Author: Fworld

Pope’s Amazon Synod Proposes Married Priests, Female Deacons

Catholic bishops from across the Amazon called Saturday for the ordination of married men as priests to address the clergy shortage in the region, an historic proposal that would upend centuries of Roman Catholic tradition.    The majority of 180 bishops from nine Amazonian countries also called for the Vatican to reopen a debate on …

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Former Refugee Recalls Danger of Being Smuggled in Truck 

Ahmad Al-Rashid knows what the suffering was like for the 39 people who were found dead in the back of a truck in southeastern England this week.  The 29-year-old Syrian refugee found himself gasping for breath inside a refrigerated shipping container with a group of migrants and a load of frozen chicken when a planned trip across the …

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Russia Says US Presence in Syria Illegal, Protects Oil Smugglers

Russia’s defense ministry on Saturday attacked U.S. plans to maintain and boost the American military presence in eastern Syria as “international state banditry” motivated by a desire to protect oil smugglers and not by real security concerns.U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday Washington would send armored vehicles and troops to the Syrian oil …

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‘Russian Agent’ Maria Butina Heads Home

For some she was the spy who wasn’t – just an eager Russian gun-rights enthusiast keen to improve relations between Russia and America, who was turned into a scapegoat by vengeful U.S. counterintelligence agencies.For others, Maria Butina is a clandestine Russian agent, a real-life Red Sparrow, with flame-colored hair to match, who infiltrated conservative circles …

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More Vietnamese Fear Relatives Among 39 Dead in Truck in England

More Vietnamese families came forward Saturday with information their relatives may be among the 39 people found dead in the back of a container truck in southeastern England.British police initially said they believed the victims were Chinese but acknowledged this was a “developing picture.”A representative for VietHome, a U.K.-based organization of the Vietnamese community, said …

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‘Time Will Tell’ on Russia’s Middle East Power Play

Across parts of northeastern Syria, with U.S. military outposts and bases emptied or destroyed after Washington withdrew from the region and left its Kurdish allies — the fallout began to roll in — in the form of Russian armored troop carriers.The reinforcements arrived Friday, according to Russian media, with an additional 300 Russian military police …

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US Envoy to Balkans Welcomes Diplomatic Backup on Serbia-Kosovo Talks

The White House is expanding and expediting efforts to restart Serbia-Kosovo normalization talks as part of a broader campaign to integrate the Balkans into the Euro-Atlantic community, according to the top U.S. diplomat to the region.”With negotiations at a standstill, both [Serbia and Kosovo] risk squandering the best chance in a generation to normalize relations …

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Franco Exhumation Inflames Spain’s Political Tensions

The body of former Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco was exhumed from its grandiose mausoleum outside Madrid Thursday and moved to a cemetery near the capital. Critics have long campaigned for the move, arguing that the site in the “Valley of the Fallen” – which was built by prison laborers under Franco – glorified his …

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Turkey Targets Foreign Journalists in Press Freedom Crackdown 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan filed a criminal complaint Friday against a French magazine over a cover accusing him of “ethnic cleansing,” according to the state-owned Anadolu Agency. The filing was the latest example of efforts by the Erdogan government to restrict press freedoms in Turkey. The complaint filed against the French magazine Le Point’s director, Etienne Gernelle, as well …

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Authorities Arrest 2 More in UK’s Gruesome Truck Deaths Case

British police arrested two more people Friday in connection with the deaths of 39 others found in the back of a container truck in southeastern England as the investigation into one of the country’s worst human smuggling cases geared up.Police said the man and the woman, both 38 and from Warrington, a town in northwestern …

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Tiny Beetle Named After Climate Activist Greta Thunberg

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has a tiny new namesake.London’s Natural History Museum said Friday that a minute species of beetle is being named “Nelloptodes gretae” in honor of the 16-year-old Swede.Michael Darby, a scientific associate at the museum who found the insect in its collection of millions of animal specimens, chose the name to acknowledge …

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Pledges for Global Climate Fund Reach About $10 Billion

Governments have pledged nearly $10 billion toward an international fund meant to help poor nations tackle climate change, France’s finance minister said Friday.Bruno Le Maire, speaking at a conference in Paris set to replenish the Green Climate Fund, said “it’s a great success” that he attributed largely to European countries, noting that almost half of …

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EU Envoys Agree That Brexit Extension is Needed, No Date Set

European Union ambassadors agreed Friday that the bloc should grant Britain’s request for another extension to the Brexit deadline but they have not yet figured out how long that delay should be.Speaking Friday in Brussels after EU ambassadors met with the EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said ambassadors from …

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One of Europe’s Last Wild Rivers Is in Danger of Being Tamed

