International

• Thursday, December 26th 2019 - 12:09 UTC

  Time is right to reinvent the brand of a far too rich The Firm, following princely excesses?

  

  After a torrid 2019 in which the queen's son Prince Andrew was implicated in an underage sex abuse scandal, many in Britain are again asking if the monarchy has gotten too big - and rich - for its own good.

• Thursday, December 26th 2019 - 12:00 UTC

  Francis urges the world to let the light of Christmas pierce the “darkness in human hearts”

  

  Pope Francis urged the world to let the light of Christmas pierce the “darkness in human hearts” that leads to religious persecution, social injustice, armed conflicts and fear of migrants.

• Thursday, December 26th 2019 - 11:49 UTC

  Saudi Arabia and Kuwait agree to resume oil production in the shared Neutral Zone

  

  Saudi ARAMCO said on Wednesday a new agreement between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait paves the way for the resumption of oil production in the Neutral (partitioned) Zone shared by the two countries.

• Tuesday, December 24th 2019 - 09:59 UTC

  Beijing pledges to purchase US$ 40bn of US agricultural products per year

  

  China will make good on a pledge to purchase more than US$40 billion per year of U.S. agricultural products under the recently agreed Phase 1 trade deal between the two countries, China’s top agriculture consultancy said on Friday.

• Tuesday, December 24th 2019 - 09:50 UTC

  Boeing and the grounding of 737MAX: Chronicle of a foretold sacking

  

  Boeing on Monday replaced its embattled chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, as it attempts to pivot from a protracted crisis surrounding the grounding of its top-selling 737 MAX after two deadly crashes.

• Tuesday, December 24th 2019 - 09:22 UTC

  PM Boris Johnson in his message calls on Britons “not to have many arguments” over Christmas

  

  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the public on Monday “not to have too many arguments” over Christmas in a festive message in which he managed to avoid the word Brexit.

• Tuesday, December 24th 2019 - 09:14 UTC

  UK government calls on football chiefs to rid the sport of racism; UEFA chief accuses Johnson of fuelling the situation

  

  The British government called on football chiefs on Monday to do more to rid the sport of racism but stopped short of launching a full-scale inquiry demanded by the domestic players' union following the latest incident in the English game.

• Tuesday, December 24th 2019 - 09:10 UTC

  Only in bush fire ravaged Australia, a kangaroo spotted cooling off in a pool

  

  A kangaroo has been spotted cooling off in a backyard pool in a bush fire-ravaged region of Australia while elsewhere firefighters have been rescuing koalas from trees threatened by flames.

• Tuesday, December 24th 2019 - 09:04 UTC

  First time since the French Revolution with no Christmas mass at Notre Dame cathedral

  

  For the first time in more than 200 years, worshippers will not be able to attend Christmas mass at Notre-Dame cathedral, still being restored after a devastating fire.

• Tuesday, December 24th 2019 - 08:53 UTC

  Wall Street stocks Xmas records: Dow Jones Industrial Average reached 28,551.53

  

  Wall Street stocks finished at records again on Monday, with an executive shakeup at Boeing lifting the Dow, as a holiday-shortened week opened with a flourish. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 96.44 points (0.34 percent) to finish the last full session before Christmas at 28,551.53.