International

Monday, December 30th 2019 - 08:38 UTC
Francis calls on families to talk at meal times and leave aside mobile phones

Pope Francis on Sunday urged people to talk to each other at mealtimes instead of using their mobile phones, citing Jesus, Mary and Joseph as an example for families to follow.
Monday, December 30th 2019 - 08:35 UTC
Putin thanks Trump for helping to foil terrorist attack in St Petersburg

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Sunday thanked US counterpart Donald Trump for intelligence that helped to foil attacks on Russian soil, the Kremlin said. Putin thanked Trump “for the transfer, through special services, of information allowing the prevention of terrorist acts in Russia”, the president's office said in a statement.
Monday, December 30th 2019 - 08:01 UTC
Carnival Panorama wins the “Best New Cruise Ship of 2019” Award

Carnival Panorama has won the “Best New Cruise Ship” of 2019 in the Cruise Ship Awards. The new Vista-class vessel was up against Spectrum of the Seas from Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Encore operated by NCL, Sky Princess from Princess Cruises, MSC Bellissima from MSC Cruises, Costa Smeralda operated by Costa Cruises, MSC Grandiosa from MSC Cruises and Costa Venezia which is also in the Costa Cruises fleet.
Saturday, December 28th 2019 - 09:52 UTC
UK accused of “crimes against humanity” for not allowing people to return to Chagos islands, their ancestral home

The UK has been accused of committing “crimes against humanity” for refusing to allow people to return to their former homes on the Chagos Islands, despite a ruling earlier this year by the United Nation's highest court.
Saturday, December 28th 2019 - 09:49 UTC
Uruguayan navy seizes record haul of 4.4 tons of cocaine in the port of Montevideo

Uruguayan authorities seized a record haul of 4.4 tons of cocaine at the port of Montevideo in what the navy described on Friday as “the biggest blow to drug trafficking in the country's history.”
Saturday, December 28th 2019 - 09:39 UTC
China's top pig producing province pledges to grow 60 million hogs in 2020

China's top pig producer Sichuan province pledged to produce 60 million hogs in 2020, around levels in previous years, state media reported on Friday, after a deadly pig disease decimated the country's massive pig herd.
Saturday, December 28th 2019 - 09:36 UTC
Fires in Australia threaten the water infrastructure that supplies Sydney

Australian authorities said on Friday that they are focused on protecting water plants, pumping stations, pipes and other infrastructure from intense bushfires surrounding Sydney, the country's largest city. Firefighters battling the blazes for weeks received a reprieve of slightly cooler, damper conditions over Christmas, but the respite is not expected to last long.
Saturday, December 28th 2019 - 09:32 UTC
Defrocked US cardinal paid for silence from Vatican officials, Washington Post reports

A US cardinal gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to powerful Catholic clerics including two popes while facing accusations of sexual harassment, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
Saturday, December 28th 2019 - 09:22 UTC
French transport strike enters fourth week with unions pledging to press on

The head of a hard-line French trade union on Friday vowed to press on with a crippling strike that has cast a shadow over Christmas celebrations, with the stoppages entering a fourth week and becoming the longest-lasting such action since the 1980s.
Friday, December 27th 2019 - 09:54 UTC
Mexico/Bolivia spat over embassy security ring: both sides willing to take the case to The Hague

Mexico's government said on Thursday it was appealing to the International Court of Justice to ensure its diplomatic facilities were respected in Bolivia following its decision to grant asylum to nine people there.