Pope Francis has opted to be buried in a wooden casket when he is laid to rest – amending a centuries-old tradition of a decorated send off as he works to simplify papal customs. The 87-year-old pontiff – who turns 88 next month – enacted a new set of liturgical rites aimed at modernizing the Catholic Church that scraps lengthy, garish funeral practices his predecessors observed upon their deaths, Reuters…

A Canadian billionaire is facing allegations he sexually abused more than five dozen women when they were children — with the victims alleging they were recruited and paid to participate in his chilling sex ring. Robert Miller, the founder of Future Electronics, is accused of repeatedly giving underage girls money and gifts in exchange for sex between 1994 and 2016, Canadian outlets reported, citing that the alleged abuse happened in…

An Italian village is offering villas for $1 to Americans who were distressed and looking to flee the country after Donald Trump’s decisive 2024 presidential election win. The village of Ollolai, located in central Sardinia, is offering real estate for as little as $1.06 in a pitch to woo Americans who fancy the ex-pat lifestyle in the wake of the Nov. 5 election results, according to a new statement from…

A former Florida Department of Children and Families employee has been arrested for allegedly abusing her 13-year-old adopted daughter, who was later found dead. According to the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Diane Natasha Mack, 34, a former guardian ad litem (GAL) and employee of the Florida Department of Children and Families, called police to report the death of her adopted daughter, 13, after discovering her “lying unresponsive” on a floor…

John Prescott, the former British Deputy Prime Minister who played a pivotal role in the transformation of the Labour Party alongside Tony Blair, has passed away at the age of 86, his family confirmed on Thursday, November 21. Prescott’s death on Wednesday was described as “peaceful,” and he was surrounded by his wife Pauline, his two sons, and the music of jazz artist Marian Montgomery. “We are deeply saddened to…

The Russian domestic intelligence service, the FSB, has reportedly arrested a German citizen in Kaliningrad on Wednesday for allegedly planning acts of sabotage. Upon entering the Russian Baltic Sea exclave from Poland, 50 grams of liquid explosives were allegedly seized in his car, which he had driven from his home in Hamburg. According to the Russian news agency, the FSB alleged that the man had received orders from a Ukrainian…

A charity organization on Wednesday organized a mass wedding ceremony for about 240 grooms and brides in western Afghanistan’s Herat province. Mawlawi Abdul Sadiqi, head of the organization said each newlywed couple was gifted household appliances, including carpet, blanket, and kitchen tools valued at 100,000 afghani (about 1,460 U.S. dollars). Young people may have to wait for years to have their wedding ceremonies due to unemployment, the economic crisis, the…

Ukraine has urged Western embassies, which closed today over fears of Russian shelling, not to stoke tensions, stressing that since Russia’s invasion began, the threat of Russian strikes it is “everyday” in the country, France Press reported, BTA reported.At least five Western embassies – of the US, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Greece announced they were temporarily closing today due to the threat of an air strike amid increasingly harsh rhetoric…

US President-elect, Donald Trump has picked World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) co-founder and his transition co-chair, Linda McMahon as his nominee for education secretary. McMahon, a retired professioner wrestler, led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first presidency and donated millions of dollars to his presidential campaign. Announcing his pick on Truth Social, Trump said McMahon would “use her decades of leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business,…

A 41-year-old migrant, Anicet Mayela, who sexually defiled a 15-year-old girl in a drunken attack and impregnated her has been sentenced to ten years and ten months imprisonment. Mayela had been granted asylum in the UK after repeated attempts to deport him reportedly failed. A court on Tuesday heard how he forced the girl to remove her clothes before launching the assault. Judge Maria Lamb was told an investigation began…

The leadership of the G20 has changed with South Africa taking over from Brazil during a handover ceremony at the Rio de Janeiro summit in Brazil. President Luiz Lula da Silva of Brazilian handed over the reins of leadership to South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Tuesday. South Africa is the only African country in the G20 and will be the host of the 2025 summit. Ramaphosa told his counterparts…

Four Nigerian students have been jailed in the United Kingdom (UK) over a violent street brawl in Leicester City centre. Destiny Ojo, Joshua Davies-Ero, Ridwanulahi Raheem, and Habib Lawal, all aged 21, used knives, a baseball bat, and a crutch as weapons during the fight that took place at about 03:00 GMT on November 4, 2021. The defendants were found guilty of various offences at the Leicester Crown court on…