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Pope Francis said Sunday he will make his first trip to the Holy Land, visiting Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem from May 24 to 26. “In the climate of joy typical of this Christmas period, I would like to announce that from May 24 to 26, God willing,…

Two days of clashes between Shiite rebels and Sunni tribesmen fighting alongside hardline Salafists in northern Yemen have left at least 23 people dead, sources said on Sunday. Fighting has centred for months on a Salafist mosque and Koranic school…

Thousands of protesters firebombed polling stations and stole ballot papers as deadly violence flared across Bangladesh Sunday during a walkover election boycotted by the opposition. Police said at least 13 people had been killed and more than 200 polling…

A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 767 jet made an emergency landing in the kingdom’s Muslim holy city Medina on Sunday, injuring 29 people, the airline and aviation authority said. The Saudia aircraft was travelling from Iran’s second city of Mashhad…

David Moyes heads into Sunday’s FA Cup third round clash against Swansea desperate to end Manchester United’s 10-year wait for Cup glory. United have been struggling in the Premier League and Wednesday’s defeat against Tottenham left them 11 points…

European stock markets moved higher on Friday in low-volume trade, aided by upbeat Spanish unemployment figures, but gains were capped after sharp losses elsewhere following more weak data from China. In afternoon deals, London’s benchmark FTSE 100…

The party of Madagascar’s ousted president Marc Ravalomanana on Saturday warned the electoral panel it would face “the people’s wrath” if it declares electoral victory for the rival camp. The outgoing leadership’s candidate, Hery Rajaonarimampianina…

The music world paid tribute on Saturday to Phil Everly, half of the famed 1950s and ’60s pop duo the Everly Brothers, who has died at the age of 74. Everly, a longtime smoker, died on Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California due to complications…

Bangladesh votes Sunday in a violence-plagued election that will end in certain victory for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after the opposition boycotted the “farcical” contest. Around 150 people have been killed since the opposition launched a campaign…

A New Zealand woman found murdered with a British companion in Libya was a mother of two visiting her boyfriend, according to media reports Sunday. The New Zealand foreign ministry confirmed the woman’s name as Lynn Howie and said her family had requested…

New York is planning to loosen its marijuana laws to allow limited use of the drug by people suffering serious illness, the New York Times reported Saturday, citing state officials. The newspaper reported on its website that Democratic Governor Andrew…

US Secretary of State John Kerry is to fly to Jordan and Saudi Arabia Sunday seeking backing for his plans for Middle East peace, after insisting he has made progress. After a second meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank, Kerry…

US icebreaker Polar Star was Sunday set to sail for the Antarctic to assist a Russian vessel trapped in heavy ice and a Chinese ship which went to its aid, officials said. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the US Coast Guard had accepted…

Tunisia’s Islamist-dominated constituent assembly compromised Saturday in rejecting Islam as the main source of law as it voted on a new constitution for the country that spawned the Arab Spring. But while it established Islam as the state religion,…