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News ID: 73526
Publish Date : 04 December 2019 - 22:04

News in Brief

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the United States was rapidly developing its military forces for potential operations in space and that Washington openly viewed space as a potential theater of war.Putin, who was speaking in the Black Sea city of Sochi in southern Russia, said that Moscow categorically opposed the militarization of space but that the U.S. moves meant Russia had to further develop its own space sector.NATO leaders said instead Russia’s "aggressive actions” were a threat to Euro-Atlantic security, and that China’s growing influence presented opportunities and challenges for the alliance.In a statement released after a brief summit outside London, the 29 leaders reaffirmed the "enduring Transatlantic bond” between Europe and North America, and the mutual defense agreement between them in which an attack against one is regarded as an attack against all.They also invited the secretary-general of NATO to start a reflection process on the future of the alliance.

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WATFORD, England (Reuters) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Chinese telecommunication firm Huawei was a security risk after NATO said it needed secure next-generation 5G technology.In what some have compared to the Cold War arms race, the United States is worried that 5G dominance would give any global competitor such as China an advantage Washington is not ready to accept."I do think it’s a security risk, it’s a security danger,” Trump said. "And I spoke to Italy and they look like they are not going to go forward with that. I spoke to other countries, they are not going to go forward. Everybody I’ve spoken to is not going to go forward,” Trump said.NATO leaders said on Wednesday that it needed secure 5G communications."NATO and Allies, within their respective authority, are committed to ensuring the security of our communications, including 5G, recognizing the need to rely on secure and resilient systems,” NATO said in a summit declaration.

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ATICAN CITY (Reuters) -- The Vatican said on Wednesday that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, New York, who has been at the center of a sex abuse crisis in his diocese.The Vatican said Francis had appointed the bishop of Albany, Edward Scharfenberger, to administer the Buffalo diocese until a new bishop can be appointed.Malone, 73, who has been under pressure to resign for years, is stepping down two years before the normal retirement date for bishops.Malone, who met with the pope last month, has been accused of covering up or mishandling the abuse of dozens of minors by priests in his diocese.He has denied the accusations and until recently said he would not be stepping down early.He acknowledged "tremendous turmoil” in his diocese in a statement on Wednesday. "Some have attributed this to my own shortcomings, but the turmoil also reflects the culmination of systemic failings over many years in the worldwide handling of sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy,” his statement said.

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WATFORD, England (Reuters) -- French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he wanted a clarification from west African leaders on France’s military operation in the Sahel region.Macron said at a news conference after a NATO alliance summit that he invited the leaders of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad to come to Pau, western France, on Dec. 16 to discuss the issue.

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KATHMANDU (Reuters) -- Tens of thousands of devout Hindus thronged a temple in southern Nepal where thousands of animals and birds were sacrificed this week, amid an outcry from animal rights activists who said the ritual was a cruel and gruesome spectacle.The ceremony, held every five years at the Gadhimai temple in Bara in southern Nepal, is believed to be the largest such mass-slaughter event in the world and animal rights activists have been campaigning to end the practice for years.About 80% of Nepal’s 30 million population are Hindus and many sacrifice animals to appease deities during festivals. Thousands of devotees also travel from India to sacrifice animals at the festival.On Tuesday, devotees carrying swords and large curved knives called khukurs beheaded more than 3,000 buffaloes near the temple, witnesses said. Animal sacrifices continued on Wednesday when goats and other animals were slaughtered."There is no justification for this mass killing, and it is truly heartbreaking to witness,” said Tanuja Basnet, director of the Nepal unit of Humane Society International, in a release that also called on the Nepal government to introduce a law banning animal sacrifice.

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WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Democrat trailblazer Kamala Harris pulled the plug on her U.S. presidential campaign after a promising start to her bid was eroded by underperforming in a crowded field and a failure to raise sufficient funds.The exit of the progressive senator leaves 15 candidates in the battle to see who challenges President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.Harris has been a fierce Trump critic, repeatedly calling for his impeachment.He reacted to her withdrawal by tweeting, "Too bad. We will miss you” -- to which Harris quickly replied, "Don’t worry, Mr. President. I’ll see you at your trial.”