Syrian government forces recapture more territory from rebels in Hama

Woman in Vatileaks trial got messages via confession box

The woman convicted of helping leak Vatican documents says in a new book that an official in a key office of the Holy See left her secret messages in the confession box of a Rome church during the trial. The episode is one new element in the book “In Peter’s Name”, by Francesca Chaouqui, who got a 10-month suspended sentence at the end of a sensational eight-month trial dubbed “Vatileaks 2” last July. [nL8N19T29C] She describes a Vatican where infighting and resistance to Pope Francis’s reform

07 Feb, 2017

France’s Le Pen launches election bid

France’s far-right party leader Marine Le Pen on Sunday told thousands of flag-waving supporters chanting “This is our country!” that she alone could protect them against Islamic fundamentalism and globalization if elected president in May. Buoyed by the election of President Donald Trump in the United States and by Britons’ vote to leave the European Union, Le Pen’s anti-immigration, anti-EU National Front (FN) hopes for similar populist momentum in France. With hitherto favorite Francois Fil

06 Feb, 2017

US Appeals court denies request to restore travel ban

A U.S. appeals court late on Saturday denied a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to immediately restore an immigration order from President Donald Trump barring citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries and temporarily banning refugees. The court ruling dealt a further setback to Trump, who has denounced the judge in the state of Washington who blocked his Jan. 27 order on Friday. In tweets and comments to reporters, the president has insisted he will get the ban reinstated. Trump

05 Feb, 2017