Upholding celibacy, Pope sidesteps bid to ordain some married men
Pope Francis on Wednesday dismissed a proposal to allow some married men to be ordained in remote areas, reaffirming the Roman Catholic Church’s centuries-old commitment to celibacy among priests.
China’s new coronavirus cases drop, world still scared
China reported on Wednesday its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in two weeks, bolstering a forecast by Beijing’s senior medical adviser for the outbreak there to end by April, but U.N. health authorities warned it could still “go in any directio…
New coronavirus: what markets should watch now
World markets started shrugging off the worst of the coronavirus impact last week and stock markets have since reached record highs. China’s announcement that new cases of the so-called COVID-19 detected on Tuesday were at their lowest since Jan 30 has…
Dubai court rules against superyacht freeze order in divorce battle
A Dubai appeal court has dismissed a freezing order on a $436 million superyacht belonging to a Russian billionaire at the center of one of the world’s costliest divorce battles, according to a copy of the final ruling reviewed by Reuters.
Kosovo’s new PM, cabinet accept halving of their salaries
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and cabinet ministers will accept a halving of their salaries in an attempt to demonstrate that the new government plans to tackle wage inequality.
Palestinians hail U.N. report on companies with Israeli settlement ties
The Palestinian foreign minister hailed the release on Wednesday of a U.N. Rights office report on companies with Israeli settlement ties and urged the international community to press the businesses to cut their links with the enclaves.
Israel attacks ‘shameful’ U.N. report on companies active in West Bank settlements
Israel denounced on Wednesday a long-delayed U.N. report listing companies with business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Britain’s duchess Kate makes first solo visit to Northern Ireland
Britain’s duchess Kate, the wife of Prince William, met local families on Wednesday during a surprise visit to Northern Ireland to promote her early-years survey.
Iraqi authorities reopen Baghdad bridge shut for months by protests
Iraqi authorities on Wednesday reopened one of Baghdad’s major bridges, shut for months by anti-government protesters, in a sign of a lull in unrest that has killed hundreds of people and forced the prime minister to resign last year.
Islamist militant Krekar to be extradited from Norway to Italy
An Iraqi Kurdish Islamist suspected of plotting attacks in Europe and the Middle East will be extradited from Norway to Italy, the Justice Ministry in Oslo said on Wednesday.
