Pope Francis on Monday offered well-wishes to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in a traditional message sent ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington. The pontiff, who has previously expressed sharp disagreement with Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, said he would pray that God grants Trump “wisdom, strength and protection” as he takes up the presidency again….
U.S. President Joe Biden issued pre-emptive pardons on Monday to people who he felt would be targeted for retaliation in Donald Trump’s administration. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and former White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci were among those who were pardoned. The pardon also covers all lawmakers who…
The first 90 Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal were freed hours after an agreement took effect on Sunday. This is to halt the fighting that has devastated the coastal territory; local media cited Israeli authorities as confirming. Local media outlets, including the Times of Israel,…
Three female hostages released by Hamas have been reunited with their mothers. The freed hostages are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into force at 0915 GMT after a delay. No fewer than 90 Palestinian prisoners were due to go free on Sunday. Aid trucks have started crossing…
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed optimism for Lebanon’s future as he wrapped up a two-day solidarity visit with a call on the new government. The UN chief called on the Lebanese people, and international community to “make the most of this atmosphere of opportunity”. Guterres made the call on Saturday in Beirut while answering…
The National Alpine Skiing Centre of China has predicted that the country’s ice-snow sector would exceed one trillion RMB value in 2025. The Ski instructor at the centre, Xin Dawei, made this known on Wednesday at a global virtual news conference organised by the centre. He described 2025 as the busiest snow season. Xin lauded…
South African authorities have pulled at least 60 bodies from the shaft of a closed gold mine more than 2 km (1.2 miles) underground. This came following a siege in a crackdown on illegal mining and authorities said unknown numbers of men are still feared trapped. The siege began in August at the mine in…
The former home of religious figure Martin Luther (1483-1546) in the eastern German town of Wittenberg will remain closed to the public until 2027 for renovation. Work on the building, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, would stabilise the climate inside the building, improve energy efficiency. It added that a new entrance…
Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle TV series on Netflix, “With Love, Meghan’’ has been postponed by three months due to the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, the streaming giant said. The show was to feature “the LA native cooking, gardening, crafting and hosting parties’’. It had been due to premiere worldwide on Netflix on Wednesday. Netflix said…
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have reiterated the resolve to eliminate the menace of terrorism from their country, official statements said. Zardari reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism, saying that the security forces remain fully engaged in ensuring peace and stability across the nation, the President’s Office said in…
