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The Canadian Press
Pope Francis heads for Luxembourg and Belgium on a trip to a dwindling flock
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is traveling to once-strong bastions of Christianity in the heart of Europe to try to reinvigorate a Catholic flock that is dwindling in the face of secular trends and abuse scandals that have largely emptied the continent’s magnificent cathedrals and village churches.
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Associated Press
Netanyahu vows to use ‘full force’ against Hezbollah and dims hopes for a cease-fire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry out “full force” strikes against Hezbollah until it ceases firing rockets across the border, dimming hopes for a cease-fire proposal put forth by U.S. and European officials. Israel carried out a new strike in the Lebanese capital, which killed a senior Hezbollah commander, and the militant group launched dozens of rockets into Israel. Netanyahu spoke as he arrived in New York to attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, where U.S. and European officials were putting heavy pressure on both sides of the conflict to accept a proposed 21-day halt in the fighting to give time for diplomacy and avert all-out war.
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Reuters
US imposes fresh Russia- and cyber-related sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on alleged Russian money laundering operations that catered to cybercriminals and involved three illegal cryptocurrency exchanges. The Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging Russian national Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering using stolen credit and debit card information. Ivanov’s services have been used by cybercrime marketplaces, ransomware groups and hackers responsible for significant data breaches of major U.S. companies, the department said.
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Reuters Videos
Pope Francis arrives in Luxembourg in rare Europe trip
STORY: :: Pope Francis is greeted warmly as he arrives in Luxembourg to begin a rare trip to Europe:: September 26, 2024:: Luxembourg:: The pontiff prefers going to countries never visited by a pope or where Catholics are a small minorityThe Thursday-Sunday Luxembourg and Belgium tour comes less than two weeks after Francis returned from a demanding 12-day, four-country tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania.The 87-year-old pontiff landed at Luxembourg’s Findel International Airport on a chartered ITA airways flight also carrying his entourage and accompanying reporters. The pope will spend the day in the country, before heading on in the evening to Brussels, the Belgian capital.On Thursday, Francis will hold private meetings with Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri, the monarch, and Prime Minister Luc Frieden before giving a speech to the country’s political authorities. He will also hold a meeting with local Catholics at Luxembourg City’s Notre-Dame Cathedral.
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Reuters
Palestinian President Abbas urges UN to stop the war in Gaza
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to stop the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, saying Israel had almost entirely destroyed Gaza and it was no longer fit for life. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
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CBC
OPP investigating after rocks thrown at moving vehicles in Markham
Provincial police are asking for the public’s help as they investigate several instances of rocks thrown at moving vehicles in Markham, one of which led to a serious crash that left two people with life-threatening injuries.The probe began after a two-vehicle collision on Sept. 20. At around 11:40 p.m., a 61-year-old man was driving westbound on Major MacKenzie Drive toward Highway 48 when a “fist-sized” rock was hurled through the front windshield of his vehicle, according to OPP Det.-Insp. Sea
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CBC
The Ottawa Mission facing ‘unprecedented demand’
The Ottawa Mission is grappling with a staggering increase in demand for its services, a spike it says is driven by a toxic drug supply, a severe lack of affordable housing and a rising number of newcomers seeking support, according to its annual report released Thursday.In 2023, the charity reported over 1.1 million meals served, a dramatic rise from the 500,000 meals served annually before the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization also increased its food service capacity over that time. Chef Ric
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CBC
CTV says staffers who altered Poilievre clip ‘no longer’ work for its news team
CTV has dropped two members of its news team after an altered clip of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre went to air in a recent national news report, according to a statement from the network posted to social media.The network said it “conducted an investigation to determine whether a breach of our editorial policies and practices had occurred in this case.” It said the probe found “two members of the CTV News team are responsible for altering a video clip, manipulating it for a particular st
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Albania has potential to be EU accession frontrunner EU ambassador
Tirana has unlocked the next step in its bid to join the EU, with talks on the so-called "fundamental" clusters...