Month: January 2024

Police Investigate UK Post Office after IT Problem Leads to Wrongful Theft Accusations

LONDON — U.K. police have opened a fraud investigation into Britain’s Post Office over a miscarriage of justice that saw hundreds of postmasters wrongfully accused of stealing money when a faulty computer system was to blame. The Metropolitan Police force said late Friday that it is investigating “potential fraud offences arising out of these prosecutions,” relating to money the Post Office received “as a result of prosecutions or civil actions” against accused postal workers. Police also are investigating potential offenses of perjury and perverting the course of justice over investigations and prosecutions carried out by the Post Office. Between 1999 and …

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French Minister Urges Iran to Stop ‘Destabilizing Acts’

Paris — France’s foreign minister told her Iranian counterpart Saturday that “Iran and its affiliates” must stop “destabilizing acts” that could spark a broader conflict in the Middle East amid the war in Gaza.  During a telephone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Catherine Colonna “delivered a very clear message: the risk of regional conflagration has never been so great; Iran and its affiliates must immediately cease their destabilizing acts,” according to a statement on the X social media platform. “Nobody would win from escalation.”    Their call came after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon said it had targeted an …

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Pope Francis Warns Against Ideological Splits in Catholic Church

VATICAN CITY — Amid resistance to some Vatican policy by more conservative factions of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis on Saturday cautioned the faithful against fracturing into groups “based on our own ideas.” He issued the call to abandon “ecclesiastical ideologies” in his homily in St. Peter’s Basilica during Epiphany Day Mass, the last major Christmas season holiday. Francis also warned against “basking in some elegant religious theory” instead of finding God in the faces of the poor. Last month, Francis gave permission for priests to bless couples outside of marriage, including same-sex relationships, if the blessing was pastoral and not …

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Pro-Palestinian Protesters Block Bridge Outside UK Parliament

LONDON — Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked roads outside the British parliament in London on Saturday, demanding an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and clashing with police who prevented them from marching across Westminster Bridge.  London, like other Western cities, has seen regular and sometimes large demonstrations calling for Israel to halt the bombardment of Gaza triggered by a surprise October 7 attack by Hamas militants that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,200 people.   The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says 22,722 people have been killed in Israel’s bombardment.  Videos posted on social media showed police blocking protesters’ access to the …

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Розвідка Британії оцінила можливості російської авіації після збиття літаків Су-34

«Існує реальна ймовірність того, що відсутність повітряної підтримки привела до провалу спроби 18-ї загальновійськової армії сухопутних військ Росії звільнити плацдарм» …

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Global Food Prices Decline From Record Highs in 2022, UN Says — Except for Two Staples

rome — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oil fell last year from record highs in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors helped worsen hunger worldwide, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday. The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly traded food commodities, was 13.7% lower last year than the 2022 average, but its measures of sugar and rice prices growing in that time. Last month, the index dropped some 10% compared with December 2022. The drop in food commodity prices in 2023 comes despite …

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