Syria’s embattled government said Saturday it was setting up a ring of steel around Damascus, as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the capital.”There is a very strong security and military cordon on the far edges of Damascus and its countryside, and no one… can penetrate this defensive line that …
Syria govt says set up security cordon as rebels advance on Damascus Read More »
French officials solved an awkward seating dilemma at the Notre Dame cathedral re-opening on Saturday by placing First Lady Brigitte Macron between US President-elect Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s wife and daughter in the front row at the ceremony.The presence of Trump and the outgoing president’s family presented protocol planners with a headache so soon …
French first lady helps keep Trump, Bidens apart at Notre Dame Read More »
The archbishop of Paris re-opened Notre Dame cathedral on Saturday by symbolically knocking on the doors and entering the 12th-century landmark which has been restored after a devastating fire in 2019.Wearing new designer vestments and carrying a staff cut from one of the roof beams that survived the inferno, Laurent Ulrich joined hundreds of VIPs …
President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday hosted three-way talks with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, discussing what the American president-elect termed a world that was a “little crazy”.Zelensky’s meeting with Trump just before the three men headed to Notre Dame for the re-opening ceremony of the great Paris cathedral was his first face-to-face meeting …
Macron, Trump, Zelensky discuss ‘crazy’ world in Paris Read More »
Qatar’s prime minister said on Saturday that momentum had returned to talks aimed at securing a truce and hostage exchange deal in Gaza following Donald Trump’s election as US president.The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, had been involved in months of unsuccessful negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release.But in …
Qatar PM sees ‘momentum’ on Gaza talks after US election Read More »
At least four people died Saturday when an apartment complex in The Hague collapsed after a huge explosion and fire, authorities said, but firefighters managed to pull someone still alive from the rubble.The blast and resulting inferno destroyed at least five homes but it was not clear how many people were buried in the debris, …
At least four dead in Hague explosion, building collapse Read More »
France on Saturday prepared to throw open the doors of Notre Dame cathedral after a half-decade closure during a ceremony attended by dozens of world leaders celebrating the rebirth of the Paris landmark ravaged by a devastating fire.Held up as an example of French creativity and resilience by President Emmanuel Macron, Notre Dame’s renaissance so …
‘Dazzling’ Notre Dame re-opens five years after fire Read More »
A visibly bruised Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals from five continents on Saturday, including bishops from Algiers, Tehran, Tokyo and Abidjan — many of whom may one day help choose his successor.In the tenth such consistory since he became pope in 2013, Francis, 87, greeted the assembled cardinals-to-be with a large bruise on his …
Pope looks to his legacy and creates 21 new cardinals Read More »
US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday said that the world was “a little crazy” as he met President Emmanuel Macron in Paris ahead of the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral on his first international trip since his re-election.The two men embraced and shook hands several times on the steps of the French presidential palace, with …
Trump says world ‘a little crazy’ as he meets Macron in Paris Read More »
German campaigners are pushing for reform to remove legal hurdles for women seeking an abortion, with emotions running high on the issue as the country heads for early elections.Under German law, abortion is illegal but tolerated in practice for women who are up to 12 weeks pregnant.However, a woman seeking to terminate a pregnancy must …
German campaigners demand abortion be fully legalised Read More »
