Serbia — Police in Serbia fired tear gas to prevent hundreds of opposition supporters from entering the capital’s city council building Sunday in protest of what election observers said were widespread vote irregularities during a general election last weekend. The country’s populist authorities have denied rigging the vote and described the election to fill parliament and local offices as fair. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Sunday that those claims were blatant “lies” promoted by the political opposition. Vucic also suggested the unrest was instigated from abroad. Addressing the nation during the protest outside Belgrade city hall, he called the demonstrators …

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As 2023 Draws to Close, Notre Dame’s Reconstruction Offers Light

Paris — With bleak December weather gripping the French capital and world attention dominated by the bloody conflict in Gaza, the slow reemergence of Paris’ fire-battered Notre Dame cathedral is a welcome Christmas present. A golden rooster — a potent symbol of light in Christianity and of France — once again sits atop the cathedral’s reconstructed spire, replacing one that fell into the 2019 blaze which nearly demolished the edifice. By December 8, 2024, authorities pledge, Notre Dame will reopen to the public. “It’s extraordinary when you see it up over Notre Dame,” the cathedral’s former chief architect, Benjamin Mouton, said …

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Manchester United Announces Deal to Sell up to 25% of EPL club to UK Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe 

MANCHESTER, England — More than a year after it was put up for sale, Manchester United said Sunday that British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe had agreed to buy a minority stake in the storied Premier League club.  Ratcliffe, who owns petrochemicals giant INEOS and is one of Britain’s richest people, has secured a stake of “up to 25%” in the 20-time league champions and will invest $300 million in its Old Trafford stadium.  As part of the deal, United said Ratcliffe would take responsibility for the club’s soccer operations.  Ratcliffe will provide $200 million upon completion of the deal and a further …

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Зміни в мобілізації: Умєров розповів, коли в Раді зареєструють законопроєкт

«Нам як суспільству потрібно зрозуміти, як ми будемо відвойовувати землі. І в цьому плані мобілізація, демобілізація, відстрочка, соціальний захист – ці питання потребують роз’яснення або змін» …

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Indians Held in France Over Trafficking Fears Questioned 

Vatry, France — Four French judges on Sunday began questioning more than 300 Indians travelling on a plane detained near Paris over suspicions of human trafficking.    The Nicaragua-bound Airbus A340 has been held at Vatry airport, 150 kilometers (95 miles) east of Paris, since arriving from Dubai on Thursday for refueling after an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.    The judges have the authority to extend the detention order being used by border police by eight days initially and for a another eight if required.     They have two days to complete speaking to the passengers.    “The …

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France Completes Military Withdrawal From Niger, Leaves Gap in Terror Fight

ABUJA, Nigeria — France on Friday completed the withdrawal of its troops after they were asked to leave Niger by the country’s new junta, ending years of on-the-ground military support and raising concerns from analysts about a gap in the fight against jihadi violence across the Sahel region of Africa. The last French military aircraft and troops departed Niger by the December 22 deadline set by the junta which severed ties with Paris after the coup in July, the French Army General Staff told The Associated Press by email. France already announced this week that it would close its diplomatic mission …

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UN Says Swedish Citizen Faces Iran Execution ‘Shortly’

Geneva — The United Nations warned Saturday that an Iranian-Swedish citizen is facing imminent execution in Iran after a Swedish court upheld the conviction of a former Iranian prison official. “Disturbing news that Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali could be shortly executed on charges of ‘enmity against God,’” the U.N. human rights office said on X. Djalali was sentenced to death in 2017 on espionage charges that have been denounced as baseless by Stockholm and his supporters. Before his arrest in Iran in April 2016, Djalali was a visiting professor in disaster medicine at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, a Belgian research university. The U.N. …

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Anti-War Russian Blocked From Challenging Putin in Election

London — Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova was disqualified on Saturday as a candidate for Russia’s next presidential election, preventing her from running against Vladimir Putin on a platform of opposition to the war in Ukraine.  Members of the central electoral commission voted unanimously to reject her candidacy, citing “numerous violations” in the papers she had submitted in support of her bid.  Putin’s critics said the decision showed that no one with genuine opposition views would be allowed to stand against him next March in the first presidential election since the start of the 22-month war.  The Kremlin says Putin will …

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