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Rome — A major Vatican meeting gathering clerics and laity across the globe to discuss the future of the Catholic Church closes this weekend, thwarting discussion of women becoming priests or deacons in the world’s largest Christian denomination. But that didn’t stop a half-dozen Catholic women from “ordination” in a secret ceremony in Rome that was not authorized by the Vatican. Jesuit Father Allan Deck, a professor at the Los Angeles-based Loyola Marymount University, told VOA that the Catholic Church under Pope Francis’ leadership recognizes the need for adaptability to realize its spiritual mission in the world at this time of …

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Russian missile strikes killed three people including a child in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro while a teenager and another person died in attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region, officials said Saturday. Overnight strikes on Dnipro wounded 19 others and damaged multiple buildings, said Sergiy Lysak, the governor of the central Dnipropetrovsk region. A two-story residential building was destroyed, he said. Images shared by Lysak showed rescuers working in a pile of rubble, while another showed what appeared to be a hospital room with its windows blown out. “Three people were killed in Dnipro, including a child. Nineteen were …

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Georgians headed to the polls Saturday in a ballot many citizens see as a make-or-break vote on the opportunity to join the European Union. The pre-election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people has been dominated by foreign policy and marked by a bitter fight for votes and allegations of a smear campaign. Some Georgians complained of intimidation and being pressured to vote for the ruling party, Georgian Dream, while the opposition accused the party of carrying out a “hybrid war” against its citizens.  Ahead of the parliamentary election, Bidzina Ivanishvili — a shadowy billionaire who set …

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A Kurdish militant group on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack on a major state-run defense company in Turkey’s capital, an action that analysts say could complicate prospects for renewed peace talks between the Turkish government and the country’s Kurdish minority. Two assailants set off explosives and opened fire Wednesday at the aerospace and defense company TUSAS in Ankara, killing five people and wounding 22, Turkey’s interior ministry said. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, said in a statement Friday that the attack on the defense firm was for its role in producing weapons used in attacks against Kurdish civilians. The …

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WASHINGTON — Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of major government contractor SpaceX and a key ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the last two years, The Wall Street Journal reported. A person familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed to The Associated Press that Musk and Putin have had contact through calls. The person didn’t provide additional details about the frequency of the calls, when they occurred or their content. Musk, the world’s richest person who also owns Tesla and …

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Washington — The 2024 BRICS summit in Russia this week provided Moscow and Beijing with a showcase for their shared anti-West sentiment and global ambitions, but analysts say the war in Ukraine may be fracturing the “no limits” relationship between the two countries.  The location of the summit was strategically significant, given international efforts to isolate Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.   “For Russia as the host, the most important thing is to highlight that it is not isolated and still has supporters on the international stage.” said Shiau-shyang Liou, associate research fellow at the Taiwan-based Institute for National Defense …

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Elections in Georgia are taking place as the government faces accusations of being increasingly influenced by Russia, raising concerns about the nation’s pro-Western future. Ani Chkhikvadze reports from the capital, Tbilisi. Videographer: Giorgi Akhalaia …

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