VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is insisting that his concern for the poor and critique of the global economic system isn’t some novel, communist-inspired ideology but rather the original and core “touchstone” of the Christian faith. Some U.S. conservatives have branded Francis a Marxist for his frequent critiques of consumerism …
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JERUSALEM – Israel’s half a million high school students are staying home for three days to protest cancelled field trips, the first time the country’s teenagers are playing hooky nationwide. Education Ministry spokeswoman Hagit Cohen said the strike was in protest against a decision by an organization of Israeli teachers …
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TOKYO – Japan’s leading opposition Democratic Party has chosen 61-year-old Harvard-trained former Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada as its top leader. Okada won in a runoff vote Sunday against Goshi Hosono after another contender, former Health Minister Akira Nagatsuma, was eliminated in the first round. He faces the daunting challenge …
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YANGON, Myanmar – Doctors Without Borders says it resumed providing medical aid in December in troubled Rakhine state in western Myanmar after being excluded for more than nine months. The government suspended the aid group’s activities last February, accusing it of lacking transparency in its work. It was thought to …
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BERLIN – The head of a German serial killer known as the “Butcher of Hannover” has been cremated after lying in storage for almost 89 years. The Goettinger Tageblatt newspaper reported Saturday that the University of Goettingen’s medical department confirmed it had incinerated the remains of Fritz Haarmann last year. …
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SANTIAGO, Chile – Chilean lawmakers have approved a bill that recognizes civil unions between same-sex couples. The bill has now been passed by both houses of congress in the South American country, and goes to President Michelle Bachelet for final approval. The legislation has been in the works for four …
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates’ state news agency says the Gulf nation dispatched a medical plane to bring three sisters home nearly 10 months after they were attacked by a hammer-wielding intruder in their luxury London hotel room. The WAM news agency said the trip Saturday …
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BEIJING – China has reduced the minimum level of reserves its banks are required to hold in a new move to reverse a deepening economic slowdown. The central bank said Wednesday it was reducing the amount most of China’s commercial banks are required to hold in reserves by at least …
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BEIJING – Both China’s imports and exports declined in January in a sign of continued weak demand. The General Administration of Customs said Sunday that exports dropped 3.2 percent to 1.23 trillion yuan ($200 billion) in January, compared with a 9.7 rise in December. Imports tumbled 19.7 percent to 860 …
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BERLIN – Federal German prosecutors say they’ve charged a 22-year-old man with membership in a terrorist organization on allegations that he trained and fought with the Islamic State group in Syria. Prosecutors said Wednesday that Nezet S., whose last name was not released in accordance with German privacy laws, traveled …
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