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☆ Eighty years on, Italian victims of Nazi crimes finally to get compensation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A study funded by the German government and published in 2016 estimated that 22,000 Italians were victims of Nazi war crimes, including up to 8,000 Jews deported to death camps. However, it did not offer reparations for war crimes. "They didn't look at war crimes and this was a mistake. In 1994, a cupboard was found in the offices of Rome's military prosecutors packed with files documenting hundreds of war crimes that had never been prosecuted. In 2012, the International Court of Justice backed Berlin, but Italian courts continued to hear compensation cases, saying no limit could be imposed on war crimes.

Persons: Crispian Balmer, Mauro Petrarca, Domenico Lancellotta, Giulio Disegni, Lucio Olivieri, Petrarca, Mario Draghi, Disegni, Fornelli, Giovanni Tedeschi, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Nazis, International Court of Justice, Union of Italian Jewish, Allied, Rome, Nazi, Berlin, PRIDE, Italian Treasury, Reuters, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Fornelli, Molise, Italy, Germany, Berlin, Rome

☆ Ukraine drone sparks fire in Russia's Kurchatov, Kursk governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Sept 3 (Reuters) - A non-residential building in the western Russian city of Kurchatov caught fire on Sunday after an attack by a Ukrainian drone but emergency services put the fire out and there were no casualties, Roman Starovoit, governor of the Kursk region, said. In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Starovoit did not say which building was affected. Ukraine's Babel online outlet quoted an unnamed source as saying a drone hit a building belonging to the FSB security service. Starovoit also blamed a Ukrainian drone for damage to a building facade in Kurchatov on Sept. 1. Kurchatov is home to one of Russia's biggest nuclear plants, but there were no reports it was affected in either incident.

Persons: Roman Starovoit, Starovoit, Elaine Monaghan, Deepa Babington, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Thomson Locations: Russian, Kurchatov, Ukrainian, Kursk, Washington

☆ Russia says it thwarted attacks on Crimea bridge. Shelling and strikes leave at least 2 dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A general view of the Crimea bridge as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Crimea on July 25, 2023. A key supply route for Kremlin forces in the war with Ukraine, the Kerch bridge has come under repeated attack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. On Saturday afternoon, one civilian was killed and two wounded during shelling of Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Belgorod Gov. Meanwhile, four people were wounded in the Ukrainian shelling of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Moscow-installed mayor Aleksei Kulemzin said Saturday. One person was killed and two were wounded during shelling of Ukraine's southern Kherson region on Saturday, according to Gov.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Roman Starovoit, Aleksei Kulemzin, Oleh, Oleksandr Vilkul, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Hanna Maliar, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Erdogan Organizations: Saturday, Russia's Defense Ministry, Kremlin, Belgorod Gov, Russian, Gov, Donetsk, Moscow Locations: Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kerch, Russia's Belgorod, Belgorod, Valuysky, Grayvoronsky, Kursk, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Ukraine's, Kherson, Kryvyi, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Ankara, Russia's Black, Sochi

☆ One of Russia's richest oligarchs who now lives in Dubai says Putin's invasion of Ukraine made him a 'pariah'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One of Russia's richest men, Andrey Melnichenko, said the Ukraine war had made him a "pariah." Melnichenko now lives in the UAE, where his $300 million Motor Yacht A is moored. His $578 million Sailing Yacht A was seized by Italian authorities shortly after he was sanctioned. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne of Russia's richest individuals said he'd become a "pariah" in the United Arab Emirates where he fled after being sanctioned. Oleg Tinkov managed to get sanctions against him in the UK lifted after slamming Putin's invasion of Ukraine and getting the backing of British business tycoon Richard Branson.

Persons: Andrey Melnichenko, Melnichenko, he'd, Vladimir Putin, I'm, Roman Abramovich, Arkady Volozh, Oleg Tinkov, Richard Branson Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, Financial Times, Forbes, Chelsea FC, Bloomberg, EU Locations: Ukraine, UAE, United Arab, Russia, Israel, Le

