Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis on Monday repeated his support for celibacy after his predecessor pope Benedict XVI urged him not to open the Catholic priesthood up to married men, in a plea that stunned Vatican experts. “The pope’s position on celibacy is well known,” the head of …
Read More »Iran denies ‘cover-up’ as anger mounts over downed airliner
Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran denied a “cover-up” Monday after taking days to reveal an airliner was accidentally shot down last week, a disaster that sparked demonstrations and calls for a fully transparent investigation. The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was shot down by a missile shortly after taking off …
Read More »Retired Pope Benedict rejects opening up priesthood to married men
Rome, Italy | AFP | Former pope Benedict XVI has publicly urged his successor Pope Francis not to open the Catholic priesthood up to married men, in a plea that Sunday stunned Vatican experts. The ex-pontiff, who retired in 2013, issued the defence of clerical celibacy in a book …
Read More »Aguero makes history as Man City hit Villa for six
+ Villa 1-6 Man City + Palace 1-1 Arsenal + Chelsea 3-0 Burnley + Everton 1-0 Brighton + Leicester 1-2 Southampton + Manchester United 4-0 Norwich + Wolves 1-1 Newcastle Birmingham, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola said Sergio Aguero’s legendary status had grown again after becoming the Premier …
Read More »Spanish delivery firm Glovo out to conquer the world
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | With an ambitious 27-year-old boss and a growing army of computer engineers, Spanish start-up Glovo is chasing international growth by expanding beyond food deliveries, despite criticism of the working conditions of its drivers. Four years ago Oscar Pierre quit his first job at Airbus, Europe’s largest …
Read More »Queen, Prince Harry, senior royals set for crisis meeting
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Queen Elizabeth II will host a showdown meeting with Prince Harry on Monday in an attempt to solve the crisis triggered by his bombshell announcement that he and wife Meghan were stepping back from the royal frontline. Other senior royals including Harry’s father Prince Charles …
Read More »Iran’s statement on downed Ukrainian airliner
Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran said on Saturday that its armed forces had “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. The incident came hours after Iran launched a wave of missiles at Iraqi bases housing American troops in retaliation for the killing …
Read More »Climate at mercy of politics in 2020, experts warn
Paris, France | AFP | 2020 is the most crucial year yet for humanity’s plan to dodge the bullet of catastrophic global warming, experts said Saturday, warning that the narrow path to safety was riddled with pitfalls, from the US election to Brexit. When nations struck the 2015 Paris agreement, which …
Read More »Trump campaign playbook: insult opponents, but not too soon
Washington, United States | AFP | “The economy, stupid” goes one of the most famous mantras of US presidential campaign history. Donald Trump is hitting the 2020 trail with his own twist: brand your opponents stupid (or worse). Name calling and character smearing is an integral part of Trump’s reelection campaign. …
Read More »Democrats to send Trump impeachment articles to Senate next week
Washington, United States | AFP | US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she intends to transmit articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate next week, moving to end a taut standoff with Republicans over terms of the president’s trial. The top Democrat’s announcement virtually assures that a historic …
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