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People attend the "Stations of the Cross" procession at Parque Eduardo VII during Pope Francis' apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon Portugal, August 4, 2023. Francis arrived in Lisbon on Wednesday for the week-long World Youth Day, a gathering of hundreds of thousands of Catholics that takes place every three years in a different city. World Youth Day participants were given what organisers have called the "pilgrim kit", which included a hat and a reusable water bottle. The weather agency IPMA issued a "red" alert for Lisbon between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. time (0900-1700 GMT) due to "persistence of extremely" high temperatures. IPMA said temperatures on Saturday could rise to 36 degrees Celsius and 38 degrees Celsius in Fatima and Lisbon, respectively.

Persons: Parque Eduardo VII, Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane LISBON, Francis, IPMA, Fatima, Jesus, Catarina Demony, Grant McCool Organizations: Parque, REUTERS, Parque Tejo, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon Portugal, Lisbon, Tejo, Fatima, Via, China, United States, Europe, Castelo Branco

☆ Morocco prayers answered as World Cup adventure kicks on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Joel Dubber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The debutants bounced back from their mauling with a 1-0 win over South Korea and, in dramatic fashion in Perth on Thursday, followed up with an identical scoreline to upset Group H winners Colombia. To join the South American team in the knockouts, Morocco needed to win and hope the highly fancied Germans did not beat 17th-ranked South Korea in Brisbane. "We were praying, waiting for the result to come out of the Germany and Korea game. "I was very pleased because the players understood tonight they can play the best players in the world. "This is a showcase for the women's game, for the Moroccans back home and this is such a beautiful display that we're putting on here."

Persons: Fatima Tagnaout, Luisa, Read, Anissa Lahmari, Reynald Pedros, Lahmari, Ghizlane Chebbak's, Cafeteras, we've, Pedros, Joel Dubber, Ed Osmond Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, World, South, Colombia, South American, South Korea, Italy, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Morocco, Colombia, Perth, Australia, PERTH, Germany, South Korea, Brisbane, Korea, France, Adelaide, Nigeria, South Africa

[1/8] Pope Francis speaks as he meets with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in the Cultural Centre of Belem during his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneLISBON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to "stir things up" in the Catholic Church as he moves on with reforms and changes that could leave a lasting legacy. The 86-year-old pope is making his first trip since intestinal surgery in June and uses a wheelchair and cane. A huge billboard raising awareness of clerical sexual abuse was put up overnight in Lisbon hours before Francis' arrival. Francis will also visit Fatima, the town north of Lisbon where the Church believes that the Virgin Mary appeared to three poor shepherd children in 1917.

Persons: Pope Francis, Guglielmo Mangiapane LISBON, Francis, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Filipa Almeida, Almeida, Coracao Silenciado, Fatima, Virgin Mary, Philip Pullella, Catarina Demony, Patricia Rua, Alexandra Hudson, Alison Williams Organizations: Cultural, Belem, REUTERS, Catholic Church, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Rome, Brazil, Ukraine, Europe, Western

[1/5] Cookies with Pope Francis images are seen in a bakery ahead of his apostolic journey to Portugal on the occasion of the XXXVII World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Pedro NunesLISBON, July 31 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world have descended on Portugal to welcome Pope Francis when he arrives on Wednesday to close a jamboree dubbed "the Catholic Woodstock". World Youth Day, an event devised by the late Pope John Paul to form young Catholics in their teens or early 20s, is held every two or three years in a different city. PROBABLE MEETING WITH ABUSE VICTIMSThe group is planning to put up big outdoor signs to raise awareness about clergy sexual abuse. Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Monday called it "the biggest international event" Portugal has ever hosted.

Persons: Pope Francis, Pedro Nunes LISBON, Pope John Paul, Francis, Lisbon's Martim Moniz, Manuel Clemente, Matteo Bruni, Antonio Costa, Madonna, Philip Pullella, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Woodstock, Vatican, Lisbon's Parque Tejo, Thomson Locations: Portugal, Lisbon, Lisbon's, Fatima, Rome

☆ How to watch Australia, Canada and Nigeria battle for Wwomen's World Cup knockout phase spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images Norway celebrates scoring in its 6-0 victory against the Philippines on Sunday. Aisha Schulz/AP Sweden's Amanda Ilestedt, center, heads the ball to score the opening goal against Italy on July 29. John Cowpland/AP Italy's fans cheer before their team's match against Sweden at Wellington Regional Stadium, New Zealand. John Cowpland/AP China's Wang Shuang celebrates after scoring against Haiti during a Women's World Cup match on Friday, July 28. John Cowpland/AP US forward Alex Morgan is surrounded by Vietnam defenders during their opening match on July 22.

