Former nuns "abandoned" by the Catholic Church, including some who became prostitutes to survive, have been sheltered at a Vatican residence for more than a year, a Brazilian cardinal said.
Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz confirmed the house's existence at an undisclosed location in Vatican City during an interview for the February issue of the Vatican's magazine Women Church World.
In the wide-ranging interview about women's roles in the church, Braz said existence of the home underscored Pope Francis' desire to rectify abuses within the Church, such as nuns who are expelled from their convents with nowhere to go.
"At times they are completely abandoned," Braz said, according to an advance copy of the issue released on Thursday.
"But things are changing. The most significant example is precisely the pope's decision to establish in Rome a house to welcome in from the street nuns who were sent away by us, or by the superiors, especially if they are foreigners."
Braz said he had visited the .

Former prostitutes among ex-nuns at Vatican shelter: cardinal

PTI Automatic

Serena Williams crashed out, 15-year-old Coco Gauff stunned Naomi Osaka and Roger Federer survived a five-set thriller as the form book went flying out of the window at the Australian Open on Friday.
Men's title-holder Novak Djokovic eased into the last 16 but elsewhere there were surprises all over Melbourne Park with Williams the biggest victim and Federer fighting back from 4-8 down in a fifth-set tie-break with John Millman.
Williams' bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam was shattered by the unlikely figure of China's Wang Qiang, who triumphed in three tough sets -- after winning just one game when they played at the US Open in September.
Gauff then stepped up her giant-killing Melbourne debut as she ousted Japanese defending champion Osaka, 22, in dismissive style, winning 6-3, 6-4 in just 67 minutes to reach round four.
"Oh my gosh. Two years ago I lost first round in the juniors and now I'm here -- this is crazy," said the teenager, who shocked Venus Williams in the first 

Williams, Osaka out, Federer survives as surprises rock Australian Open

The UN refugee agency praised on Friday an expert panel's finding that sending migrants back to countries severely hit by climate change could breach their human rights.
"Whole communities are going to be at increasing risk," said Andrew Harper, special adviser for climate action at UNHCR, praising the UN Human Rights Committee's finding as a "wake-up call".
"We cannot afford to be reactive... We as UNHCR are looking to work with states to see how we can mitigate the impact of what is already evident," he told reporters in Geneva.
The committee of experts made their ruling in a case brought by a farmer from the Pacific island nation of Kiribati who was appealing against deportation from New Zealand.
Even though the experts ruled that deportation was justified because the farmer -- Ioane Teitiota -- did not face an immediate risk, the case opens the way for more such litigation.
"This is a landmark decision with potentially far-reaching implications for the international protection of .

UN agency hails finding on climate refugees

The coronavirus outbreak in China could have a "lasting economic impact" on the global tourism sector if panic is allowed to spread, the World Travel and Tourism Council warned Friday.
"Previous cases have shown us that closing airports, cancelling flights and closing borders often has a greater economic impact than the outbreak itself," said WTTC chief Gloria Guevara.
"Quick, accurate and transparent communication is also crucial in order to contain panic and mitigate negative economic losses.
"Containing the spread of unnecessary panic is as important as stopping the virus itself," added Guevara, the former tourism minister of Mexico who was closely involved in 2010 with the aftermath of the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus.
The worldwide economic impact of H1N1 was estimated at up to $55 billion (50 billion euros), according to the London-based group.
China, meanwhile, suffered a 25 percent reduction of tourism GDP and a loss of 2.8 million jobs due to the 2003 SARS ...

Global tourism chief warns against coronavirus 'panic'

Japan's Aya Ohori upset hometown favourite and number two seed Ratchanok Intanon to advance to the Thailand Masters women's badminton semi-final on Friday.
The left-handed Ohori bounced back from a set down to beat the star Thai shuttler 16-21 21-17 21-11.
Ohori, 23, will go up against Korea's An Se-young on Saturday at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok.
Former world champion Carolina Marin, who lost the Indonesia Masters title to Ratchanok, also moved through after dispatching Japan's Sayaka Takahashi 21-9 21-16.
Spain's Marin meets top seed and world number three Akane Yamaguchi on Saturday.
In the men's singles, Hong Kong's Angus Ng Ka Long battled past Korea's Heo Kwang-hee in three sets to win 21-16 13-21 21-11.
He now faces China's Shi Yu Qi in the semi-finals Saturday.
Bangkok fans can still root for a player on home turf as Thailand's 18-year-old Kunlavut Vitidsarn takes on Japan's Kenta Nishimoto in the other semi-final match.
The Thailand Masters is the second ...