☆ ‘The scent of eternal life’ resurrects an ancient Egyptian aroma
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A long time agoDammar resin, an ingredient used in embalming, appears next to a bottle of the recreated ancient scent. When the ice disappears, the bears are forced to go on land and attempt to survive without access to food. The planetary nebula, an enormous cloud of cosmic gas and dust, is home to the remnants of a dying star. See images from around the world showcasing this rare sight, which won’t happen again until 2037. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Barbara Huber, balms, ”, James Webb, Shashwat Harish, Kathy Moran, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Moesgaard Museum, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, James Webb Space Telescope, ESA, Webb, NASA, — Pilots, CNN Space, Science Locations: Egypt, Indonesian, Flores, London, Italy, Florida, India

☆ Has New York City Reached Peak Lanternfly?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Claire Fahy | More About Claire Fahy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There are many ways to kill a spotted lanternfly. One is the classic stomp: raising a foot high before hammering it into the sidewalk and hopefully flattening one of the distinctive bugs. Another is the shoe-swinging method, in which New Yorkers sacrificially tread barefoot on city streets so as to use their footwear as killing instruments. hero.”People across all five boroughs have dutifully followed the city’s directive to kill the invasive insects on sight. So far this year, the bugs have been documented riding the subway, littering streets and even infiltrating apartments, evidence of a trend that experts anticipated: New York City’s lanternfly problem is getting worse.

Persons: Kieran Culkin, Roman Roy, ” Locations: “, Brooklyn, York

☆ Polanski film 'The Palace' can't find distributors in US, Britain or France, producer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] The 80th Venice Film Festival - Photocall for the film "The Palace" out of competition - Venice, Italy, September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsVENICE, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The producer of Roman Polanski's latest movie, "The Palace", bemoaned the fact that no one wanted the distribution rights for the film in the United States, Britain and France, saying morality should not weigh on art. One of the most successful directors of his generation, Polanski fled the United States over a conviction for raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977, a crime he admitted. After the #MeToo movement gained global traction in 2017 following sexual abuse allegations against U.S. film producer Harvey Weinstein, a number of women alleged that Polanski had sexually assaulted them as teenagers as well. The producer Luca Barbareschi said he had sold distribution rights across continental Europe, but not in France, Britain or the United States, despite the fact well-known actors from all three countries appeared in the film.

Persons: Milan Peschel, Fortunato Cerlino, Fanny Ardant, Luca Barbareschi, Oliver Masucci, Joaquim de Almeida, Yara, Roman, Polanski, Harvey Weinstein, Mickey Rourke, John Cleese, Joaquim De Almeida, Barbareschi, Polanski's, Polanksi, Crispian Balmer, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Venice Film, Netflix, Golden, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, United States, Britain, France, Polish, Swiss, Europe, Australia, New Zealand

☆ I used AI to remodel a fixer-upper house my wife and I bought. It potentially saved us thousands of dollars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since then, we've been using AI for interior design ideas as we renovate the fixer-upper. The couple used to live 10 minutes outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but now is 45 minutes from the nearest town. By using AI on a lot of the rooms throughout the house, we kind of narrowed it down to maybe a couple of general looks. Using an app that kind of allows us to retouch individual parts of the room is really helpful. I was recently helping all my friends shop for their first house, and they've been looking at renovation projects.

Persons: we've, Tyler Bouldin, We're, they've Organizations: Service, Photoshop Locations: Pennsylvania, Wall, Silicon, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania

☆ Chinese Catholics sneak a peek at pope in Mongolia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Joseph Campbell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A member of security stands outside Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral on the day Pope Francis meets with bishops, priests, missionaries, consecrated persons and pastoral workers at the cathedral, during his Apostolic Journey in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Acquire Licensing RightsULAANBAATAR, Sept 2 (Reuters) - A few Chinese Catholics came to sneak a peek at Pope Francis during an official welcome ceremony in the main square of Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar on Saturday, enthusiastically waving their country's flag. The Vatican does not have diplomatic relations with China, instead recognising Chinese-claimed Taiwan, while China's Catholics have long been split between a state-backed official church and an underground flock loyal to the pope. Brandishing red, five-starred Chinese flags, two dozen Chinese nationals who identified themselves as Catholic devotees crowded around a police barrier to catch a glimpse of Francis on Saturday morning. Yang Guang, a 37-year-old Catholic from Shanghai, said he came to Mongolia for a holiday but was glad to catch a glimpse of the pope at Sukhbaatar Square.