Persons: Colombia's Manuela Vanegas, Franck Fife, Alexandra Popp, Ulrik Pedersen, Manuela Vanegas, Sajad, Jaimi Joy, Reuters Linda Caicedo, Phil Walter, Getty, Dominique Randle, Hannah Peters, Hali, Rafaela Pontes, Olivia McDaniel, Norway's Caroline Graham Hansen, Abbie Parr, Sophie Roman Haug of, Jessika Cowart, Buda Mendes, Ali Riley, Katie Bowen, Molly Darlington, Julia Stierli, Alessandra Tarantino, Ramona Bachmann, Sanka Vidanagama, James Elsby, Benzina, Edina Alves Batista, Hannah Mckay, Brenton Edwards, Panama's Aldrith Quintero, Jamaica's Deneisha Blackwood, Kameron Simmonds, Luisa Gonzalez, Allyson Swaby, Herve Renard, Wendie Renard, Debinha, Katie Tucker, Aisha Schulz, Amanda Ilestedt, John Cowpland, Rebecka Blomqvist, Wang Shuang, Maddie Meyer, Dumornay, China's Dou Jiaxing, Alex Pantling, Chloe Kelly, Carl Recine, Mary Earps, Andy Cheung, Janni Thomsen, Alex Greenwood, Lauren James, Justin Setterfield, Keira Walsh, Walsh, Argentina's Mariana Larroquette, Yamila Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Matthew Lewis, Linda Motlhalo, Lars Baron, Osinachi Ohale, Bradley Kanaris, Dan Peled, Anthony Albanese, Matt Roberts, Jéssica Silva, Vietnam's, Saeed Khan, Fiona Goodall, Daphne van Domselaar, Julie Ertz, Brad Smith, Andrew Cornaga, Lindsey Horan, Joe Prior, Catherine Ivill, Amanda Perobelli, Canada's Vanessa Gilles, Ireland's Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Murty, Katie McCabe applauds, Paul Kane, Kailen Sheridan, McCabe, Stephen McCarthy, Adriana Leon, Colin Murty, Jennifer Hermoso, David Rowland, Reuters Hermoso, Spain's Alexia Putellas, Mary Wilombe, Naomoto, Japan's Mina Tanaka, Daniela Solera, Sarina Bolden, Bolden's, Hannah Wilkinson, Bolden, Victoria Esson, Katelyn Mulcahy, Hagen Hopkins, Catalina Usme, Korea's Cho, Colombia's Jorelyn, Carolina Arias, Cameron Spencer, Reuters Usme, Kim Hye, Rebecca Welch, David Gray, Brazil's Marta, Matt Turner, Borges, Khadija Er, Victoria Adkins, Germany's Alexandra Popp, Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, Morocco's Fatima Tagnaout, Hamish Blair, Cristiana Girelli, Kim Price, Francesca Durante, German Portanova, Reuters Italy's Giulia Dragoni, Estefania Banini, Dragoni, Grace Geyoro, Mark Baker, Rebecca Spencer, Robert Cianflone, Bunny, Shaw, Estelle Cascarino, Portugal's Ines Pereira, Stefanie van der, Van der Gragt, Portugal's Jessica Silva, Silva, Joe Allison, Magaia, Sweden's Elin Rubensson, Amalie Vangsgaard's, Zhang Linyan, Denmark's Pernille Harder, Gary Day, Shui, Reuters England's Alessia Russo, Haiti's Tabita Joseph, England's Lionesses, Reuters Nicolas Delépine, Kerly Theus, Zac Goodwin, Jun Endo, Zambia's Agnes Musase, Reuters Aoba, Catherine Musonda, Alex Morgan, Carmen Mandato, Megan Rapinoe, Horan, Trần Thị Kim Thanh, Sophia Smith dribbles, Ane, Esther González, Costa, Costa Rica's Mariana Benavides, Katrina Guillou, Switzerland's Gaëlle Thalmann, William West, Uchenna Kanu, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Canada's Christine Sinclair, Steph Catley, Heather Payne, Australia's Kyra Cooney, Mackenzie Arnold, Ria Percival, Ada Hegerberg, Jan Kruger, Zealand's CJ Bott, Norway's Mathilde Harviken vie, Jose Breton, Benee, Ireland's, Niamh Fahey, Vanessa Gilles, Coliin Murty, Sam Kerr, Kerr, Tony Gustavsson, Christine Sinclair, Ireland, Spain –, Japan's Hikaru Naomoto Organizations: CNN, Germany, Getty, Colombia, Reuters, Norway, Sunday, FIFA, AP, New Zealand, South, Jamaica, Brazil, France, Italy, Sweden, Wellington Regional, Haiti, China, Denmark, England, Argentina, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, Reuters Australian, Vietnam, Portugal, USSF, Ireland, Spain, Eden, Costa, Forsyth, AP Costa, Japan, New, Victoria, Panama, Morocco, Cristiana, Atlanta Primus, Zambia, Zambian, Costa Rica's, Getty Images, Zealand, AP Norway, Nations, FOX Sports, Telemundo, Seven Network, Optus Sport, BBC, ITV, Republic of Ireland, Super Falcons, coy Locations: Japan, Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, AFP, Colombia, Philippines, AP Philippines, Sophie Roman Haug of Norway, New, Reuters, Morocco, South Korea, Perth, Reuters Jamaica, Brisbane, New Zealand, Reuters England, Reuters Argentina, Argentina, South Africa, Ireland, Portugal, Vietnam, United States, Netherlands, Wellington , New Zealand, Auckland , New Zealand, Costa Rican, Dunedin , New Zealand, AP Costa Rican, Reuters Switzerland, Norway, Switzerland, Sydney, Reuters Colombia, Panama, Adelaide, Germany, AP Argentina, German, Italy, Atlanta, Africa, China, European, Reuters England's Georgia, Ane Frosaker, Eurasia, Melbourne, Reuters Norway, Zealand, Eden, United Kingdom, Republic of, Republic of Ireland, Wellington

