Headlines

A series of ancient traditions rule the pope's funeral and subsequent conclave.

Vatican City, Apr.21 (DP.net).—Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a top Vatican official acting as the Camerlengo, announced Pope Francis's death from the Casa Santa Marta, where he resided, at 7:35 a.m. this Monday.

Francis was one of the most popular popes in decades and a towering figure on the world stage, dialoguing and seeking a fraternal approach at all times, not only with Catholics but with people and groups of all religions, beliefs, and political tendencies.

Francis was at times a controversial figure in his own church. Conservative critics charged him with bending church dogma as a concession to modern mores. Progressives, meanwhile, were disappointed that he did not go further to include LGBTQ Catholics and women in church leadership roles. 

Christine Allen, director and CEO of the international charity Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, said in a statement: “Pope Francis’s greatest gift was that in an increasingly divided world, he could get people and governments to think beyond their own self-interest, and work together for the common good."

Few serious analysts believe Russia wants a broader war with Europe, but European leaders speak as if it’s only a matter of time. The risks of adopting that mindset are considerable.

Paris, Apr.3.– ‘France is not an island,’ Emmanuel Macron warned on social media on 20 February. ‘It’s about 1,500km from Strasbourg to Ukraine – that’s not very far.’ So first the Russians take the Donbass, and then Alsace? Macron’s alarmist rhetoric probably prompted a wry smile from his defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu. He, like most serious observers, discounts such a scenario: ‘Being a nuclear-armed power logically prevents us from being in the same position as a country without such weapons’. 

His predecessor, Hervé Morin, asked in Le Journal du Dimanche on 9 March, ‘Do we really need to cause our fellow citizens disproportionate worry by telling them, in essence, that the ultimate threat to France’s borders is Russia?’

Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation.

Nuuk, Mar.28.– President Donald Trump suggested a possible annexation of Greenland for strategic and security reasons, but faces strong opposition from Greenland’s new Government, led by Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who is emphasizing unity against external pressure.

During a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, Vance commented: “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” and he added: “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass.”

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen hit back at Vance in a statement to Danish media: “For many years, we have stood by the Americans in very difficult situations,” she said, referring to Danish combat deployments alongside American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The Vice President’s reference to Denmark is not accurate,” she said, expressing her readiness to “cooperate day and night with the Americans” on Arctic security.

• The government isn’t seizing farms, but radical fringe groups are encouraging invasions of land that they say was stolen by white settlers.
• A South African revolutionary song calling for blacks to kill white farmers has fomented racial tensions in the lead-up to elections.
• Extremist groups are attacking targets with bombs and automatic rifles, and no place is sacrosanct—from churches and bars frequented by white people, to minibus taxis transporting black factory workers.

Johannesburg, Mar.12.– On a swath of land on the north coast of South Africa’s lush KwaZulu-Natal Province, endless rows of sugarcane fill the emerald rolling hills, against the backdrop of the azure Indian Ocean.

It looks peaceful, but a battle has raged here for almost 15 years.