Persons: Saints Peter, Paul Cathedral, Pope Francis, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Francis, Yang Guang, I've, It's, I'm, Yang, Suzanne Willis, Willis, Xi Jinping, Joseph Campbell, Ben Blanchard, William Mallard Organizations: Saints, REUTERS, Reuters, Roman Catholic Church, Thomson Locations: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, ULAANBAATAR, China, Taiwan, Shanghai, Sukhbaatar, Hong Kong

☆ Ukrainian drone attacks Russian town near major nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Drone attacks nuclear townNo damage to nuclear power stationKursk power station is one of biggestUkrainian drone shot down near MoscowMOSCOW, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian drone attacked a town in western Russia which is home to one of the country's biggest nuclear power stations, though there was no damage reported to the plant, Russian officials said. Governor Roman Starovoit said a Ukrainian drone had damaged the facade of a building in the town of Kurchatov, just a few kilometres from the Kursk nuclear power station, early on Friday. Starovoit did not mention any potential damage to the Kursk nuclear power plant. The Soviet-era Kursk nuclear power station has the same graphite-moderated reactors as the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Russia and Ukraine have in the past accused each other of plotting to attack the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine.

Persons: Roman Starovoit, Starovoit, Sergei Sobyanin, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Guy Faulconbridge, Clarence Fernandez, Michael Perry Organizations: Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Kursk, Moscow MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Russia, Kurchatov, Soviet, Soviet Ukraine, Europe, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Moscow's Vnukovo, Belgorod

☆ Pope’s Remarks on ‘Reactionary’ U.S. Catholics Rankle, and Resonate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Ruth Graham | More About Ruth Graham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Pope Francis spoke of “a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude” that opposes him within the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and, in comments that became public this week, warned against letting “ideologies replace faith,” some American Catholics recognized their church immediately. “He is 100 percent right,” said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and commentator who is considered an ally of Francis. The opposition to Francis within the American church now, he said, “far outstrips the fierceness of the opposition to Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict,” the two previous popes. When Father Martin visits Rome these days, he said, the first question many people there ask him is, “What is going on in the U.S.?”It’s essentially the same question that prompted the pope’s sharply critical remarks, which were made impromptu last month and published this week by the Vatican-approved Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica.

Persons: Pope Francis, ”, James Martin, Francis, Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict, Father Martin, It’s Organizations: Roman Catholic Church, Jesuit, Vatican Locations: United States, Rome, U.S, Cattolica

☆ Theater to See Near N.Y.C. in September: ‘Ulysses,’ ‘The Pianist’ and More
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Laura Collins-Hughes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Here is a chance to see it live, in a McCarter Theater Center-Berkeley Repertory Theater co-production. The play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2007, when Vogel was on the jury. James Warwick directs the world-premiere production. Directed by John Collins, the company’s artistic director, this world-premiere production instead samples chunks from each of the novel’s 18 episodes, letting them erupt in all their verbosity, vulgarity, vivacity and — it is Joyce, after all — opacity. Cross that with the trans-Atlantic success of “Six,” and you arrive at this production: a Lizzie Borden rock musical with an all-female cast.

Persons: Paula Vogel, underproduced, Davis, Vogel, Donald Margulies, ”, Karen Allen, Reed Birney, James Warwick, Ulysses ’, “, James Joyce’s, Leopold Bloom’s, John Collins, Joyce, Scott Shepherd, Wladyslaw Szpilman, Polanski, Emily Mann, Iris Hond, georgestreetplayhouse.org, Lizzie ’, Lizzie Borden, Steven Cheslik, Tim Maner, Alan Stevens Hewitt, Lainie Sakakura, twhartford.org Organizations: McCarter Theater Center, Berkeley Repertory Theater, McCarter Theater Center , Princeton, Shakespeare & Company, Service, Fisher, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center Locations: California, N.J, Lenox, Dublin, Bard, Annandale, Hudson, N.Y, Polish, Warsaw, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center , New Brunswick, TheaterWorks Hartford, Hartford, Conn

☆ Investigators Seize ‘Marcus Aurelius’ Statue From Cleveland Museum
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Tom Mashberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With its flowing robes and stoic posture, the larger-than-life bronze statue believed to represent the great Roman statesman Marcus Aurelius had, since 1986, held pride of place in the Greek and Roman galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Now the statue is off display, seized under a warrant earlier this month by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The office said on Thursday that the seizure was related to an “ongoing criminal investigation into a smuggling network involving antiquities looted from Turkey and trafficked through Manhattan.”In their warrant, investigators put the value of the statue, which is headless, at $20 million, and said it was about 1,800 years old. They said it would be transported to New York in September. According to the district attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, the accused traffickers were based in New York, giving the unit legal authority to seize the statue from another state because New York was the “focal point of the conspiracy.” Officials would not elaborate on the case.

