By BASSEM MROUE and MARIAM FAM Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The nun stood in front of a group of young students at a Lebanese Christian school and asked them to pray for the “men of the resistance” in southern Lebanon who she said were defending the country. The men to whom nun Maya Ziadeh
Continue ReadingBy JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition. Carpenter and painter Ruben Enaje says this year he’s praying for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Continue ReadingBy Matthew Chance and Chris Lau, CNN (CNN) — The Kremlin’s security services were aware of an ISIS threat days before a deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow, Russian intelligence documents obtained by a UK-based investigative organization suggest. According to the London-based Dossier Center, the documents showed ethnic Tajiks radicalized by ISIS-K – the Central Asian offshoot of
Continue ReadingCNN By Lauren Lee, CNN (CNN) — When Ghanaian Afro-dancehall and reggae star Stonebwoy visited Jamaica earlier this year for the Island Music Conference, he made headlines with an impromptu freestyle alongside Shaggy, Sean Paul and Wyclef Jean. But for the 36-year-old, the trip was about more than just performing — it was a pilgrimage.
Continue ReadingBy Lauren Lee, CNN (CNN) — When Ghanaian Afro-dancehall and reggae star Stonebwoy visited Jamaica earlier this year for the Island Music Conference, he made headlines with an impromptu freestyle alongside Shaggy, Sean Paul and Wyclef Jean. But for the 36-year-old, the trip was about more than just performing — it was a pilgrimage. Arriving
Continue ReadingBy SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer For Muslim soccer players in deeply secular France, observing Ramadan is a tall order. The country’s soccer federation wields the principle of religious neutrality enshrined in the French constitution, and doesn’t make things easy for players who want to refrain from drinking or eating from dawn to sunset during
Continue ReadingBy Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — References from conservative justices to a long-dormant chastity law during the Supreme Court’s arguments in a major abortion pill case this week are bringing new attention to the 19th century statute, which prohibits the mailing of drugs used for abortions among other “obscene, lewd, lascivious” or “indecent” materials. The
Continue ReadingBy Annie Grayer, CNN A month into the raging war between Israel and Hamas, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland was facing a moral dilemma. As a Jewish lawmaker, he did not support Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s use of the pro-Palestinian chant “from the river to the sea” and had told her that. But as a former
Continue ReadingBy JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino villager says he has signed up to be nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he says he will devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South
Continue ReadingBANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s government has ordered officials to closely monitor livestock along the border with Laos after more than 50 people were reported to have contracted anthrax in the neighboring country. Thai authorities say they have been working closely with those in Laos after receiving reports of the outbreak and have prepared vaccines in
Continue ReadingBy ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese telecoms gear company Huawei Technologies has reported its profit more than doubled last year as its cloud and digital businesses thrived in spite of U.S. sanctions. The Shenzhen-based company reported a net profit of $12 billion, helped by strong sales and an improved product
Continue ReadingBy LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union aims to fast-track up to $1.1 billion in financial aid to Egypt, using a funding procedure that bypasses parliamentary oversight and other safeguards. The funds are part of a bigger aid package under an EU-Egypt deal aimed partly at stopping migrants from reaching European
Continue ReadingBy Rashard Rose and Sara Smart, CNN (CNN) — A Texas mother who was sentenced to five years in prison for voting illegally in the 2016 election said she is “overjoyed” after her conviction was reversed Thursday by the Texas Second Court of Appeals. Crystal Mason, a Black mother of three, was on supervised release
Continue ReadingBEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian army says Israeli airstrikes near the northern city of Aleppo have killed and wounded several people and caused damage. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Israeli strikes hit missile depots for Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group in Aleppo’s southern suburb of Jibreen and a nearby
Continue ReadingBy Richard Roth, Catherine Nicholls, Louis Mian and Brad Lendon, CNN United Nations (CNN) — Russia on Thursday vetoed a United Nations resolution that would renew an independent panel of experts investigating North Korea’s violations of Security Council sanctions, at a time when Pyongyang has become a key supplier of munitions for Moscow’s war against Ukraine. In recent years,
Continue ReadingCNN By Richard Roth, Catherine Nicholls, Louis Mian and Brad Lendon, CNN United Nations (CNN) — Russia on Thursday vetoed a United Nations resolution that would renew an independent panel of experts investigating North Korea’s violations of Security Council sanctions, at a time when Pyongyang has become a key supplier of munitions for Moscow’s war against Ukraine. In recent
Continue ReadingBy Jennifer Hansler, CNN American journalist Evan Gershkovich marked the grim milestone of one year in Russian detention on Friday as US efforts have yet to secure his release. “This has been a really difficult year for our family,” Gershkovich’s sister, Danielle Gershkovich, said at an event last week. “It’s just a lot of uncertainty
Continue ReadingBy Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN (CNN) — Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, a Donald Trump loyalist and one of the former president’s most trusted surrogates, is widely viewed to be on Trump’s short list of vice presidential contenders. But in 2011, Donalds posted to Facebook celebrating Trump’s decision not to challenge then-President Barack
Continue ReadingATHENS, Greece (AP) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 has struck southern Greece off the coast of the western Peloponnese. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which was also felt in the Greek capital and as far away as the southern island of Crete. The Athens
Continue ReadingBy Jessie Yeung and Hassan Tayir, CNN (CNN) — China’s sprawling security apparatus has a far-from-cuddly reputation, but the country’s most popular new police officer is making waves on social media with his stubby legs, wide grin and wagging tail. Fuzai the corgi puppy, whose name means “Lucky Boy,” is a reserve police dog in
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