☆ Afghanistan's exiled soccer team wants the right to play for their country
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It’s not like going on a moon.”The Afghan Women's Team took on Football Empowerment during The Hope Cup on July 18, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. The Afghan Women's Team began training last year with local club Melbourne Victory. “If the Afghan Football Federation recognize a team and say: ‘Yes, we accept a team to represent Afghanistan,’ they can be shot. Afghan Women's Team goalie Fatima Yousifi buried her kit before fleeing Afghanistan. When told the Afghan women’s team was in the crowd, cheering the Matildas on, she said: “I think that’s great they’re here tonight supporting us.

Persons: Coldplay’s, Khalida Popal, “, ’ ”, she’s, ”, Kelly Defina, Heather Barr, HRW’s, Penny Wong, Sarai Bareman, Fatma, Bareman, ” Behram Siddiqui, Popal, ’, Craig Foster, “ They’ve, that’s, Fatima Yousifi, John Didulica, Didulica, he’s, there’s, Hilary Whiteman, Emily van Egmond, Yousifi, ” Foster Organizations: Australia CNN, Brisbane, Nigeria, Afghan women’s national, Taliban, FIFA, women’s, Afghan Women's, Football Empowerment, Rights Watch, Human, United Nations, HRW’s Women’s Rights, Afghan, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Foreign, Association, Afghan Football Federation, CNN FIFA, Afghan Women's Team, Melbourne Victory, UN, “, Hope, Melbourne, Afghan national, Australia, CNN, Canada Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Denmark, Australian, Afghanistan, Europe, Canada, Melbourne, Kabul, United, ’, women’s, Nigeria, Afghan