Persons: Marcus Aurelius Organizations: Cleveland Museum of Art, ”, Trafficking Locations: Manhattan, Turkey, New York

☆ ‘Extremely rare’ Roman temple discovered on supermarket building site
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That’s because workers at the site on the outskirts of town in December 2022 unearthed the ruins of an ancient Roman temple — or ‘capitolium’ — dating back to the first century BC. The excavation site in Sarsini has yielded ruins on top of ruins, literally. MiBac“We have unearthed three separate rooms, likely dedicated to the triad of gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva,” lead archaeologist at the excavation site Romina Pirraglia told CNN. The discovery of the temple has pushed local authorities to revise their building plans. “The temple is an incredible finding that sheds light on how ancient Roman towns rose and fell across time.”What makes the discovery exceptional is the temple’s unique state of preservation.

Persons: Plautus, Jupiter, Minerva, ”, Pirraglia, …, Sarsina, Federica Gonzato, ” Gonzato, Gonzato, Romina, MiBac Gonzato Organizations: CNN Locations: Italy’s Emilia Romagna, Roman, Sarsini, Savio, Ravenna, Rimini, Forlì, Cesena, Sarsina, Italy

☆ Mongolian woman eager to welcome Pope Francis keeps up tea-spilling tradition
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Joseph Campbell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But at the end of her daily morning ritual, the 71-year-old pauses for a brief Christian prayer and crosses herself across the chest. It was important to keep alive Mongolian traditions alongside her Catholic faith, she said. "I also teach my children to preserve this valuable heritage," added Gavaadandov, who wore an orange deel, or traditional silk robe. For years, she often attended church services alone, but gradually her family, including her grandchildren and husband, joined her. The nation of about 3.3 million is strategically significant for the Roman Catholic Church because of its proximity to China, where the Vatican is trying to improve the situation of Catholics.

Persons: Perlimaa Gavaadandov, Joseph Campbell, Gavaadandov, Pope Francis, I’ll, Pope Francis’s, James Mate, Mate, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Roman Catholic Church, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Arvaikheer, Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, China, Asia, Kenya, Mongolian

☆ See inside President Vladimir Putin's opulent $100 million superyacht
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin spent $32 million refitting a superyacht, a new report suggests. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile his troops flooded into Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin was spending millions of dollars on an opulent refit of one of his superyachts, according to an investigation from opposition leader Alexei Navalny's team. Advertisement Advertisement Watch: Inside Putin's secret bunker and billion-dollar palaceThe total cost of the works came to $32 million, according to the investigation. AdvertisementAdvertisement"OFAC is identifying Russia-flagged Graceful and Cayman Islands-flagged Olympia, as blocked property in which President Vladimir Putin has an interest," the US Treasury website said in a June 2022 press release. The Russian president is reportedly also the owner of the 450-foot, $700 million Scheherazade, one of the largest yachts in the world.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny's, Pyotr Stolypin, Putin, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich Organizations: Morning, Russian, Blohm, Russian Federation, US Department of, Foreign, Control, US Treasury, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Saint Petersburg, Hamburg, Germany, Voss, Kaliningrad, Russia, Islands, Belarus, Cayman Islands, Olympia

☆ Djokovic, Swiatek advance before China's Zhang shocks Ruud at US Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] Aug 30, 2023; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits to Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain on day three of the 2023 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But while results followed the form book for much of the day at the year's final Grand Slam, shocks sprung up as the sun went down. Earlier, Swiss young gun Dominic Stricker delivered a shock by grinding out a 7-5 6-7(2) 6-7(5) 7-6(6) 6-3 win over Greek seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for his first top-10 win. Djokovic remains on course for a fourth U.S. Open title that would pull him level with Margaret Court's record haul of 24 Grand Slams. Sixth seed Gauff warmed up the home crowd early when the teenager beat Mirra Andreeva 6-3 6-3, before handing the baton to the U.S. men.

