Month: September 2024

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Vatican City — If any evidence were needed to underscore that Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Asia and Oceania is the longest and most challenging of his pontificate, it’s that he’s bringing along his secretaries to help him navigate the four-country program while keeping up with work back home. Francis will clock 32,814 kilometers by air …

Read more “Pope to embark on most challenging Asia trip, with China watching”

Brussels — China urged the European Union to be “objective and fair” and careful with words and actions on issues in the South China Sea, after the bloc remarked on an incident that occurred over the weekend. China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with the European Union’s “accusations” against it on the issue, a statement by …

Read more “China urges EU to be ‘objective and fair’ on South China Sea issue”

Paris — Paralympic triathlon competitions in Paris scheduled for Sunday were postponed for a day because of concerns about water quality in the Seine River after heavy rainfall, organizers said. The 11 para triathlon events are now scheduled for Monday, the Paris 2024 organizing committee and World Triathlon said in a joint statement. Rainstorms hit the …

Read more “Paralympic triathlon events postponed for a day because of poor water quality in Seine river”

A Russian missile strike injures dozens in Ukraine. The news comes as Moscow claims to have intercepted 158 Ukraine-launched drones overnight. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports. …

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Rome — Crew members on Mike Lynch’s yacht have spoken of the moments when a storm sank the vessel off Sicily and their efforts to help save passengers, after a disaster that killed the British tech tycoon and six other people. Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster two weeks …

Read more “Crew members on Mike Lynch yacht tell of moments it sank off Sicily”

Koumac, France — An alliance of parties seeking independence for New Caledonia has nominated as chief a prominent opposition leader currently jailed in France over a wave of deadly rioting in the French Pacific territory. Christian Tein, who considers himself a “political prisoner,” was one of seven pro-independence activists transferred to mainland France in June — …

Read more “New Caledonia separatists name jailed party leader as chief “

Warsaw — Poland on Sunday marked 85 years since the outbreak of World War II during annual commemoration ceremony held at dawn to remember Nazi Germany’s first attacks that triggered the deadly conflict. Nearly six million Poles died in the conflict that killed more than 50 million people overall, including the six million Jews who died …

Read more “Poland marks 85 years since WWII outbreak “

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BERLIN — Two state elections in eastern Germany on Sunday offer the far-right Alternative for Germany the chance to become the strongest party for the first time and could produce painful results for the unpopular national government. A new party founded by a prominent leftist also hopes to make an immediate impact. About 3.3 million people …

Read more “Far-right party is looking for wins in 2 state elections in eastern Germany”

PATERZELL, Germany — How do you teach a bird how, and where, to fly? The distinctive northern bald ibis, hunted essentially to extinction by the 17th century, was revived by breeding and rewilding efforts over the last two decades. But the birds — known for their distinctive black-and-iridescent green plumage, bald red head and long curved …

Read more “Bird species extinct in Europe returns, and humans must help it migrate”

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