Under a broad plane tree near Albania’s border with Greece, Jorgji Ilia filled a battered flask from one of the Vjosa River’s many springs.    There is nothing else better than the river,” the retired schoolteacher said.The Vjosa gives beauty to our village.”    The Vjosa is temperamental and fickle, changing from translucent cobalt blue to sludge brown to emerald green, from a steady …

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EU to Help Fund Colombia Peace Process for Additional 4 Years

The European Union said on Thursday it would extend for four years funding to support implementation of Colombia’s peace accord with former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, including an initial contribution of 33.5 million euros ($37 million).The EU has given nearly 128 million euros ($142 million) to help former fighters reintegrate since late …

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Greek Police Clash With Students Protesting Business Reforms

Police clashed with students in Greece’s two largest cities Thursday amid strikes and street protests against a planned overhaul of business rules by the new conservative government.In Athens, one protester and one policeman were hurt when a confrontation between students and police turned violent outside parliament. Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.Clashes also …

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Russia Sends S-400 Missile Defense Systems to Serbia for Military Drill

Russia said on Thursday a division of its S-400 missile defense system would take part in a military drill in Serbia, underlining Moscow’s wish to keep a traditional ally on side even as Belgrade pursues links with NATO and the European Union.It will be the first time that the sophisticated S-400s, together with a Pantsir …

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British PM Johnson, Stymied on Split from EU, Calls for Dec. 12 Election

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, stymied in his efforts to have Britain divorce itself from the European Union by next week, on Thursday called for a snap national election on Dec. 12 to give voters a chance to weigh in on protracted but indecisive wrangling over Brexit in parliament.But Johnson needs a two-thirds vote in …

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Senior Rabbi Warns About Rise of Anti-Semitism in Europe

The chief rabbi of the main Orthodox rabbinical alliance in Europe says that a resurgence of anti-Semitism on the continent “poses an existential threat to the Jewish community.”The warning by Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmit was sounded as the Conference of European Rabbis awarded the Moshe Rosen Award on Thursday in Rome to the founder of …

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UK Police Expand Probe, Say 39 Dead in Truck all From China

All 39 people found dead in a refrigerated container truck near an English port were Chinese citizens, British police confirmed Thursday as they investigated one of the country’s deadliest cases of people smuggling.The Essex Police force said 31 men and eight women were found dead in the truck early Wednesday at an industrial park in …

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Spain Exhumes Late Dictator Gen. Franco’s Remains

Spain has exhumed the remains of Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco from his grandiose mausoleum outside Madrid and flown them by helicopter for reburial in a small family crypt north of the capital.The government-ordered, closed-door operation on Thursday satisfies a decades-old desire of many in Spain who considered the vainglorious mausoleum that Franco built an …

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Hong Kong Protesters to Rally in Support of Catalan Activists

Hong Kong protesters plan to rally on Thursday evening to show solidarity with people demonstrating in Spain’s wealthiest region of Catalonia over jail sentences handed out to nine separatist leaders.The protests in Catalonia share some noticeable comparisons with the demonstrations in Hong Kong, where millions have taken to the streets for five months to vent …

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Report: 4 Out of 5 EU Coal Plants Unprofitable

Four out of five coal plants in the European Union are unprofitable and utilities could face losses of nearly 6.6 billion euros ($7.3 billion) this year, a report by think tank the Carbon Tracker Initiative said Thursday.Lower costs for renewable energy and cheaper natural gas prices are increasingly competitive vs. coal in power generation.More expensive …

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Franco Exhumation a Political Game that Debases His Legacy, Grandson Says

A decision by Spain’s government to remove Francisco Franco’s remains from a state mausoleum is simply an act of political opportunism ahead of next month’s election, the late dictator’s oldest grandson and namesake said on Wednesday.Francisco Franco Martinez-Bordiu will play a leading role in Thursday’s low-key ceremony in the Valley of the Fallen outside Madrid.He …

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PM Conte Defends Italy’s Intelligence Contacts With US

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday U.S. Attorney General William Barr was seeking information about the activities of FBI agents assigned to Italy in his meetings with Italian intelligence officials this summer.Conte insisted on the complete legitimacy of both the meetings and his own role, during a press conference after testifying behind closed doors to …

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Serbia’s Besieged N1 Broadcaster Blames President for Harassment

The executive producer of Serbia’s privately owned N1TV channel says the nation’s president is to blame for a recent campaign of harassment targeting the broadcaster and journalists throughout the country.On Monday, two masked men tossed hundreds of leaflets over a fence surrounding the broadcaster’s Belgrade facility, with messages such as “Goodbye Republic of Serbia, N1 …

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