Same-sex couples can now be blessed by Catholic priests, following formal approval from Pope Francis. A new document explaining the change in Vatican policy was released Monday, saying that “people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject to ‘an exhaustive moral analysis’ to receive it,” The Associated Press reported. …
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CANBERRA, Australia – A piece of aircraft wing found on an island in the western Indian Ocean is unlikely to alter the seabed search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner in the southern Indian Ocean, the search leader said Thursday. Air safety investigators are examining aircraft debris found on Reunion …
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BAGHDAD – The U.N. mission to Iraq says violence in the country claimed the lives of at least 1,100 Iraqis in February, including more than 600 civilians. In a statement Sunday, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said 611 civilians were among 1,103 people killed last month. The rest …
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NEW DELHI – India’s central bank unexpectedly cut a key interest rate by a quarter percentage point, the second such cut this year because of lower inflation. Wednesday’s cut brings the policy repo rate, at which commercial banks can borrow from the Reserve Bank of India, to 7.5 percent. The …
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HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – A U.S. man at the center of an investigation into the discovery of hazardous chemicals in various Halifax locations has appeared in court on charges of uttering threats against police and possessing a dangerous chemical. Christopher Burton Phillips, 42, was remanded into custody Friday. He was …
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MANAMA, Bahrain – A lawyer for the head of Bahrain’s leading Shiite opposition group says the cleric has denied all charges against him at the start of a closely watched trial in the strategic Gulf island nation. Defense attorney Jalila al-Sayed said Ali Salman was allowed to briefly meet his …
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MOSCOW – Masked police have raided the Moscow offices of a civil society organization funded by former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Police said they suspected the group, Open Russia, was preparing banners, leaflets and posters that contained calls for “extremist activity” and planned to distribute them at an opposition protest …
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NEW DELHI – India’s navy and coast guard seized a suspicious boat from international waters off the western coast and detained eight Pakistanis after finding a huge drug shipment aboard, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Authorities believe the 232 packets of drugs found aboard the boat are heroin worth more …
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SANAA, Yemen – Security and tribal officials say fighting is underway in multiple Yemeni provinces on the fourth day of a humanitarian truce between a Saudi-led coalition and Shiite rebels. The five-day truce has been repeatedly violated, with each side blaming the other. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity …
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LAGOS, Nigeria – The National Statistics Bureau says foreign investment to Nigeria fell by nearly a third with the United States a “key driver” of the decline in the first quarter of 2015, compared to the same period last year. A new report blames uncertainty around presidential elections and depressed …
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