Persons: Novak Djokovic, Bernabe Zapata Miralles, USTA Billie Jean King, Robert Deutsch, Iga Swiatek, Casper Ruud, Petra Kvitova, Billie Jean King, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Zhang Zhizhen, Ruud, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominic Stricker, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Djokovic, Arthur Ashe, Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Margaret Court's, Swiatek, Daria Saville, Wozniacki, you'd, Mirra, Andy Roddick, Fritz, Tiafoe, Austrian Sebastian Ofner, Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas, Tommy Paul, American Ben Shelton, Dominic Thiem, Thiem, Amy Tennery, Toby Davis, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Serbia, USTA Billie, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, U.S, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, COVID, Flushing, U.S ., Austrian, Thomson Locations: Flushing , NY, USA, Spain, Swiss, Flushing Meadows, U.S, Russian, American, New York

ROME — Pope Francis has expressed in unusually sharp terms his dismay at “a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude” opposing him within the U.S. Roman Catholic Church, one that fixates on social issues like abortion and sexuality to the exclusion of caring for the poor and the environment. The pope lamented the “backwardness” of some American conservatives who he said insist on a narrow, outdated and unchanging vision. They refuse, he said, to accept the full breadth of the Church’s mission and the need for changes in doctrine over time. “I would like to remind these people that backwardness is useless,” Francis, 86, told a group of fellow Jesuits early this month in a meeting at World Youth Day celebrations in Lisbon. In other words, ideologies replace faith.”His words became public this week, when a transcript of the conversation was published by the Vatican-vetted Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica.

Persons: ROME — Pope Francis, “, ” Francis, ” Organizations: . Roman Catholic Church, Vatican Locations: Lisbon, “, Cattolica

A new accounting shows that at least 523 institutions were part of the sprawling network of boarding schools for Native American children. ‘War Against the Children’ The Native American boarding school system — a decades-long effort to assimilate Indigenous people before they ever reached adulthood — robbed children of their culture, family bonds and sometimes their lives. “The government was not done with war, so the next phase involved war against the children,” said Mr. Sherman, 83, a former aerospace engineer. Now 76, his voice grows shaky when he recounts the punishments children received — and how children were turned into punishers. Library of Congress, Chronicling AmericaA precise accounting of how many children died at Native American boarding schools remains elusive.

McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington, D.C., is the only current or former U.S. Catholic cardinal to ever face child sex abuse charges, with prosecutors in Massachusetts and Wisconsin filing separate cases against him. The case in Dedham, Massachusetts, before Judge Paul McCallum was the first to be filed, with prosecutors in July 2021 charging McCarrick with three counts of indecent assault and battery. A legal quirk froze the statute of limitations in the Massachusetts case after McCarrick, a non-resident, left the state. McCarrick was expelled from the Roman Catholic priesthood in 2019 after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sexual crimes against minors and adults. According to court records, the alleged victim in the Massachusetts case said McCarrick, a family friend, began molesting him when he was a boy.

Persons: Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, David L Ryan, Judge Paul McCallum, McCarrick, Pope John Paul II, McCarrick groped, Kerry Nelligan, Nelligan, ’, Nate Raymond, Chizu Nomiyama, Andy Sullivan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Roman Catholic, Wellesley College, Washington , D.C, Catholic Church, Catholic, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Dedham, Court, Dedham , Massachusetts, U.S, DEDHAM , Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Washington ,, Wisconsin, Missouri, Boston

☆ Lithuania summons Pope's diplomat over remarks on Russian empire heritage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 27, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Majority-Catholic EU member Lithuania has summoned the Vatican's top diplomat in the country after Pope Francis told Russian youths to remember they are the heirs of "the great Russian empire". The Vatican said on Tuesday Pope Francis did not intend to glorify Russian imperialism in the speech, in which he also extolled Russian emperors Peter the Great and Catherine II who expanded the Russian empire. The territories of Lithuania and Poland were annexed into the Russian empire in the 18th century by Catherine II. Francis' intent was "to preserve and promote all that is positive in the great Russian cultural and spiritual heritage", said Vatican.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Peter the Great, Catherine II, Russia, Andrius Sytas, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Catholic EU, Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Russian, European Union, NATO, Catholic, Communist, Thomson Locations: Rights VILNIUS, Lithuania, St . Petersburg, Russian, Poland, Vatican, Ukraine, Soviet, Vilnius