☆ Microsoft and Google may have to surrender people's data to Saudi Arabia after signing huge deals there
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But Saudi Arabia has weak privacy laws and a track record of persecuting dissidents. They are warning tech giants like Microsoft and Google that they could be forced to hand over private citizen data to Saudi hitmen. Data handed over a silver platterMarwa Fatafta, an analyst with digital rights group Access Now, described Saudi Arabia as a country with a "dismal" human rights record. "Have they really [Google and Microsoft] investigated how they plan to mitigate potential human rights abuses or privacy violations, building such infrastructure?" Countries such as Saudi Arabia, he said, often told companies that "if you want to operate in this country, you've got to keep the data in this country.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman's, Rewan Al, Haddad, umOfUs, FAYEZ NURELDINE, Fatima al, Salma al, Alan Woodward, you've, James Lynch, Fairsquare, Crown Prince Mohammed, James, Lynch, Prince Mohammed, it's, Woodward Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Service, Saudi, Human Rights Watch, New York Post, Getty, Twitter, Leeds University, University of Surrey, Crown Locations: Saudi Arabia, Wall, Silicon, Riyadh, Saudi, AFP

☆ A Saudi woman was given 30 years in prison for criticizing the Neom megacity project on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Saudi woman was recently jailed for 30 years for criticizing the Neom megacity on Twitter. ALQST, a UK-based human rights group, said a Saudi court sentenced Fatima al-Shawarbi to 30 years during a recent appeal hearing. Human Rights Watch in a 2020 report said that imprisoned female dissidents are often refused contact with family members and those in the outside world. The crown prince plans to construct the city across a 10,200 square mile area in the Tabuk Province in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Despite criticism from human rights groups, Saudi Arabia continues to attract wealthy Western companies to invest in Neom.

Persons: Fatima al, Shawarbi, —, ALQST, Lina Alhathloul, Salma al, Alhathoul, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abdul Rahim al, who've Organizations: Twitter, Saudi, Service, Privacy Policy, Rights Watch, Leeds University, UN, Amnesty Locations: Saudi, Privacy Policy Saudi Arabia, Al, Ahsa, London, Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia, Neom

The interior ministry called for calm after at least 31 were arrested in overnight riots, mainly in the Paris suburb of Nanterre where the victim lived, with youths burning cars and shooting fireworks at police, who sprayed people with tear gas. "We have an adolescent that was killed, it is unexplainable and inexcusable," Macron told reporters in Marseille. Paris Saint-Germain footballer Kylian Mpabbe in a Tweet about the shooting said: "I'm hurting for my France." [1/5]A car, burnt during clashes between youths and police, is seen in a street the day after the death of a 17-year-old teenager killed by a French police officer during a traffic stop, in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, June 28, 2023. In the wake of the overnight unrest, the interior ministry said 2,000 police have been mobilised in the Paris region.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Mercedes, Germain, Kylian, Antony Paone Tuesday's, FRANK Macron's, Fatima, Layli Foroudi, Dominique Vidalon, Juliette Jabkhiro, Richard Lough, Conor Humphries Organizations: Prosecutors, Reuters, Mercedes AMG, Paris Saint, REUTERS, of Interior, Thomson Locations: Paris, PARIS, Nanterre, Marseille, France, Paris suburb

☆ Sudan: Testimonies detail atrocities by Wagner-backed militia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Nima Elbagir Tamara Qiblawi Barbara Arvanitidis Gianluca Mezzofiore Pallabi Munsi Ingrid Formanek Saskya Vandoorne | Nima Elbagir | Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

“I sat next to her in the car,” said Butheina Nourin, describing her perilous escape from Sudan’s Darfur region alongside the dead woman. A months-long CNN investigation uncovered an increase in Wagner supplies to the RSF that began in the run-up to Sudan’s conflict. Reports of atrocities committed by RSF fighters and their allied militias, clearly identified by their uniforms, are consistent across dozens of testimonies. Then-President Bashir was charged by the International Criminal Court in 2010 with crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide in relation to the Darfur conflict. “Nobody in Sudan has more blood on their hands than Hemedti,” said Sudan analyst Eric Reeves.

Persons: wailed, “, ”, Butheina Nourin, Fatima, I, Nourin, Zohra Bensemra, Abdul Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Wagner, General Burhan, entrenching, –, Omar al, Bashir, Hemedti, Sergey Lavrov, Hussein Haran, ” Haran, Khamis Abbakar, Kholood Khair, ” Khair, Gen, Mahmoud Hjaj, Hala, SIHA, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalos, Hussein Malla, ” “, Gueipeur Denis Sassou, Eric Reeves, Al Jazeera, Karib, “ It’s, RSF –, Wagner –, Yeveny Prigozhin, Sudan ”, Hussein Organizations: CNN, ” Fighters, Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Reuters, Central African, Russian, Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, UN, Strategic Initiative, Women, International Criminal Court, ICC, United Arab, United Nations, SIHA, Getty, European, US State Department, State Department Locations: Chad, Sudan, Sudan’s Darfur, Darfur, Borota, Latakia, Libya, Bangui, Central African Republic, Moscow, Ukraine, Khartoum, el, Geneina, Horn of Africa, State, Sudan’s, Yemen, Saudi, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Daman, AFP, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Europe, EU, ”, Africa

