Another American aid cut for Palestinians, and a beloved politician passes away.
Are church conservatives trying to corner famously moderate Pope Francis?
Pope Francis has refused to respond to allegations that he was aware of sexual abuse by a cardinal for five years before accepting his resignation last month, the BBC reported.
The allegations have been made by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who has also asked the pope to resign. Pope Francis “continued to cover” for Cardinal Theodore McCarrick despite knowing about his crimes and even made him “his trusted counsellor”, Vigano alleged.
The pope has said he will not say a single word in response to the 11-page letter from Vigano. “I will say sincerely that I must say this, to you, and all of you who are interested: Read the document carefully and judge it for yourselves,” the BBC quoted him as replying to queries from the media.
The letter, which was released during the pope’s visit to Ireland to address historical sexual abuse by Catholic priests, has raised questions about whether Francis is facing a coordinated attack from traditionalists within the Catholic hierarchy, BBC added.
Vigano, a conservative, is well-known for his anti-gay views and has long been seen as a critic of Pope Francis, who has taken famously moderate stands on a range of contentious issues.
Politicians of all hues mourn senator, veteran John McCain
Republican senator, Vietnam veteran and former presidential contender John McCain breathed his last Friday. He was 81. The senator was diagnosed with “an aggressive brain tumour” in July last year and had been undergoing treatment. On Friday, his family had announced that he had decided to discontinue his treatment.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, as leaders took to Twitter to pay respects.
Former President Barack Obama, who defeated McCain to win the 2008 run for the White House, tweeted a statement saying they were members of a different generation and shared a “fidelity to something higher”. Obama and predecessor George W. Bush will reportedly read eulogies for McCain in line with his wishes.
Our statement on the passing of Senator John McCain: pic.twitter.com/3GBjNYxoj5
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 26, 2018
President Donald Trump, who often found himself at the receiving end of criticism from McCain, expressed his condolences too.
My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2018
According to BBC sources, Trump will not be invited to the funeral, with the current administration likely to be represented by Vice-President Mike Pence.
Born in a family of Navy admirals, he was a bomber pilot during the war in Vietnam, where he eventually spent more than five years as a prisoner of war.
He was known to take a conservative line on many issues, opposing abortion and advocating higher defence spending. He backed the 2003 invasion of Iraq and criticised President Obama for not intervening more in the Syrian civil war.
US to ‘redirect’ $200 million aid for Gaza and West Bank
US President Donald Trump has ordered that $200 million set aside as economic aid for Gaza and West Bank be redirected, the BBC reported.
A state department official said the funds needed to be spent in accordance with “US national interests”.
Earlier this year, the US had withheld a $65 million contribution to the UN fund for Palestine, and passed a law that threatens to cut aid to Palestine unless it ceases government assistance to those convicted of terrorism against Israelis.
Relations between Palestinians and the US have turned especially sour since the US recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017.
In Sri Lanka, mass grave found decade after civil war
Skeletal remains of more than 90 humans have been found in Sri Lanka’s former war zone, Mannar, making it the second biggest mass grave found in the north since the end of the country’s civil war in 2009, the BBC reports.
Though Mannar is dominated by ethnic minority Tamils, the identity of the victims still remains unclear.
Puzzled by the arrangement of bodies, Professor Raj Somadeva, a forensic archaeologist from the University of Kelaniya near Colombo, said, “We are concerned about the line position. It is completely chaotic – you have two layers of skeletons roughly.”
The excavation team led by Prof Somdeva is yet to determine the cause of death. Earlier this year, a court had ordered detailed excavations near a bus terminus after construction workers found human remains at the site.
Europe airlines to halt flights to ‘unviable’ Iran
Some of Europe’s biggest airlines are halting flights to Iran from September, saying the route was “not commercially viable”, CNN reports.
British Airways will operate its last flight from Tehran on 23 September. Dutch carrier KLM, part of the Air France KLM (AFLYY) group, will stop flying there on 24 September.
KLM said its decision was down to “negative results and financial outlook for the Tehran operation”.
The move comes just months after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran and began restoring sanctions on Tehran, which came into effect earlier this month. A second round of sanctions is expected in November.
Trump has threatened other countries and companies that trade with Iran will cost them a boycott with the US.
Afghan Islamic State leader, 10 members killed in air strike
The leader of the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Afghanistan, Abu Saad Erhab, was killed in an air strike in the country’s eastern Nangarhar province, Al Jazeera reported. This is the fourth leader of the Afghan IS to be killed since its inception in 2015.
Ten other members were also reported to be killed in Saturday night’s attacks, carried out along with coalition forces, said the National Directorate of Security.
The agency added that air attacks on a village in Khugyani district, near the border with Pakistan, had “also destroyed a large number of weapons, explosives, and ammunition”.
“The bombings followed a number of attacks claimed by ISIL (an alternate name for the IS) in recent weeks, including assaults on several government installations in Kabul and a bombing at a school in a Shia area of the capital that killed at least 37 people,” the report added.
Contributed by Sankalita Dey, Anagha Deshpande and Soniya Agrawal, journalists at ThePrint.