Japan's Ohori ousts Ratchanok at Thailand Masters

Romelu Lukaku believes he made the right decision to leave Manchester United for a new challenge at Inter Milan, saying he had to "re-find" himself after a difficult time at Old Trafford.
The Belgium striker joined United from Everton for 75 million pound (USD 98 million) in July 2017, scoring 42 goals in his two seasons at the club before moving to Inter in August last year.
He has been in superb form for Antonio Conte's side, scoring 18 goals to help the club sustain a challenge for the Serie A title.
Those performances, and United's reported interest in signing a striker this month after Marcus Rashford's back injury, have raised questions as to the wisdom of allowing Lukaku to leave Old Trafford.
But, in an interview with Sky Sports News, the 26-year-old said the decision was his and it had worked out well for United as well.
"I think I had to re-find myself," he said.
"Last year was difficult for me on the professional side because stuff was not going how I wanted and I was not ..

Lukaku says split from Man Utd was 'right decision'

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson is urging member states to reach a compromise on how to share responsibility for migrants, as she tries to forge a pact to end an "unacceptable" stalemate.
More than four years since the migrant crisis began, EU states have failed to agree on reforming their common asylum system, though overall arrivals of migrants have dropped since then.
Johansson is touring European capitals to prepare the "new pact on migration and asylum" that will be presented in the spring, as promised by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
It is a delicate mission focused on a sensitive issue.
"My aim is to de-escalate the debate on migration," Johansson said in an interview with AFP in Zagreb before attending an informal meeting of EU interior ministers on Friday.
"Migration is not the only policy area where EU member states have very different starting points, but in other policy areas in the EU we manage to sit down at a table to negotiate, to ...

EU commissioner calls for compromise in new migration pact

Recalled Shoaib Malik smashed a solid half-century to anchor Pakistan's five-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first Twenty20 international in Lahore on Friday.
Malik's 45-ball 58 not out for his eighth Twenty20 fifty as Pakistan overhauled a modest 142-run target in 19.3 over to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Bangladesh had managed 141-5 in their 20 overs with openers Mohammad Naim scoring 41-ball 43 and Tamim Iqbal hit 34-ball 39 as Pakistan's three-man pace attack kept them in check on a flat Gadaffi stadium pitch.
The win further consolidated Pakistan's chances of hanging on to their world number one ranking in the shortest format. If they lose any of the remaining matches -- on Saturday and Monday, also in Lahore, Australia will replace them at the top.
Lahore's foggy weather prompted Pakistan Cricket Board to start the match at 2pm (0900 GMT) but it failed to attract more than 10,000 people in a capacity of 24,000 stadium.
Bangladesh could not put a reasonable fight .

Recalled Malik leads Pakistan's win over Bangladesh

Gunmen from the Boko Haram jihadist group killed five people and abducted several others as they collected firewood in restive northeast Nigeria, security sources said Friday.
Fighters opened fire on the group as they fetched wood on Thursday outside the town of Dikwa, 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the regional capital Maiduguri, an anti-jihadist militia leader, Babakura Kolo, told AFP.
"A group gathered and went outside the town to collect firewood but Boko Haram terrorists attacked them, killing five of them," Kolo said.
"The loggers fled and some of them were abducted by the attackers while trying to escape."
Dikwa is home to more than 70,000 people displaced by the jihadist violence who live in several camps where they rely on food and humanitarian assistance from aid agencies.
Many have turned to felling trees from the surrounding bushland to sell as firewood to make money to buy extra provisions.
The decade-long jihadist conflict has killed 36,000 people and displaced around two 

Boko Haram kills five in northeast Nigeria: sources

A large explosion shook the US city of Houston, Texas, early on Friday morning, with shocked residents woken before dawn as houses were badly damaged and glass windows blown in.
The Houston Fire Department said one person had been taken to hospital as firefighters, emergency services and police rushed to the scene.
Police described the incident as a "building explosion" and warned all traffic to avoid the area in the northwest of the city.
CNN said that the blast erupted at about 4:15 am, adding that it had reportedly occurred at a grinding and manufacturing business 18 miles (29 kilometers) northwest of downtown Houston.
Security camera video footage appeared to show a huge blast and a fireball rising into the air.
Details about what exploded, the cause and whether anyone was seriously injured were not immediately confirmed.
"This is still an active scene. Avoid the area. No evacuation order given at this time," city fire chief Samuel Pena tweeted.
"We will advise of the possible ...

