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DALLAS (AP) -- Travelers on Delta Air Lines endured hundreds more canceled and delayed flights on Tuesday as the carrier slogged through day two of its recovery from a global computer outage....
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday after talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin that the two nations can rebuild their damaged ties and make them even closer, promising to back major energy projects with Russia....
(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has issued a message for the 71st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan at the end of World War II, on August 6th and 9th respectively.The message was delivered by Fr. Michael Czerny, SJ - a member of the Council - on August 6 at a two-day conference on disarmament and security sponsored by Religions for Peace at the United Nations University in Tokyo. The inter-religious meeting hosted by the Tendai Buddhist Community, and the Diocese of Hiroshima's programme including a concelebrated Mass at the Cathedral on August 6th.Listen to Devin Watkins' report: Seventy-one years have passed since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, acts of aggression which sought to put an end to World War II.Yet, in a world still permeated by the proliferation of nuclear arms, “God’s great river of mercy” still flows. That was the message of the Pontifical Council for Jus...
(Vatican Radio) Landslides due to Hurricane Earl have killed 38 people in Mexico, with the death toll expected to rise.James Blears reports from Mexico: Prior to hitting Mexico, Hurricane Earl, killed nine people. Thirteen people died in the Dominican Republic when falling power lines hit their bus; three drowned in Haiti, when their boat capsized.But Mexico has suffered the brunt of Earl. Twenty eight are confirmed dead in the remote village of Huauchinango in Puebla State, while authorities in Veracruz State confirm ten more deaths, due to landslides engulfing homes with tons of thick, cloying mud.Mexican troops in olive green fatigues, wearing white arm bands are working around the clock, digging, sifting and clearing a deluge of mud and debris, and uncovering buried buildings.Many roads and highways have been closed, due to flooding, which has led to severe structural damage. The true extent of the crisis is yet to be fully known, as many more remote and isolate settlements re...
(Vatican Radio) Japanese Emperor Akihito threw a challenge to conservative tradition in Japan on Monday, saying as an aging leader he may wish one day to retire. The move would create a modern-day precedent.Listen to Alastair Wanklyn's report: In a rare national address, Emperor Akihito said declining health may force him to review his duties.Eighty-two years old, Akihito has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, although his health is otherwise good and he maintains a busy public schedule. The words he spoke were indirect, but the message was unprecedented. No Japanese emperor has abdicated in almost 200 years. Many nationalists here regard the role as untouchable. And constitutional experts say current law does not even allow abdication, so legal revisions will be needed. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government will examine what it can do to reduce the emperor's workload. Akihito commands respect from peopl...
(Vatican Radio) Officials say the brother-in-law of one of the men who attacked the satirical Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris has been jailed in Bulgaria. Authorities suspect him of trying to join extremists in Syria.Listen to Stefan Bos' report: Bulgaria's Interior Ministry confirmed that 20-year-old Mourad Hamyd is being held in the Balkan nation amid concerns that he wanted to join the ranks of the so-called Islamic State terror group.Interior Minister Rumiana Bachvarova said Hamyd had "behavior typical for a foreign fighter and that's how he was identified."A Bulgarian court was to rule Tuesday on his detention. French prosecutors plan to use a European arrest warrant to gain custody of Hamyd, who is the brother-in-law of Cherif Kouachi, a feared militant.Kouachi and his brother Said shot dead 12 people in an attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris last year, including 10 journalists and two police officers. They were lat...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a telegramme on Monday expressing his condolences and prayers for the victims of Hurricane Earl in Central America.Hurricane Earl is estimated to have caused damages in excess of US$50 million and left 13 people dead in the Dominican Republic and at least 45 others in Mexico.The telegramme – dated 8 August and signed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin – was addressed to the Mexican Episcopal Conference.A Vatican Radio English translation of the telegramme is below:In the face of the grave damage caused by the hurricane which affected several areas of the country – causing numerous victims and extensive material damage – the Holy Father expresses his affection for the beloved Mexican people, offering his prayers for those who lost their lives and desiring to show his closeness to their families and the victims. At the same time, His Holiness asks the Lord to sustain the will of the authorities and peopl...
(Vatican Radio) As Americans prepare to vote in an increasingly divisive presidential election, the Catholic bishops of the United States are urging U.S. Catholics to catch up on some summer reading. They’ve republished an updated version of “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” their teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. Listen to our report: Scandals, fear mongering, insults and lies – this electoral campaign pitting Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton has seen it all. And U.S. bishops have seen enough. Reissuing their 2007 online document, they’re calling on American Catholics to think hard about their political responsibilities. And rather than blindly casting their vote for a certain ideology or a particular political party, to choose the common good and consider” all that protects or threatens human dignity.”Subdivided into three parts, ...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent his condolences after the attack on the hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, which killed over 70 people.The majority of the victims were lawyers who had gathered to mourn the assassination of the president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi, who was killed earlier in the day.The telegram sent by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin reads:Deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life following the attack on a hospital in Quetta, His Holiness Pope Francis sends heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased, to the authorities and to the entire nation, as he offers the assurance of his prayers for the many injured victims of this senseless and brutal act of violence. Upon all who mourn and upon all who have been affected by this tragedy, His Holiness invokes the divine gifts of consolation and strength. ...
Caritas Jordan celebrated the launching of a new project “Preparing to Excel in Emergency Response - PEER” on Monday, in the conference-center of a hotel in Amman.The project will be implemented by Caritas Jordan Volunteers Centre and in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and aims to increase synergies and interaction capabilities among Christian groups in Jordan who are engaged in various programs in order to face humanitarian emergencies. Among the ten working groups involved in the project so far there is also the Greek Orthodox Christian youth community and NGOs such as the Orthodox Progress Association.Mr. Wael Suleiman, Director General of Caritas Jordan, expressed his happiness for this gathering that will help to work together in serving refugees and people in need.Jocelyn Braddock, Director of assistance programs supported by CRS Lebanon, stressed the usefulness and the urgency to involve reality and local institutions in the implementation...
