The Explainer: Five Christmas story elements that don’t appear in the Bible, from the little donkey to the inn keeper
CHRIS GREENOUGH, in an article first published on The Conversation, says some of best-known parts of the Christmas story aren’t in the Bible at all…
Ukraine kills Russian chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov in Moscow
Moscow. Ukraine Reuters A top Russian general accused by Ukraine of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops was assassinated in Moscow by Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service on Tuesday morning in the most high-profile killing of its kind. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical […]
Gaza ceasefire talks gain momentum as officials push for deal
Washington DC, US/Cairo, Egypt Reuters An agreement to halt the 14-month-old war in Gaza and free hostages held in the Palestinian enclave could be signed in coming days with talks in Cairo making progress, sources briefed on the meeting said on Tuesday. Palestinians walk at the site of an Israeli strike on a school sheltering […]
Pope reveals he was target of suicide bomb attempt during 2021 Iraq visit
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis has revealed he was the target of an attempted suicide bombing during his visit to Iraq three years ago, the first by a Catholic pontiff to the country and probably the riskiest foreign trip of his 11-year papacy. In an excerpt published on Tuesday from a forthcoming autobiography, Francis said […]
Vanuatu earthquake death toll rises to 14 as rescuers continue search
Updated: 11:15am (AEDT) Wellington, New Zealand Reuters Rescuers in Vanuatu on Wednesday searched for people still trapped after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific nation’s capital Port Vila on Tuesday, killing 14 people, and damaging reservoirs, commercial buildings, embassies and a hospital. At least 200 people are being treated for injuries at the capital’s […]
Syrian mass graves expose “machinery of death” under Assad, top prosecutor says
Qutayfah, Syria Reuters An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run “machinery of death” under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured and murdered since 2013. A drone view shows the site of a mass […]
Mayotte authorities fear hunger, disease after cyclone; death toll rises in Mozambique
Pamandzi, Mayotte Reuters Authorities in Mayotte struggled on Tuesday to stop hunger, disease and lawlessness from spreading in the French overseas territory after the weekend’s devastating cyclone, while Mozambique reported dozens of deaths from the storm. Hundreds or even thousands could be dead in Mayotte, which took the strongest hit from Cyclone Chido, French officials […]