Five women who say they were psychologically, spiritually and sexually abused by a famous ex-Jesuit artist asked Catholic bishops around the world on Friday to remove his mosaics from their churches, saying their continued display in places of worship was “inappropriate” and retraumatizing to victims. Through their lawyer, the women sent letters to bishops from Brazil to Lebanon and dioceses in between where chapels, churches or basilicas feature some of the nearly 230 mosaics designed by the Rev. Marko Rupnik and his Centro Aletti art studio. The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, marked the latest salvo in the long-running scandal over Rupnik, whose mosaics decorate some of the Catholic Church's most-visited sanctuaries but whose reputation has been marred by allegations of abuse by more than a dozen women.
While the first U.S. presidential debate of the 2024 race dwelled little on foreign policy, a shaky performance by Joe Biden will have America's allies steeling for the return of Donald Trump, analysts say. Biden's supporters had hoped the debate would erase worries that he was too old to serve, but several lawmakers, analysts and investors also said the event had given Trump a boost. "Mr. Trump didn't win but Mr. Biden might have imploded," said Kunihiko Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat and now research director at the Canon Institute for Global Studies, a think tank.
President Joe Biden's allies scrambled on Friday to contain the fallout from his faltering performance at the first 2024 U.S. presidential debate after he struggled to stem a barrage of attacks and false claims from his Republican rival Donald Trump. The Biden campaign had hoped that a strong debate would quell concerns among voters that the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent is too old to serve a second four-year term. Instead, a hoarse-sounding Biden stumbled over his words at times, especially in the early stages of the debate.
The bulk of Indonesian government data affected by a recent ransomware cyberattack was not backed up, officials said, in an incident that has exposed the lack of preparations for such an attack in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Last week's cyberattack, the worst in the country in recent years, has disrupted multiple government services including immigration and operations at major airports. The government has said more than 230 public agencies, including ministries, had been affected, but has refused to pay an $8 million ransom demanded to retrieve the encrypted data.
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA) party resolved at a meeting of its Federal Executive on Thursday to continue negotiations with President Cyril Ramaphosa over cabinet positions, a DA source close to the negotiations told Reuters. The senior party source said the DA was still committed to negotiations and the party was "not at the point of drawing lines in the sand and giving final ultimatums".
Bolivia has arrested more than a dozen high-ranking military and intelligence officials following a failed attempt to unseat the country’s president in a coup allegedly led by its former army chief.
Some Democrats began calling for President Joe Biden to step aside so the party can nominate another candidate after he stumbled badly in Thursday's debate against his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.
The yen extended losses to a fresh 38-year low Friday, putting investors on guard for a possible intervention by Japanese authorities ahead of the release of key US inflation data later in the day.Commentators say Japan is unlikely to move before the release later Friday of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index reading -- the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge of inflation that could determine its plans for interest rates.
The debate was always going to be a gamble for Joe Biden — but the bet may prove more costly than he imagined after he gave what was roundly panned as a bumbling and incoherent performance.
Iranians voted on Friday in a presidential election where a lone reformist aimed for a breakthrough against a divided conservative camp.No major reformist or moderate candidates were approved for Iran's last presidential election three years ago.
Almost four decades after it was stolen from a Buffalo, New York, museum, a pocket watch carried by the 26th president, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, was returned to his family home on Long Island, officials said.
Registered voters who watched CNN’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump largely think Trump outperformed Biden, according to a CNN poll of debate watchers conducted by SSRS, with most saying they have no real confidence in Biden’s ability to lead the country. At the same time, a majority who tuned in say it had little or no effect on their choice for president.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off during CNN’s presidential debate in Atlanta Thursday night.
If Joe Biden loses November’s election, history will record that it took just 10 minutes to destroy a presidency.
When Ngarauru Mako told her family she was calling off Christmas festivities in favor of celebrating Matariki, the Māori new year holiday that's experiencing a renaissance in New Zealand, her children didn’t believe her. “We grew up with Christmas because it was just what you did, but I realized it wasn’t my thing,” said Mako, who is Māori, a member of New Zealand’s Indigenous people. “I just decided myself to cancel Christmas, be the Grinch, and take on Matariki.”
Asian shares gained Friday as traders looked ahead to a key report on inflation that could influence the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to 39,583.08. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.3% to 17,767.93, while the Shanghai Composite surged 0.9% to 2,971.18.
Here are the biggest moments from the first presidential debate on CNN.
Pete Arredondo, former school district police chief in Uvalde, Texas, is in custody on a charge related to the response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.
President Joe Biden's performance in the first debate Thursday has sparked a new round of criticism from Democrats, as well as public and private musing about whether he should remain at the top of the ticket.
France is facing a bill of almost nine billion euros for hosting the Paris Olympics but top officials say the financial fallout could be more "psychological" than economic.For Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau, the Paris Olympics will have more of a "psychological" impact than economic.