WORLD

NEW YORK | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated his national security advisor Mike Waltz as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department,” …

MAGA oligarchs’ policies threaten to ruin Christmas COMMENT | THE CONTRARIAN  | This week, Donald Trump spotlighted for pro-democracy forces his greatest political vulnerability. He gave it away on Tuesday, in his tiff with Amazon founder (and Washington Post owner) Jeff Bezos. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt scolded Amazon …

COMMENT | Jane F Alowo |  I must have missed this piece “The Empire In the Cathedral: Would Jesus recognize His Church?” during the mourning period for Pope Francis – May he continue to rest in peace. But, kindly allow me set the record straight where facts have been overstated or misunderstood. I …

Vatican, Italy | VATICAN NEWS | The College of Cardinals has announced that all 133 Cardinal electors participating in the upcoming conclave have the right to vote for the new Pope. The Holy See Press Office released a declaration prepared by the Cardinals gathered in the General Congregation on Wednesday. The …

COMMENT | Gertrude Kamya Othieno | The death of a Pope is no private affair. Over 50 heads of state descended upon Rome, standing beneath Michelangelo’s dome to honour a man whose life mirrored a carpenter from Galilee. Cloaked in diplomacy, spectacle, and centuries of ritual, they gather not just to …

BEIRUT | Xinhua | The Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have pushed the Middle East further into “an arena of deals and more destruction,” a Lebanese expert has said. The administration’s handling of Mideast affairs exposed a foreign policy approach driven by short-term interests, reckless bargaining and a …

Vatican, Rome | VATICAN NEWS | The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told reporters on Wednesday that 180 Cardinals attended the seventh General Congregation, of whom 124 were Cardinal electors. In the first part of the meeting, the Cardinals discussed the economic and financial situation of …

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda AIDS Commission has reported a downward trend in new HIV infections, even as the country continues to fall short of key national targets in the fight against the epidemic. Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Tuesday, Dr. Vincent Bagambe, …

UNITED NATIONS | Xinhua | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that the two-State solution to the Palestinian question “is near a point of no return.” In remarks to the UN Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Guterres said the …

The growing number of cardinals from Africa eligible to vote in the upcoming papal election, along with a rising number of Catholics on the continent, signals promise for those hoping for an African Pope. Here, bird story agency looks at which African cardinal might be chosen. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD …