Новости за 24.01.2020

VATICAN CITY — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told Pope Francis, “You made me a hero” back home by granting him a private audience at the Vatican on Friday. The pontiff and the vice president had a private hour-long conservation. Pence was beaming when the rest of his delegation was ushered into the papal library

Russia is said to be the place where bears roam the streets — but for a short while it was a free-for-all for elephants. Residents of Yekaterinburg were flabbergasted to see a couple of elephants wandering the snowy streets of Russia’s third-largest city after they escaped from a circus. Unreceptive to attempts to bring her

DAVOS, Switzerland — German finance minister says he is confident that his country won’t suffer from Brexit but that Britain will inevitably face “consequences” from its decision to leave the European Union. At a panel at the World Economic Forum, Olaf Scholz said Britain’s financial sector won’t be as important to the EU after Brexit

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch motorcycle racer Edwin Straver died eight days after crashing in the Dakar Rally, race organizers said Friday. Straver is the second racer to die as a result of injuries sustained in this year’s edition of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. The 48-year-old Straver suffered serious injuries when he crashed

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norway’s prime minister on Friday presented her revamped center-right government, four days after the populist Progress Party pulled out of the coalition over the decision to repatriate an Islamic State group-linked woman from a detention camp in Syria. Erna Solberg, who heads a three-party minority government with her own Conservatives, the centrist

HOUSTON — A large explosion at an apparent industrial building in Houston early Friday was felt for miles (kilometers) away, left rubble scattered in the area and damaged nearby homes. The Houston Fire Department said one person was taken to a hospital because of the blast. The explosion shook other buildings about 4:30 a.m., with

NEW YORK — It’s the defense’s go-to question at Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial: If the once-revered Hollywood mogul is a revolting sexual predator, as prosecutors and scores of women allege, why did some of his accusers keep interacting with him for years after their alleged assaults? Prosecutors hope to give jurors some answers and neutralize

BANSKO, Bulgaria — Mikaela Shiffrin mastered a tricky course to win a women’s World Cup downhill Friday for her fifth victory of the season and first in 2020. The three-time overall champion from the United States was one third of a second off the lead at her second split but remained flawless on the rest

TOKYO — Tokyo put on a flashy fireworks display on Friday to mark the 6-months-to-go milestone for this year’s Olympics. The show took place high above a barge stationed in Tokyo Bay that supports a massive replica of the five Olympic rings, a reminder the games are almost here. Japan residents needed to enjoy the

MOSCOW — An Israeli woman jailed in Russia on drug charges cannot be pardoned by President Vladimir Putin until she herself petitions for it, a Kremlin spokesman said Friday. Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested in April at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, where she was transferring flights on her way from India to Israel. Russian authorities said

DAVOS, Switzerland — Climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday brushed off criticism and mockery from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, saying that his comments have “of course no effect” on her and fellow campaigners. The 17-year-old Swedish star acknowledged such young activists “are being criticized all the time.” “We cannot care about those kinds of

MADRID — Authorities in Spain say the death toll from a storm that devastated the eastern part of the country this week has risen to at least 12 with rescuers searching for several missing persons. Emergencies services for the northeastern Catalonia region said late Thursday that a fourth death caused by storm Gloria in the

BERLIN — The owner of Polish airline LOT is taking over German carrier Condor, a subsidiary of collapsed tour operator Thomas Cook, the two companies said Friday. The acquisition by LOT owner PGL is expected to close by April once antitrust approval is received. The companies didn’t detail the value of the transaction. The German

LONDON — Australia midfielder Aaron Mooy completed a permanent transfer to Brighton from second-tier team Huddersfield on Friday after impressing during a loan spell this season. Mooy has played 17 games for Brighton, scoring two goals, after leaving Huddersfield following its relegation from the Premier League last season. “His understandable preference is to play in

LONDON — Britain officially leaves the European Union on Jan. 31 after a debilitating political period that has bitterly divided the nation since the 2016 Brexit referendum. Difficult negotiations setting out the new relationship between Britain and its European neighbors will continue throughout 2020. This series of stories chronicles Britain’s tortured relationship with Europe from

MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff plays nothing like what her age — still just 15 — or her ranking — 67th and rapidly rising — would suggest. Everyone keeps finding out that no matter an opponent’s experience or accolades, no matter the stakes or the stage, Gauff plays with determination and delivers the goods. Gauff

Here are a few things to watch as most Southeastern Conference schools face off against the Big 12 in the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge: GAME OF THE WEEKEND A lot of attention will be focused on Gainesville and whether host Florida (12-6, 4-2) can upend top-ranked Baylor. The Gators are 2-16 all-time against the No.

JERUSALEM — Israeli police said Friday they are investigating after a “room was ignited” in a mosque on the outskirts of Jerusalem and Hebrew graffiti was found on an outside wall. The graffiti was hard to make out but appears to have been left by ultranationalist Israelis. One part read, “Demolishing (for) Jews? Demolishing enemies!”

RALEIGH, N.C. — A look at the upcoming week around the Atlantic Coast Conference: GAME OF THE WEEKEND Clemson at No. 6 Louisville. The Cardinals (16-3, 7-1) claimed the only regular-season meeting with Duke last weekend after a big performance from freshman point guard David Johnson. Now Louisville, coming off Wednesday’s win against Georgia Tech,

PARIS — French unions are holding last-ditch strikes and protests around the country Friday as the government unveils a divisive bill redesigning the national retirement system. Travelers faced renewed disruptions on regional trains and the Paris subway, and some schools and other public services also faced walkouts. However, Friday’s transportation troubles weren’t nearly as bad

PARIS — Lola Salines happily accepted the last-minute concert ticket from a friend the night of Nov. 13, 2015. At 28, the Parisian had already created her own brand at a prestigious French publishing house, frequently took her lunch break to swim laps at the local pool with her father and was dating the coach

BAGHDAD — Hundreds of supporters of an influential, radical Shiite cleric gathered Friday in central Baghdad for a rally to demand that American troops leave the country amid heightened tensions after a U.S. drone strike earlier this month killed a top Iranian general in the Iraqi capital. Since mid-morning on the Muslim day of prayers,

WARSAW, Poland — Legal chaos has deepened dramatically in Poland following the passing of legislation that will allow the government to fire judges whose rulings it does not like — even when those rulings respect EU law. The developments have created a crisis that threatens the functioning of the entire European Union legal system. Laurent

MELBOURNE, Australia — It was bittersweet, Caroline. Tears flowed after 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki’s professional career ended with a third-round loss Friday at Melbourne Park. Wozniacki — “I’m not a crier,” she insisted — got emotional in her courtside chair after being beaten 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 by Ons Jabeur. The familiar Neil Diamond

BANGKOK — Global stock markets rose Friday after the outbreak of a new virus in China that that has killed 25 people and led to transport limits in several cities was not declared a global emergency. Germany’s DAX gained 1.4% to 13,577 while the CAC 40 in Paris rose 1.1% to 6,038, helped also by