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☆ Pope Benedict's funeral draws thousands to the Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Thousands gathered at the Vatican on Thursday for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a stalwart of conservative values who shocked the Catholic church when he resigned a decade ago. Mourners dressed in black poured into St. Peter's Square ahead of the Mass, which began at 9:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. EST). The event was presided over by Pope Francis, with a living pontiff leading the farewell to his predecessor for an event that is unprecedented in modern times. As fog shrouded the top of St Peter's Basilica, the ceremony began with a prayer by Francis for the late pope emeritus, and readings were made in Spanish, English and Latin. Francis placed his hand on Benedict's cypress coffin as it was being carried into St Peter's Basilica, before placing his hand on his chest and bowing to the late pope.

☆ Russia blames its soldiers’ phone use for Ukraine missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The defense ministry's public stance appeared to do little to quell the criticism from nationalist bloggers and pro-war voices within the country. Semyon Pegov, a war correspondent who was recently awarded an Order of Courage by Putin, cast doubt on the official explanation for the attack. The missile completely destroyed the school building where the Russian servicemen were based, according to the British Defense Ministry. “This incident highlights how unprofessional practices contribute to Russia’s high casualty rate,” the ministry added. Workers clear rubble after a Ukrainian rocket strike in Makiivka, Ukraine, on Jan. 3, 2023.

A total of 50 rockets fell in the Kherson region, including on military targets. Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP - Getty ImagesThe Kremlin dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 10-point so-called peace plan, saying proposals to end the conflict must take into account what it claims are “today’s realities” of four Ukrainian regions having joined Russia. In September Russia annexed the four regions of Ukraine after the occupied areas held sham votes, which were denounced by Kyiv and the West. We are entering the next year and must retain a common understanding of our national goals,” the statement read. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army.”Zelenskyy has said his country will never relinquish land.

☆ Ex pope Benedict's condition worsening, Vatican says as Francis calls for prayers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Claudio Lavanga | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's health has suddenly "worsened" in recent hours, the Vatican said on Wednesday after Pope Francis asked for prayers for the former pontiff. "I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church," Francis said at the end of his general audience. Later, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni added: "I can confirm that in the last few hours his condition worsened due to age. Benedict, 95, in 2013 became the first pope in some 600 years to resign amid the clerical sexual abuse scandal that engulfed the church. The former pope has largely stayed out of the public eye since his retirement.

☆ China is about to hold the most important meeting in its political calendar. Here’s what you need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

China is about to hold the most important meeting in its political calendar, the five-yearly Communist Party congress, where President Xi Jinping is expected to gain an unprecedented third term as the country’s leader. What is the Communist Party congress? State media report that these representatives were "elected" but all of them were carefully vetted and no open campaigning is allowed. A Central Committee of around 200 voting members will also pick 25 members for the Politburo, the highest policy-making body in the world's second largest economy. “It’s not just about ideas, it’s really about signaling a leader’s power and legacy,” David Bandurski, the co-director at the China Media Project, a research program that analyses the country’s media landscape, said.

A rare protest calling for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s overthrow was staged in the country’s capital Thursday, days before the start of the Communist Party congress, which is expected to cement his rule for an unprecedented third term. Small protests and confrontations with authorities have taken place in the past, in several cities where lockdowns have been enforced. Scorched pavement is seen on a highway overpass where social media videos earlier appeared to show smoke and protest banners in Beijing on Thursday. Posts containing the hashtags Beijing or Haidian were quickly blocked on Weibo, China's popular microblogging site similar to Twitter. Security across Beijing is extremely tight ahead of the ruling Communist Party’s five-yearly congress, which is set to open Sunday.

☆ Hurricane Ian live updates: Millions without power as Ian downgraded to tropical storm
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Nbc News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday morning after slamming into Florida’s southwest coast as a major Category 4 hurricane Wednesday afternoon, bringing 150 mph winds and life-threatening storm surge. Maximum sustained winds dropped to near 65 mph with higher gusts early Thursday, but the storm has continued to cause destruction as it moves northeast. Its center is expected to move off the east-central coast of Florida later Thursday before approaching the coast of South Carolina on Friday. President Joe Biden on Thursday declared a major disaster in Florida over the devastation caused by Ian. Meanwhile, in Cuba power is slowly being restored for residents across the country following sweeping outages in Ian's wake.

☆ Hurricane Ian live updates: Florida residents trapped by floods as millions without power
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Nbc News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

More than two million people across Florida were without power Thursday morning after Hurricane Ian walloped the state as one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S., causing widespread devastation and flooding that trapped residents in their homes. Ian was downgraded to a Category 1 storm hours after slamming into Florida’s southwest coast as a major Category 4 hurricane Wednesday afternoon, bringing 150 mph winds and life-threatening storm surge. Further weakening is expected over the next day or so, but it continued to cause destruction as it moved northeast. Maximum sustained winds had dropped to near 75 mph with higher gusts as of early Thursday morning, the NHC said. Meanwhile, in Cuba power is slowly being restored for residents across the country following sweeping outages in Ian's wake.

☆ Europe blames sabotage for Russian pipeline explosions
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Sabotage was behind underwater explosions that sent gas spewing from two major pipelines connecting Europe and Russia, Western leaders concurred Wednesday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he discussed the “sabotage” of the pipelines at a meeting with Denmark’s defense minister in Brussels. The incident has put the region on edge, months after fears of a Russian military threat to the Baltics dissipated in the wake of its military’s struggles in Ukraine. A new Baltic pipeline allowing gas to be delivered from Norway through Denmark to Poland was inaugurated Tuesday. In recent weeks, Moscow has increasingly framed the war as not just with Ukraine but its Western backers, too.

