Jesuit priest calls Lou Holtz's comment on Biden's Catholic faith 'terrible'

Associated Press
Rats feast on New York’s City's bagged garbage. Can putting it in bins end the smorgasbord?
For half a century, New York City residents have taken out their trash by flinging plastic bags stuffed with stinking garbage straight onto the sidewalk. Now, New Yorkers are slowly adjusting to a radically new routine, at least for America's biggest city: Putting their trash in bins. Earlier this month, covered bins became a requirement for all residential buildings with fewer than 10 living units.
Associated Press
Conservatives love him. Liberals disdain him. For residents of Maine town, it's more complicated
Few people in America have done more to advance conservative causes than Leo. Years ago, the then-unknown conservative lawyer began executing a plan that has helped reshape the U.S. courts and Republican politics, an effort that culminated in Trump’s first term with the appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices. The success moved Leo out of the shadows, turning him into a hero to conservatives and a villain to liberals.
AFP
Five forgotten conflicts of 2024
The wars in the Mideast and Ukraine-Russia have dominated world headlines in 2024 but several other conflicts are ravaging countries and regions. A bitter civil war has followed causing the death of more than 5,300 people and the displacement of some 3.3 million, according to the UN. The military have faced growing resistance from rebel groups across the country.
AFP
Adani Group says it lost nearly $55 bn as US charges sparked rout
India's Adani Group conglomerate said Wednesday it had lost almost $55 billion in a stock market rout since US prosecutors last week accused its founder and other officials of fraud.The conglomerate saw $150 billion wiped from its market value in 2023 after a report by short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of "brazen" corporate fraud.
Reuters
China declines comment on marriage of son of jailed official Bo Xilai
China declined on Wednesday to comment about the marriage of the son of jailed former leader Bo Xilai to an individual from Taiwan, saying only that it opposed "malicious" speculation about the matter. Public discussion is taboo in the case of Bo, once considered a contender for top leadership but jailed for life in 2013, and the issue of his son's marriage is made even more sensitive by the poor state of China's ties with Taiwan. Asked about the wedding at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said he could not comment.
AFP
Bumper election year brings headwinds for liberal democracies
Voting by more than half the world's population in 2024 elections has left many liberal democracies facing crises of confidence, political fragmentation and heightened polarisation, with some observers fearing new wind in the sails of authoritarianism.Even in more competitive democratic systems, such as in Europe, "we are seeing increasingly polarised and fragmented politics", Bergmann said.
TODAY
66 Christmas Eve dinner recipes, from roast beef to seafood stew
Kick off Christmas celebrations with a festive feast.
AFP
Protesters for jailed ex-PM Khan cleared from Pakistan capital's centre
Protesters who marched on the Pakistan capital to demand the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan were cleared from the city centre on Wednesday after a sweeping security crackdown.The government flooded the capital with 20,000 security forces who faced off with demonstrators as they closed in on a public square outside parliament and the prime minister's house which they aimed to occupy.
USA TODAY
Jay Bhattacharya, COVID lockdown critic, picked by Trump to lead NIH
Jay Bhattacharya, Trump's pick to lead the NIH, is known for arguing against lockdowns and for "herd immunity" to control the COVID-19 virus.
Reuters
Turkey scales down $23 billion F-16 jet deal with US, minister says
Turkey has reduced its planned $23 billion acquisition of an F-16 fighter jet package from the United States, scrapping the purchase of 79 modernisation kits for its existing fleet, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said late on Tuesday. NATO member Turkey earlier this year secured a deal to procure 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernisation kits for its existing F-16s from the United States, after a long-delayed process.
CBS News
President Biden announces ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah
Israel's Cabinet has approved the ceasefire after urging from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
NBC News
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a United States-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon that took effect hours later.
AFP
World leaders react to Lebanon war ceasefire
World leaders have welcomed a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which came into force on Wednesday morning (0200 GMT).- United States and France - The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will protect Israel from the threat of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and create the conditions for a "lasting calm", US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said ahead of the truce coming into force.
AFP
'Very, very slow': plastic treaty talks grind forward
Negotiations on a first global treaty to curb plastic pollution are moving "very, very slowly", diplomats and observers told AFP on Wednesday, threatening the chances of reaching an agreement.But the first full day of work in four "contact groups" tasked with refining language for the treaty ended up with discussions "going around in circles," said Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics policy manager at WWF. "Contact group discussions are moving too slow," he told AFP. That view was echoed by severa
USA TODAY
Animal rights activist on US 'most wanted terrorist' list arrested in UK after 2 decades
The FBI said Daniel Andreas San Diego bombed places in California he believed worked with a research company linked to animal abuse cases.
AFP
Trump names trade envoy, top economic advisor to fill policy team
Donald Trump on Tuesday named Jamieson Greer his trade representative, a key figure in implementing the president-elect's economic agenda, particularly his plans to use tariffs to raise revenue and help bring more manufacturing to US shores.The aim is to raise government revenue and target countries he said have been "ripping us off," while pushing businesses to bring production back to US shores.
AFP
China expected to hit peak coal consumption in 2025: report
China's coal consumption could peak by 2025 as the world's top consumer of the fossil fuel ramps up its push for clean energy, a report published on Wednesday said.But while coal remains king in China's energy mix, there are signs the world's second-biggest economy may be weaning itself off the fossil fuel.
CNN
It’s expensive to visit the Maldives. Now it’s more expensive to leave, too
From December 1, exit fees for those flying out of the country will increase as much as four times.
AFP
To tackle plastic scourge, Philippines makes companies pay
Long one of the world's top sources of ocean plastic, the Philippines is hoping new legislation requiring big companies to pay for waste solutions will help clean up its act.She then sells them at a 25 percent mark-up to charity Friends of Hope, which works with PCX Solutions to process them.
AFP
What to expect from the new EU top team's first 100 days
Ursula von der Leyen's new European Commission is expected to officially start its work next week, with the European Parliament set to give it the all-clear in Strasbourg on Wednesday.Here are some of the main issues the powerful body led by the 66-year-old German politician will have to grapple with in its first 100 days: - Donald Trump - Von der Leyen is once again starting her mandate with "an exogenous shock to deal with", said Simone Tagliapietra, of Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.

Latest Stories