Large explosion rocks Houston, houses damaged

Six people were killed in a shooting in the southern German town of Rot am See on Friday, according to reports in local media.
The DPA news agency and Bild newspaper both reported six people had died in the shooting.
A police spokesman confirmed to AFP only that "several" people had been wounded and "probably" more than one killed, adding that the suspected shooter had been arrested and a personal motive was believed to lie behind the attack.

Six killed in southern Germany shooting: reports

Tens of thousands of civilians fled their homes in northwestern Syria last week in the face of intensified bombardment of rebel territory by pro-government forces, the United Nations said on Friday.
Between 15 and 19 January, more than 38,000 people fled violence in the rebel-held west of Aleppo province, which neighbours the main opposition bastion of Idlib, the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said.
OCHA spokesman David Swanson said the displaced were heading north into territory controlled by Turkish-backed rebel forces or west into jihadist-dominated Idlib province.
Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says some of the deadliest strikes of recent days have been carried out by government ally Russia.
But Moscow has denied launching any combat operations in the region since a ceasefire it agreed with rebel supporter Ankara went into effect earlier this month.
The Observatory said Russian bombardment targeted the west of Aleppo province on Friday ..

More than 38,000 flee homes in northwest Syria: UN

The remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna next month, the EU's diplomatic chief announced Friday, after Britain, France and Germany launched a dispute process.
The move gives the European members more time to try to find a way to persuade Iran to come back into line with the deal after Tehran made a series of steps away in protest at the US pulling out and reimposing sanctions.

Iran nuclear deal commission to meet in February

Human rights remain at threat in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Amnesty International said on Friday in a report issued a year to the day since the country underwent historic change.
Militia violence, ethnic clashes and failure to hold rights abusers to account dog the record of President Felix Tshisekedi, who succeeded Joseph Kabila, DRC's ruler for 18 years, it said.
"Although President Tshisekedi has taken some positive steps, such as pardoning political prisoners and allowing exiled critics to return, his government's failures on accountability mean warlords and suspected perpetrators of appalling violations and abuses remain at large," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty's director for eastern and southern Africa.
"Meanwhile (a) brutal crackdown on peaceful protests has continued to cast doubt on respect for the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."
Disherited took the helm on January 24 2019 after bitterly disputed elections.
The succession was the first peaceful .

Rights in DR Congo still under threat a year after change, Amnesty says

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was to receive Britain's EU divorce agreement Friday after Brussels' top two officials signed it at a closed door ceremony in the dead of night.
Officials from both sides accompanied the document across the Channel to London, where Johnson was to add his signature to those of EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel.
Number 10 said that Johnson would sign it later in the day then return it to Brussels, where the EU will make a copy for each party.
On Wednesday next week, the text will go to the European Parliament for ratification and on Thursday diplomats from the EU member states will approve the deal in writing.
Then, on Friday, January 31, Britain spends its last day in the EU before leaving the bloc at 2300 GMT as clocks strike midnight in Brussels.
"Charles Michel and I have just signed the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU, opening the way for its ratification by the European Parliament," European Commission ...

EU chiefs sign Brexit deal and send it to London

Sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was sent crashing out of the Australian Open by Milos Raonic in the third round on Friday, with the giant Canadian's power serve doing the damage.
The Greek star, widely tipped as a contender to challenge the big guns at the opening Grand Slam of the year, was no match for his experienced opponent, slumping 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).
Expectations were high for the 21-year-old, who stunned Roger Federer in 2019 en route to the final four, before winning titles in Marseille and Estoril and at the season-ending ATP Finals in London.
But Raonic had his measure, pumping down almost unplayable 220 kph (136 mph) serves while smashing 19 aces and 55 winners.
"Today was an incredible match for me. I'm really happy with how things went," said Raonic.
"I enjoy the energy here. To be healthy and playing well, I take a lot of pleasure out of that."
His win set up a mouthwatering fourth-round clash against 2018 finalist Marin Cilic, who battled past ninth seed Roberto ...