TOKYO — Even as world leaders gathered in Tokyo for the funeral of assassinated former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, there were protests against the lavish proceedings. But the state funeral for Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, who was shot and killed while campaigning in Nara on July 8, takes place in a country deeply divided over the former leader’s legacy. In that sense, I would like to once again offer my sincere condolences to former Prime Minister Abe, who was killed by a bullet,” its leader Kenta Izumi said Tuesday. The decision on whether to hold a state funeral is usually subject to parliamentary deliberation, which was not the case for Abe's service. Around 800 people protested the state funeral at a major train station on Monday evening, according to broadcaster NTV.

☆ Iran warns the West over protests as international backlash grows
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The warning came amid widespread protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, and increasing international support for the demonstrations demanding wider freedoms and women's rights. AFP - Getty ImagesJosep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, has said Iran should “immediately stop the violent crackdown on protests and ensure internet access." Women across Iran have been protesting the country’s mandatory dress codes, with videos posted online showing women burning their hijabs and cutting their hair on public streets. People take part in a demonstration in support of Iranian protesters in Paris on Sunday. "The regime feels threatened, and we know from previous occasions ... it is willing to use any means to end such protests," Esfandiari said.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s army on Friday hinted that it was prepared to deepen its crackdown on protests triggered by the death of a young woman who had been detained by the morality police. In one video uploaded on Twitter, a group of demonstrators in the city of Pakdasht shout, "Death to the dictator." While in New York, Raisi was scheduled to be interviewed by CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour. Anna Moneymaker / Getty ImagesAmanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor, said she planned to ask Raisi about the protests that have swept across Iran. On Thursday, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Iran's morality police, accusing it of abusing Iranian women and holding the unit responsible for Amini's death.

☆ China jails man for 24 years over attack on women at restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A man in northern China was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Friday in connection with an attack on four women at a restaurant that stirred a national conversation on gender-based violence. The attack left two of the women hospitalized. CCTV footage captured a violent attack on women at a restaurant in Tangshan, China, in June. The Tangshan attack, CCTV footage of which quickly spread online, elicited an outpouring of anger among Chinese internet users, many of whom voiced serious concerns over the treatment of women in the country. The verdict on Friday was cheered on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, with many commenters saying Chen’s harsh sentence was well deserved.

☆ 6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Mexico, killing one
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Mexico early Thursday, killing at least one person, days after another deadly quake. Officials in Mexico City, the capital, confirmed that a woman had died in a fall at her home in the Colonia Doctores neighborhood. The tremor closely follows a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico on Monday, the anniversary of two other major earthquakes. An earthquake on Sept. 19, 1985, caused thousands of deaths, while another quake on the same date in 2017 killed more than 350 people. The earthquake on Monday damaged many buildings in Mexico City, causing a blackout in parts of the capital and at least two deaths.

☆ Iran protests intensify as women burn headscarves in defiance of morality police
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The death of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman has ignited simmering tensions over social freedoms, drawing thousands to streets across the country and support from around the world. “I think we’re all in awe of the bravery of Iranian women who have long pushed forward their demands despite all the restrictions,” Tara Sepehri Far, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, told NBC News on Wednesday. Iran’s minister of communications said earlier Wednesday that he had been misquoted after news outlets cited him as saying the authorities might disrupt internet services for security reasons. Authorities on Wednesday confirmed three people, including a member of the security forces, had been killed during the unrest. Hengaw said the toll was at least seven in the country’s Kurdish region alone.

☆ Protests erupt in Iran after woman dies in custody of morality police
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | Rhoda Kwan Is A Taipei-Based Journalist. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Angry protests in Iran over the death of a young woman in the custody of the country's morality police drew more people to the streets and new support from around the world Tuesday. A human rights group said five people had been killed by security forces as thousands marched in cities across the country, including the capital, Tehran, following the death last week of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman. Two of the protesters were killed as a result of “direct fire,” while at least 250 people were arrested across the country in the ongoing protests, the group said. NBC News has not verified the claims. The region's governor confirmed the deaths of three people during the days of protests, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Tuesday, but called the deaths “suspicious” and suggested they were not caused by clashes with security forces.

Share this -Link copiedThe full order of service for the funeral at Westminster Abbey The funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II is underway at Westminster Abbey. Police officers patrol outside Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, ahead of the state funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaves Westminster Hall for her funeral service in Westminster Abbey. Around 2,300 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle and 1,000 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. Share this -Link copiedBuckingham Palace releases previously unseen portrait of queen Queen Elizabeth II, photographed at Windsor Castle in May 2022.

☆ Queen Elizabeth II funeral live updates: Britain, world say farewell to iconic monarch
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Patrick Smith | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +20 min

“Today I respectfully join leaders from Britain, Ireland & the international community at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as she is laid to rest,” O’Neill tweeted. “Passengers can use their tickets on Tube and bus services instead,” the Heathrow Airport announced ahead of the queen’s funeral. Around 2,300 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle and 1,000 police officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. Share this -Link copiedBuckingham Palace releases previously unseen portrait of queen Queen Elizabeth II, photographed at Windsor Castle in May 2022. Ranald Mackechnie / PA This previously unseen photo of Queen Elizabeth II was released late Sunday by Buckingham Palace.

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