MADRID – A judge in the southern Spanish city of Granada has indicted 10 priests and two Catholic lay workers in a sex abuse case that prompted Pope Francis to call one of the alleged victims. According to the indictment filed Tuesday, the 12 are suspected of abusing four teenage …
Read More »Report: woman attacks police in Istanbul with automatic fire; no one hurt
ISTANBUL – Turkey’s state-run news agency says a woman opened automatic weapon fire at a police vehicle in Istanbul’s main square, Taksim, before escaping on foot. No one was hurt in Friday’s incident. The Anadolu Agency says the assailant left her weapon and a bag near the square. There was …
Read More »Relief official: 5 million people affected by Ukraine conflict, UN trying to boost aid work
BUDAPEST, Hungary – U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos says the organization is trying to increase aid activities in Ukraine to help more than 5 million people affected by the conflict between the government and Russia-backed rebels. Amos told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the U.N. has been able to …
Read More »Myanmar government says student protesters are being manipulated to create instability
YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s government has accused students who are protesting state educational policies of being manipulated by groups seeking to destabilize the country. A special announcement broadcast Thursday night on state television warned that some political organizations are behind recent student protests, but did not identify them. It called …
Read More »Defense Minister: Poland will not send lethal weapons to Ukraine, little optimism over talks
WARSAW, Poland – Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak says Poland will not send lethal weapons to Ukraine but says there is little optimism in the west about the outcome of peace negotiations. In interviews for Polish media Tuesday, Siemoniak said Poland has supplied the military in neighboring Ukraine with some 17 …
Read More »Aide insists Pope Benedict XVI resigned freely amid claims that it was forced
VATICAN CITY – The top aide to retired Pope Benedict XVI is insisting he resigned freely, amid conspiracy theories that Benedict’s resignation was forced and the election of Pope Francis was thus invalid. Monsignor Georg Gaenswein gave an interview to Italian daily Corriere della Sera on the second anniversary of …
Read More »Open for business: Vatican's shave and shower opens for the homeless
VATICAN CITY – Homeless men and women are lining up outside the public restrooms off St. Peter’s Square to take advantage of Pope Francis’ new charitable initiative: a free shave and shower for the least fortunate. The Vatican’s barber shop for the homeless opened Monday and 49-year-old Mauro Casubolo was …
Read More »Powerball winner in Puerto Rico claims ticket, but anonymously
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The winner of a Powerball ticket in Puerto Rico has appeared a week after hitting the $564 million jackpot but has opted to remain anonymous. The person stopped by the Puerto Rico Lottery office on Thursday with their ticket and has 60 days to decide …
Read More »Kenya court strikes out sections of security law gov't says it adopted to fight extremism
NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan court says seven sections of a contentious law the government says will help Kenya curb a wave of extremist attacks are unconstitutional. Opposition leaders and human rights activist have spoken out about these sections and others, saying they would be used to crack down on …
Read More »Spain to deport 34 members of violent Latin street gangs operating in Madrid
MADRID – Spain says it plans to deport 34 top members of violent Latin American street gangs operating in the Spanish capital. The Interior Ministry delegate for Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes, said the expulsions aim to prevent gangs like the Netas or the Latin Kings from getting a foothold in the …
Read More »