Pope departs Vatican on frugal retreat ahead of anniversary
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis left the Vatican on Sunday ahead of the first anniversary of his papacy, which he will pass with the Roman Curia on a Lenten spiritual retreat held outside the city state for the first time in decades.
Japan Airlines plane makes emergency landing in Honolulu
TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japan Airlines- operated Boeing 787 made an emergency landing at Honolulu Airport after oil pressure in its right engine dropped, the Japanese carrier said.
Safety concerns ground Sierra Leone international flights
FREETOWN (Reuters) – International airlines have cancelled flights to and from Sierra Leone after a U.N. aviation regulator discovered that the only functioning fire engine at its main airport had broken down, an airport official and airline staff said…
Qatar may face higher costs of hiring foreign workers: IMF
DUBAI (Reuters) – Qatar will likely face higher labor costs as a result of publicity about deaths of migrant construction workers building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament, the International Monetary Fund said.
Suicide bomber kills 45 in Iraqi city of Hilla
HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) – A suicide bomber driving a minibus packed with explosives killed at least 45 people and wounded 157 on Sunday in the southern Iraqi city of Hilla, police and medical sources said.
Afghanistan’s powerful Vice President Fahim dies
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s powerful vice president, Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, died of natural causes on Sunday, only weeks before the country is due to elect a new leader. He was 57.
‘What bailout exit?’ Portuguese ask, braced for more hardship
LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s international bailout is expected to end in mid-May. That won’t mean the end of hardship for the Portuguese.
‘What bailout exit?’ Portuguese ask, braced for more hardship
LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s international bailout is expected to end in mid-May. That won’t mean the end of hardship for the Portuguese.
At least 40 killed in Yemen as Houthi fighters near capital
SANAA (Reuters) – At least 40 people have been killed in three days of fighting between Shi’ite Muslim rebels and Sunni tribesmen, sources on both sides said on Sunday, as sectarian fighting that flared up in October in the north drew closer to the cap…
With legal reforms, China wants less interfering in cases, fewer death penalty crimes
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has curtailed the power of the ruling Communist Party’s Political and Legal Committee, a secretive body overseeing the security services, to interfere in most legal cases, scholars with knowledge of the situation said – a sign…




