LGBT Blessings: Africans Are Special Case – Pope Francis
Catholic pontiff Pope Francis says he is confident critics of his recent decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples will eventually understand it, except for Africans who are “a special case”, Reuters reports. He said he trusted that gradually everyone would be reassured by the spirit of the ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ declaration by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith:...
3 US Troops Killed In Drone Attack In Jordan – Military
A drone attack on a base in Jordan killed three American troops on Sunday, the military said, the first time members of the country’s forces died as a result of hostile fire during the Israel-Hamas war. “On January 28, three US service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack (drone) that impacted at a base in northeast...
Police Detain Man For 77 Counts Murder Following South Africa Building Fire
The South Africa Police Service have arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of 77 murders after telling a public inquiry he started last August’s deadly fire in a Johannesburg building. Last year fire gutted the Usindiso building in Marshalltown, where many poor people were residing, claiming 77 lives and leaving many injured. The tragedy highlighted the issue of buildings abandoned or...
Cameroon Rolls Out World’s First Malaria Vaccine
The world’s first routine rollout of the malaria vaccine has kicked off in Cameroon. The vaccine rollout commenced on Monday, featuring Daniella as the first recipient of the RTS,S malaria vaccine near Yaoundé. Endorsed by the World Health Organisation in October 2021 after a two-year program involving over 800,000 children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, the RTS,S vaccine is recommended for children aged...
47 Buried In Southwest China Landslide
Forty-seven people were buried when a landslide struck a remote and mountainous part of southwestern China on Monday, state media reported. The pre-dawn landslide hit in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing local authorities. State broadcaster CCTV said around 18 households were buried, and that more than 200 people were “urgently evacuated” from the area. Authorities have launched...
Catholic Bishops Decline To Bless Same-Sex Marriages
Senegal’s Catholic bishops have said they refuse to bless same-sex couples, the latest outcry following the Vatican’s recent approval of blessings for same-sex couples in certain contexts. Last month, the Catholic Church said priests could bless “irregular” and same-sex couples as long as they were not in contexts related to civil unions or weddings. The declaration, published by the Vatican’s faith department...
North Korean Teens Sentenced To Twelve Years Of Hard Labour For Watching K-Drama
Rare footage obtained by BBC Korean shows North Korea publicly sentencing two teenage boys to 12 years of hard labour for watching K-dramas. The footage, which appears to have been filmed in 2022, shows two 16-year-old boys handcuffed in front of hundreds of students at an outdoor stadium. It also shows uniformed officers reprimanding the boys for not “deeply reflecting on their mistakes”. South...
2-Year-Old Baby Starves To Death In UK
A two-year-old toddler, Bronson Battersby, starved to death next to his dead father Kenneth five days after he suffered a heart attack in the United Kingdom, Daily Mail reports. According to the family, Battersby was found curled up in his pyjamas next to his father, 60, who is believed to have suffered a heart attack shortly after he was last...
Saudi Arabia Unveils State-of-the-Art Stadium Amid 2034 World Cup Bid
Saudi Arabia has introduced the impressive Prince Mohammad bin Salman Stadium as part of its ambitious bid to host the 2034 World Cup. The multi-functional stadium, located in Qiddiya City, is poised to become a hub for major sports, entertainment, and cultural events. Designed by the renowned architectural firm Populous, the Prince Mohammad bin Salman Stadium aims to redefine the traditional...
French President Macron Picks 34-Year-Old Gabriel Attal As Prime Minister
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday picked Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister in a bid to give new momentum to his government. The 34-year-old Attal becomes France’s youngest and first openly gay head of government. Following days of speculation, Macron yesterday accepted the resignation of Elisabeth Borne, 62, who stepped down along with the rest of the government after serving less...
