Vatican synod proposes ordination of married men as priests in Amazon region
An assembly of Roman Catholic bishops from the Amazon on Saturday proposed that married men in the remote area be allowed to be ordained priests, which could lead to a landmark change in the Church’s centuries-old discipline of celibacy.
Pope, ending synod, says will re-launch study of women deacons
Pope Francis said on Saturday he would reconvene a commission to study the history of women deacons in the early centuries of the Catholic Church, responding to calls by women that they be allowed to take up the role today.
Belgium to have first female PM as Michel takes EU top job: papers
Liberal politician Sophie Wilmes is set to become the first female prime minister of Belgium, local newspapers reported on Saturday.
Eight killed, dozens wounded as Iraq protests flare again
Eight Iraqis were killed and dozens wounded on Saturday, police and hospital sources said, as demonstrators and security forces clashed in a second day of protests against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government.
Saudi-brokered deal to include Yemen’s southern separatists in government – sources
A preliminary deal between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and southern separatists to end a power struggle in Aden will see the separatists included in a new technocrat cabinet and both sides’ forces placed under government control, sources said.
Germany’s Scholz tops SPD leader vote, but faces run-off
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz came first in a vote to elect a leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) but fell short of a majority, triggering a run-off set to fuel debate over whether to stay in government with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
UK PM Johnson’s Conservatives hold 16-point poll lead ahead of election decision
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party holds a 16-point lead over the opposition Labour Party ahead of a parliamentary vote on Monday on whether to hold a snap general election, according to an Opinium poll.
Rural Vietnamese mourn loved ones feared dead in back of British truck
Several townships in rural Vietnam sank into mourning on Saturday, with communities believing that many of the 39 people found dead in the back of a truck near London this week came from poor, rice-growing areas of the country.
Chilean President Pinera to shake up cabinet amid protests
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said on Saturday he would shake up his cabinet to quell a week of mass protests against inequality that have rocked the South American nation.
Bolivia’s Morales vows second-round vote if fraud found in official tally
Bolivian President Evo Morales on Saturday vowed to hold a run-off election if an audit of a vote count that gave him an outright win turns up evidence of fraud, as he sought to calm a sixth day of protests and international criticism over his disputed…