☆ How torture, inaction underpin UAE's thriving sex trafficking industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

“The suffering was too much.”In a statement to the court after she was charged, Gold denied that she and her brother were sex traffickers. Emirati authorities do little to protect these women, according to anti-trafficking activists, Nigerian authorities and interviews with trafficked women. Human traffickers keep African women in sexual slavery by playing on their financial desperation and creating webs of manipulation and coercion, the reporting shows. This article is part of a reporting collaboration led by ICIJ, Trafficking Inc., which is examining sex trafficking and labor trafficking in many parts of the globe. The UAE made sex trafficking a crime in 2006 and has established an interagency anti-trafficking panel and opened shelters for survivors.

Persons: Christy Gold’s, Gold, Christiana Jacob Uadiale –, they’d, “, ”, ICIJ, Fatima Waziri, NAPTIP, Angus Thomas Organizations: United Arab, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Reuters, UAE, Gold, Emirates, NBC, Investigative Journalism, Dubai, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria’s National Agency for, U.S . State Department Locations: Nigerian, Nigeria, Dubai, British, United Arab Emirates, Gulf, UAE, “, ”, Ghana, Gold, Europe, South Asia, Africa, Abu Dhabi

CNN —Four young children have been found alive after more than a month wandering the Amazon where they survived like “children of the jungle,” according to Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro. Petro said the children were all together when they were found, adding they had demonstrated an example of “total survival that will be remembered in history.”“They are children of the jungle and now they are children of Colombia,” he added. The children, who appear gaunt in the photos, are being evaluated by doctors and will be taken to the town of San Jose del Guaviare. When we found the children we felt joy, we don’t know what to do, but we are grateful to God,” he said. During a press conference Friday evening, Petro said he hoped to speak with the children on Saturday.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, “, ” Petro, Petro, ”, María Fátima Valencia, “ I’m, gaunt, San Jose del Guaviare, Ivan Velasquez, Jacobombaire, Tien Ranoque Mucutuy, Cristin Ranoque, Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia, Hernando Murcia Morales, Herman Mendoza Hernández, they’d, Fidencio Valencia, Narcizo Mucutuy, Villavicencio, Lucho Acosta Organizations: CNN, Twitter, Colombian, Colombian Defense Ministry Locations: Colombia, Villavicencio, San Jose, Bogota, Colombian, ”

☆ Pope had another peaceful night in hospital, Vatican says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flowers are seen at the statue of Pope John Paul II at Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised for surgery on his abdomen, in Rome, Italy, June 9, 2023. REUTERS/Remo CasilliROME, June 9 (Reuters) - Pope Francis spent another peaceful night in hospital, the Vatican said on Friday, two days after the pontiff underwent abdominal surgery that doctors say went as planned. "Last night also went well. More information during the course of the day," the Vatican press office said in a short statement. Francis underwent a three-hour operation on Wednesday to repair a hernia, which doctors said was successful enough that he should have no limitations on his travels and other activities after he recovers.

Persons: Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis, Remo Casilli ROME, Francis, Sergio Alfieri, Alfieri, Alvise Armellini, Giselda Vagnoni, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Gemelli Hospital, REUTERS, Vatican, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Rome's, Portugal, Fatima, Mongolia

☆ Pope Francis doing well after first night in hospital, Vatican says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A nun kisses the hand of Pope Francis during the weekly general audience on the day he is due to undergo abdominal surgery, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, June 8 (Reuters) - Pope Francis was doing well on Thursday morning after his first night in hospital following abdominal surgery, the Vatican said. "The night went well," the Vatican said in a brief statement, adding that more information would be released later in the morning. Fancis underwent a laparotomy, or open abdominal surgery, and a mesh prosthesis was used to reconstruct the abdominal wall. It is the third hospital stay for Francis since cardinals chose the Argentinian in 2013 as the first Latin American pope.

