DIVERSITY? Currently, ‘a lot of obstacles remain,’ especially for couples who want the Catholic Church’s blessing for same-sex marriages, a pilgrim said
In a first for the Vatican, more than a thousand LGBTQ+ Catholics and their supporters at the weekend held a pilgrimage, in what they were promoting as an important sign of diversity in the Catholic Church. The gathering of about 1,400 people from around 20 countries was part of the Catholic Church’
A year after it was inaugurated, Indonesia’s would-be new capital Nusantara attracts tourists and construction workers, but most of its architecturally arresting presidential palace and freshly built avenues sit silent. The legacy project of former Indonesian president Joko Widodo is battling a slas
Thai tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday took office as prime minister, with the cannabis-championing conservative ousting the nation’s dominant political dynasty and setting course for elections early next year. Since 2023 elections, Thailand’s top office has been monopolized by the Pheu Thai part
A gentle study of dysfunctional families by veteran US director Jim Jarmusch clinched the top prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, while a harrowing docudrama about the Gaza war took second. Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits, drew m
CRACKDOWN: Some of those detained had illegally crossed the US border, others worked without permit and some overstayed their work visas, a US official said
South Koreans suspected of working in the US illegally were the majority of 475 people arrested in a raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the southern state of Georgia, a US official said on Friday. The operation was the largest single-site raid carried out so far as part of US Presiden
Japan yesterday heralded the coming-of-age of Japanese Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing. The nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito received a black silk-and-lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his
Another tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG (liquefied natural gas) 2 project has docked in a Chinese port, ship-tracking data showed, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing. The London Stock Exchange Group
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Friday called for dialogue with Washington, hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan military jets if they pose a danger to US forces. Tensions between the two countries soared over the past few days after the Pentagon accused Vene
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rename the US Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” reverting to a title it held until after World War II when officials sought to emphasize the Pentagon’s role in preventing conflict. Trump’s move represented his latest ef
Serbia’s police on Friday used tear gas and stun grenades at a university campus in Novi Sad to disperse protesters who demanded a snap vote they hope would oust Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). In an address late in the evening, Vucic said that 11 p
FATAL ATTACK: There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents in Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 resulted in death, according to a database
A “large shark” yesterday mauled a surfer to death at a popular Sydney beach, Australian police and rescuers said, in a rare fatal attack that led to a string of beach closures. The 57-year-old local man had gone surfing with five or six friends in the Pacific waters off northern Sydney’s adjoining
‘COALITION OF THE WILLING’: Twenty-six countries committed to deploy a ‘reassurance force’ in Ukraine to prevent Russian aggression after a peace deal, France’s president said
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday warned that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine would be a “legitimate” target for Moscow’s army, a day after Kyiv’s allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal.Two dozen countries, led by France and the UK, pledged Th
Veteran Thai politician Anutin Charnvirakul won a vote in Parliament yesterday to become the country’s next prime minister, according to an unofficial running tally broadcast live on television.Anutin, leader of the Bhumjaithai party, won more than 247 votes — the required majority — from the House
A French couple kept Louise, a playful black panther, in an apartment in northern France, triggering panic when she was spotted roaming nearby rooftops.The pair were were handed suspended jail sentences on Thursday for illegally keeping a wild animal, despite protesting that they saw Louise as their
‘MILITARY AMAZON’: Ukraine’s score-based purchasing system allows units to replenish stocks through the Brave1 market, where they could choose weapons and leave reviews
Rubik, a Ukrainian military drone pilot, had tracked the every move of one particular Russian soldier for weeks, with the promise of earning at least six points for killing him.In a war increasingly dominated by drones, Ukraine’s military has launched a new score-based purchasing system for units to
An Italian teenager dubbed “God’s Influencer” for his efforts to spread the Catholic faith online is to become the first millennial saint tomorrow at a canonization attended by thousands of pilgrims.Computer whiz Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, is to be raised to saintho
South Africa’s Department of Defence requested a postponement of joint exercises with the Russian and Chinese navies scheduled for November in the North Asian nation.The planned drills would coincide with South Africa’s hosting of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, and the military wants to ensure that
VENEZUELAN ACTION: Marco Rubio said that previous US interdiction efforts have not stemmed the flow of illicit drugs into the US and that ‘blowing them up’ would
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday justified a lethal military strike that his administration said was carried out a day earlier against a Venezuelan gang as a necessary effort by the US to send a message to Latin American cartels.Asked why the military did not instead interdict the vessel and c
STEEP HILL: A resident said that the streetcar was out of control and seemed to have no brakes before it hit a building with force and fell apart like a cardboard box
Portugal yesterday observed a national day of mourning a day after a Lisbon streetcar derailed and killed 16 people in the capital’s worst crash in recent history.Authorities had given no information about those killed or the 22 who police said were injured in the incident, raising the initial casua
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