Pope Francis holds historic, symbolic meeting with top Iraq Shiite cleric
Pope Francis and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric have delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence, urging Muslims to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during a historic meeting.
In visit to Baghdad, Pope Francis urges Iraq to embrace its Christians
Pope Francis has urged Iraqis to treat their Christian brothers as a precious resource to protect, not an “obstacle” to eliminate as he opens the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.
Australian man’s cereal contains a serpent surprise
An Australian man got a slithering surprise when he poured some cereal for breakfast.
2 Vancouver police officers caught on video posing next to dead body, taking photos
Two officers with the Vancouver Police Department in British Columbia have been assigned to “non-deployable, administrative positions” after they were filmed taking photos next to a dead body on Feb. 24.
Japanese company selling in-flight meals in stores amid declining sales due to COVID-19 pandemic
One Japanese catering company is taking its popular bento boxes typically offered during in-flight meals and selling them at department stores and markets due to a decline in sales.
Brazil coronavirus variant capable of reinfecting those who already had COVID-19, research suggests
Researchers found that the Brazil variant, called P.1, is between 1.4 and 2.2 times more transmissible than other coronavirus strains and appears to be better at escaping natural immunity.
Biden administration sets sanctions on Russia after opposition leader Alexei Navalny's poisoning
The Biden administration has announced sanctions of Russian officials and businesses related to the poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
279 Nigerian girls freed after kidnapped from boarding school, governor says
Hundreds of Nigerian girls abducted last week from a boarding school in the country’s northwest have been released.
Biden meets with Mexican president Monday to discuss migration, other issues
President Joe Biden met virtually Monday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — a chance for the pair to talk more fully about migration, confronting the coronavirus and cooperating on economic and national security issues.
Prince Philip moved to specialized London heart hospital, continues to fight infection
Buckingham Palace says Prince Philip has been transferred to another London hospital to undergo testing and observation for a pre-existing heart condition as he continues treatment for an unspecified infection.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy convicted of corruption, sentenced to prison
The 66-year-old politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted for having tried to illegally get information in 2014 about a legal action in which he was involved.
300 girls kidnapped from school in Nigeria
Hundreds of girls are missing after a large group of gunmen raided a school in northern Nigeria early Friday morning, residents say.
UK judge rules comatose woman with COVID-19 should be removed from life support weeks after giving birth
A woman who has reportedly been in a coma for nearly a month after contracting COVID-19 will reportedly be taken off life support after the Court of Protection in the United Kingdom ruled not doing so would just “prolong her death.”
Children plunge from 4th floor of burning building
Several children had only one way to escape a burning building: by jumping from a window four stories above the street.
Threat level raised for US troops in Iraq; American contractors put on high alert
Increasing force protection posture may last several days and is considered a routine precaution given current conditions on the ground.
US airstrike, 1st under Biden, kills Iran-backed militiaman
An Iraqi militia official says a U.S. airstrike in Syria has killed one militiaman and wounded a number of others with a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi group.
Mount Etna lights up Sicily's night sky with 6th eruption in 8 days
Etna erupted for the sixth time in eight days on February 24, according to local media, with footage from the area showing lava fountains shooting 500 meters into the air.
US launches airstrike on facilities in Syria used by Iran-backed militia
The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities used by Iranian-backed militia groups. The Pentagon said the strikes were in retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.
Moderna begins clinical trials for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine to combat South Africa variant
Moderna says it has sent its new COVID-19 vaccine candidate designed specifically to combat the highly transmissible South Africa coronavirus variant to the National Institutes of Health for a Phase 1 clinical trial.
Senate confirms Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador
The Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden’s choice to lead U.S. diplomacy at the United Nations on Tuesday.