Persons: Pope Francis, Yara, Francis, Sergio Alfieri, hopsital, Alfieri, Fancis, Federica Urso, Gianluca Semeraro, William Maclean Organizations: Vatican, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: St, ROME, Rome, Portugal, Fatima, Mongolia

☆ Pope Francis in hospital for second abdominal surgery in two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Pope Francis greets a nun during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Yara NardiROME, June 7 (Reuters) - Pope Francis was admitted to a Rome hospital on Wednesday for another abdominal operation under general anaesthesia, this time to repair a hernia most likely caused by scars from surgery in 2021. The pope's medical team had decided in recent days that surgery was required because the condition was causing painful, intestinal occlusions. Francis is known to be afraid of the negative effects of general anaesthesia, which are also more common in older people. The statement said the pope would undergo a laparotomy, or open abdominal surgery, and that a prosthesis would be used to reconstruct the abdominal wall.

Persons: Pope Francis, Yara, Francis, Vatican, Keith Weir, Federico Maccioni, Crispian Balmer, William Maclean Organizations: Vatican, REUTERS, Fiat, Catholic, Argentine, Thomson Locations: St, ROME, Rome, Mongolia, Portugal, Lisbon

☆ Pope to visit Mongolia, home to just 1,300 Catholics
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last August, Francis named Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, an Italian, the first cardinal to be based in Mongolia, where he is the Catholic Church's administrator. According to Fides, the news agency of the Vatican's missionary activities, there are about 1,300 baptized Catholics in Mongolia among a population of about 3.3 million people. Although the number of Catholics in Mongolia is smaller that most individual parish churches in many countries, the country is significant for the Vatican. Mongolia, once known as Outer Mongolia, was part of China until 1921, when it achieved independence with the help of the then Soviet Union. Francis is due to visit Portugal from Aug. 2-6 to attend the World Youth Day in Lisbon and visit the Shrine of Fatima.

Persons: Pope Francis, Matteo Bruni, Francis, Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, Marengo, Fides, Keith Weir, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter Organizations: CITY, Roman Catholic Church, Vatican, Catholic, U.S . State Department, Fatima, Thomson Locations: Mongolia, China, Rome, Africa, Soviet Union, Inner Mongolia, Western Europe, Portugal, Lisbon, India

☆ A pledge to fight climate change is sending money to strange places
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

That failure has helped keep climate finance at the top of the agenda at annual U.N. climate conferences, such as last year’s COP27, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Some officials from potential recipient countries say that, before more money starts to flow, clearer definitions of what qualifies as climate finance and more transparency in reporting contributions are needed. A SIMEST official said that the agency’s work is not focused on climate change and that it is not involved in Italy's climate finance reporting. Source: Reuters analysis of climate finance data nations reported to the U.N. Japan’s foreign ministry, not JICA, is responsible for reporting climate finance to the U.N., Takeda said.

Persons: COP27, Matthew Samuda, Venchi, hasn’t, Fred Béliard, Nicolas Fierens Gevaert, Mohammad Hossain, Sachiko Takeda, Takeda, Hiroshi Onuma, Matarbari, “, ” Organizations: Jamaica's Ministry of Economic, Reuters, Italy's Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, United, Marriott, Fatima Group, U.S . State Department, Roja, French Development Agency, U.S, Power Cell, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Paris, Sharm el, Sheikh, Egypt, Dubai, Jamaica's, Japan, China, Indonesia, Asia, SIMEST, Italy, United States, Haitien, Haiti, Marriott, U.S, Belgium, Argentina, France, Mexico, Kenya, South Africa, Bangladesh, San Francisco, Germany, “ Japan

☆ Pope to visit Portugal in August for World Youth Day, Fatima Shrine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

VATICAN CITY, May 22 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will travel to Portugal from Aug. 2-6 to attend the World Youth Day and visit the Shrine of Fatima, the Vatican said on Monday. World Youth Day, a global gathering of young Catholics, is being held in Lisbon from Aug. 1-6. The Vatican said Francis would take advantage of the trip to travel also to the Shrine of Fatima in central Portugal on Aug. 5. The Catholic Church teaches that the Madonna appeared to three Portuguese children 100 years ago in what was then an impoverished farming village. The pope last visited the shrine in 2017 when he declared two of the children saints.

