Children serenade pope on 81st birthday; he appeals for kidnapped nuns
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of people, many of them children, serenaded Pope Francis on his 81st birthday on Sunday, as the pontiff appealed for the release of Catholic nuns kidnapped last month in Nigeria.
Philippines’ Duterte, in about-face, says he supports same-sex unions
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday expressed his support for same-sex unions, after previously declaring his opposition to gay marriage, in an about-face that may displease bishops in the mainly Roman Catholic country.
South Africa’s ANC set to elect leader to replace scandal-ridden Zuma
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s ANC formally nominated two candidates in a race to succeed President Jacob Zuma as leader of a party that has ruled since the end of apartheid but lost its luster in a welter of scandal and corruption allegations…
Two Danish journalists wounded in Islamist knife attack in Gabon
LIBREVILLE (Reuters) – An attacker wielding a knife and crying “Allahu Akbar” has wounded two Danish journalists in Gabon’s capital Libreville, the Gabonese defense minister said.
Brexit will not be derailed, says UK’s May ahead of crunch cabinet meetings
LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would not be derailed from leaving the European Union, laying the groundwork for difficult meetings this week in which she will try to unite a divided cabinet behind her vision for post-B…
Chinese military transport plane flies near Taiwan
TAIPEI (Reuters) – At least one Chinese Air Force Yun-8 transport plane conducted a long-haul flight near Taiwan on Sunday, the island’s Defence Ministry said, amid simmering tensions between the two rivals.
Twin suicide bombers attack church in Pakistan’s Quetta ahead of Christmas, killing eight
QUETTA/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Two suicide bombers attacked a packed Christian church in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least eight people and wounding up to 45 before one of them blew himself up and police killed the other, officials said.
Gunmen kill five in attack on church in Pakistan’s Quetta
QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) – Two suicide attackers opened fire inside a church in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding up to 16 before being stopped by police guards, officials said.
Palestinian billionaire Masri released by Saudis; says they ‘gave him all respect’
AMMAN (Reuters) – Sabih al Masri, a Palestinian billionaire and Jordan’s most influential businessman, was released after several days of detention in Saudi Arabia, the latest in a series of events marking the worst crackdown on the rich and powerful i…
U.S., Russian, Japanese crew blasts off for space station
(Reuters) – A trio of U.S. and Japanese astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut blasted off from Kazakhstan on Sunday for a two-day trip to the International Space Station, a NASA TV broadcast showed.