Sixth seed Tsitsipas crashes out of Open to Raonic

Dutch motorcyclist Edwin Straver, who crashed during the penultimate stage of the Dakar rally, has died of his injuries, his wife confirmed on Friday.
The 48-year-old from Rijswijk in southern Netherlands fell from his KTM 450 on January 16 travelling at relatively low speed, but fracturing his spine.
"Edwin died in the early hours of Friday morning surrounded by his loved ones," his wife Anja den Hollander told AFP.
The family was in the process of making funeral arrangements, she said.
Straver was racing his third Dakar in a sub-section for motorbike racers, unassisted by a back-up team, when he crashed during the 11th stage of the race in south-eastern Saudi Arabia.
"He fractured his upper spine and did not have a heartbeat for 10 minutes," said a statement published by the Dutch rally website www.rallymaniacs.com, which followed Straver's progress.
After being resuscitated he was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Riyadh.
"There it became clear that he would not regain ...

Dutch Dakar biker dies after Saudi crash

Britain on Friday rebuked the United States for refusing to extradite a diplomat's wife charged over a car crash that killed a British teenager, calling it a "denial of justice".
The case of Anne Sacoolas has been a thorn in London's close relations with Washington, stirring up debates over the limits of diplomatic immunity in cases unrelated to national security.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he expressed disappointment at the decision in a call to Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to Britain.
"We feel this amounts to a denial of justice, and we believe Anne Sacoolas should return to the UK. We are now urgently considering our options," said Raab.
"The UK would have acted differently if this had been a UK diplomat serving in the US." Harry Dunn, 19, died in August when his motorcycle collided with a car driving on the wrong side of the road near an air force base in Croughton, central England, used by the US military as a communications hub.
Sacoolas, who has admitted to being ..

Britain angered by US refusal to extradite diplomat's wife

Carbon emissions from the wildfires that have ravaged much of southeast Australia are a major driver of what are predicted to be record worldwide atmospheric CO2 levels throughout 2020, Britain's Met Office said Friday.
The annual rise of planet-warming CO2 levels is anticipated to be among the largest since measurements began in 1958, it said.
CO2 levels, taken at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii, fluctuate throughout the year due to weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere.
But the annual trend is inexorably upwards, with record CO2 levels anticipated in May of 417 parts per million (ppm).
And 2020 is predicted to be the first year on record where CO2 levels do not dip below 410 ppm, with the annual average forecast to be 414.2 ppm.
That's the highest concentration in at least 800,000 years and possible in as many as three million years.
Richard Betts, from the Met Office Hadley Centre and University of Exeter, said that 2020 was likely to be the second year running where ...

Australia fires speed global CO2 level rise: UK Met Office

Italy's competition authority has warned Facebook it faces a further fine of five million euros ($5.5 million) for persisting in selling users' data without informing them.
The non-compliance procedure by Italy's AGCM consumer and market watchdog follows five million euro fine against the social media giant in November 2018 for failing to tell users "how the data they will provide will be harvested for commercial purposes."
Facebook has also failed to publish a "corrective statement" about its commercial practices on its homepage and app, the authority said in a statement on Friday.
The company has removed the claim that "it is free and will be forever" but users "continue not to be informed by the company, clearly and immediately, as to the collection and use of their data for remunerative purposes." Facebook has repeatedly said it does not sell users' data.
The company has faced a barrage of criticism recently for the misuse of users' data to influence elections amid increasing ...

Italy threatens Facebook with new fine for selling users' data

Eric Dier has dismissed rumours that Tottenham's players are already growing tired of life under Jose Mourinho just two months into his reign.
Reports have emerged that Spurs players believe they are regressing under the Portuguese while defender Danny Rose is said to have clashed with him after being left out of the matchday squad.
But England midfielder Dier has denied the claims and says any unhappiness only stems from frustrating results on the pitch.
"Any club, when results aren't going well, is not a happy atmosphere," he said.
"But it definitely isn't a negative atmosphere.
"I don't feel anything along those lines personally and I think everybody has been training very well, training hard, enjoying themselves in the same way as always."
When asked about the training methods, which were described in Wednesday's article in the Sun newspaper as "like lower-league sessions", Dier was quick to defend Mourinho and his staff.
"Who is saying that? Maybe you lads know -- I don't," he ...

AFP

AFP

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