[1/3] A man walks past a poster for the film "The Killer" on the eve of the opening ceremony of 80th Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy, August 29, 2023. But some others will come because they are working in the independent films," Barbera told Reuters Television. Polanski, 90, fled the United States over a conviction for raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977, a crime he admitted. Besson's picture "Dogman" is in the main draw, while Allen's first French-language film "Coup de Chance" and Polanski's comedy "The Palace" are being shown out of competition. Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Hanna Rantala; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Alberto Barbera, Barbera, Bradley Cooper, Yorgos Lanthimos, David Fincher, Michael Mann, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Ryusuke, Damien Chazelle, Fincher, Michael Fassbender, Cooper, Maestro, Leonard Bernstein, Coppola, Priscilla, Elvis Presley's, Cailee Spaeny, Ferrari, Mann, Adam Driver, Enzo Ferrari, Penelope Cruz, Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Michel Franco's, Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Arcel's, Woody Allen, Luc Besson, Roman Polanski, MeToo, Besson, Allen, Polanski, He's, Allen's, Chance, Crispian Balmer, Hanna Rantala, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Venice Film, REUTERS, Reuters Television, Lion, Hollywood, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, VENICE, U.S, Italian, United States

☆ Ukraine claims it damaged prized Russian jets using 'cardboard' drones from Australia in a daring raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine claims it used cardboard drones from Australia to strike five jets at a Russian air field. In March, Australia announced delivery of the lightweight drones in an aid package to Ukraine. According to prominent pro-Russian blogger @fighterbomber, which closely follows the Russian air force, the attack was the first use of Australian-provided delivery drones made of cardboard. AdvertisementAdvertisementInsider could not independently confirm the claim, but on Tuesday Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko vouched for it, saying in a post on X: "Cardboard drones from Australia used in attack on Russian airfield." The Corvo drones are described by SYPAQ as "the cardboard plane," but per an earlier company press release they're made from waxed foamboard.

Persons: Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko vouched, SYPAQ, they're, SYPAQ's, Mick Ryan, Roman Starovoyt Organizations: Service, Ukraine's Security, Russian, MoD, RBC, Sydney Morning Herald Locations: Ukraine, Australia, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Kursk, Australian, Bryansk, Ukrainian

☆ Pope did not intend to glorify Russian imperialism in speech, Vatican says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis did not intend "to exalt imperialist logic," the Vatican said Tuesday, after a speech delivered on Friday drew criticism for references to Russia's imperialist past. "You are heirs of the great Russia — the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, the great Russian empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity," Pope Francis said in the Friday speech, as translated and transcribed by NewsFromUkraine. The pope delivered the prepared speech in his native Spanish, before making these off-script comments in Italian. The pope has previously repeatedly called for a cease-fire in the war in Ukraine and spoken against Russia's actions in the conflict. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the religious leader for "his personal attention to the tragedy of millions of Ukrainians."

Persons: Pope, Pope Francis, Vladimir Putin, Russia —, Peter the Great, Catherine II, NewsFromUkraine, Russia, Oleg Nikolenko, Rome, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Google, Vatican, Roman Catholic, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Tass Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Spanish

☆ A former Obama aide who advised Succession writers on their chaotic presidential election outcome hopes 'that ultimately, life does not imitate art'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Schultz wrote about how he helped craft the show's fictional presidential election. A former Obama White House aide who worked with writers on crafting the chaotic end to the show's fictional presidential election expressed hope that the brief chapter in the Roys' saga doesn't become real life. "With Succession, I can only hope we didn't predict the future and that, ultimately, life does not imitate art." Roman Roy, played by Kieran Culkin, teases his sister Shiv by saying "False Flag" repeatedly when she raises the possibility of a pro-Mencken plot. AdvertisementAdvertisement"So much for my political expertise," Schultz wrote of how he dismissed concerns about arson in actual political circles.

Persons: Eric Schultz, Schultz, doesn't, fixating, Eric Shultz, Jeryd Mencken, Kendall, Roman Roy, Jesse Armstrong, Armstrong, Darwin Perry, Adam Godley, Kieran Culkin, Shiv, Mencken, Politico's Zach Montellaro, Donald Trump, Mike Pence Organizations: HBO's, Service, Obama White House, White, Hollywood, HBO, Republican, ATN, Democratic, Electoral College Locations: Wall, Silicon, Milwaukee

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