☆ The Taliban promised to provide security to Afghans. New data shows threat from ISIS is growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Eliza Mackintosh Ehsan Popalzai Antonio Jarne Lou Robinson | Eliza Mackintosh | Ehsan Popalzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

“Currently we don’t have security in Afghanistan at all, whenever we go out we don’t know if we will come home alive or not,” he added. Taliban security forces guard a checkpoint near the foreign ministry in Kabul on March 27, after an ISIS-K suicide bomber struck the site. The data, which is available in a live map, includes 367 pieces of open-source evidence — largely videos and images shared on social media — about 70 ISIS-K attacks since August 2021. As the Taliban try to minimize the threat ISIS-K poses, attacks on civilians continue. Taliban security forces have been waging ongoing operations and night raids against ISIS-K.

☆ Prince Harry should not be allowed to pay for police protection, court told
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Prince Harry should not be allowed to pay for his own police protection while in Britain because wealthy individuals should not be able to buy specially trained officers as private bodyguards, lawyers for the British government told a court on Tuesday. Since moving to California, where they live with their two young children, they have relied on a private security team, but say those arrangements do not give the fifth-in-line to the throne the level of protection he needs while visiting Britain. Harry, who was briefly in Britain for his father King Charles' Coronation earlier this month, offered to pay for the protection himself, which authorities refused. Last year, Britain's former counter-terrorism police chief said there had been credible threats made against the couple by far-right extremists. A judge initially denied him permission for this in February and on Tuesday his lawyers sought to overturn that decision.

☆ Eurovision 2023: Seven to look out for in the Grand Final
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Teya & Salena from Austria perform during the second semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, Britain, May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Phil NobleLIVERPOOL, England, May 13 (Reuters) - The Grand Final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Liverpool, northern England, on Saturday, with acts representing 26 countries competing. The song's lyrics address originality in music, while the line "Zero dot zero zero three" refers to the royalty rate of $0.003 per stream which Spotify is said to pay. FRANCEFrance - one of the "Big Five" that has automatic entry to the Grand Final - has not won the contest since 1977. FINLANDKäärijä, a rapper and singer sporting bright green bolero-sleeves and a bare chest, was a huge hit in the arena in Tuesday's semi-final with "Cha Cha Cha", a celebration of cutting loose after a week of hard work.

In 2014, during a previous round of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, the Bashir's home was also hit. "They destroyed our homes before and we rebuilt it, and this time we will rebuild it too," she added. According to officials from Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, the latest round of Israeli air strikes, which began on Tuesday, have destroyed 15 residential blocks, containing more than 50 apartments. "Prior to these strikes, the Israeli Defence Forces took every feasible measure to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible," the Israeli military said. "We stress that the residential blocks destroyed by the occupation were inhabited by civilians.

Khader Adnan, who died Tuesday, had been detained by Israel 10 times and on hunger strike six times, according to Palestinian authorities. Photo: saif dahlah/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesTEL AVIV—Militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets at Israel on Tuesday after the death of a Palestinian on hunger strike in Israeli custody, raising fears of an escalation amid a particularly violent period between the two sides. Khader Adnan, a prominent member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, was detained in early February on charges of supporting terrorism and incitement. He went on hunger strike soon after and refused medical testing and treatment. He died early Tuesday.

Khader Adnan in the village of Arraba in the West Bank in 2012. Photo: saif dahlah/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesTEL AVIV—A Palestinian prisoner accused of terrorism died in an Israeli prison early Tuesday after a nearly three-month hunger strike, according to Israel’s prison services, heightening tensions amid a particularly violent period between the two sides. Soon after Khader Adnan, who was detained in early February on charges of supporting terrorism and incitement, died, militants in Gaza fired three rockets and one mortar into southern Israel.

Most Western embassies in Sudan were evacuated a week into the fighting, leaving many Sudanese visa applicants without their travel documents and in legal limbo. Several Sudanese citizens told CNN they cannot flee the conflict-ridden country because their passports are held at evacuated Western embassies. These are passports of Sudanese passport holders who have applied for a short-stay Schengen visa or an MVV (provisional residence permit). But unfortunately the ICRC cannot issue emergency travel documents for people to leave their own country,” they told CNN in a statement. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters“I am now an obstacle for my family since they cannot travel and leave me,” she told CNN.

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