Pope pleads for migrants at Christmas mass

 Pope Francis in his Christmas eve mass Sunday urged the world's 1.3 billion Catholics not to ignore the plight of migrants who are "driven from their land" because of leaders willing to shed "innocent blood".

Scores missing as ferry capsizes off Philippines

Rescuers were scrambling to save scores of people after a ferry capsized on Thursday in stormy weather off the Philippines, with local television networks reporting at least four people were already dead.

UK compromises on Brexit date as EU sets out transition timeframe

British Prime Minister Theresa May gave her backing to a legislative compromise on Wednesday allowing Brexit to be delayed, avoiding another parliamentary defeat while promising that pushing back the departure date would only happen in “exceptional circumstances”.

Trump triumphs as Congress passes sweeping tax cuts

Donald Trump celebrated a “historic” victory on Wednesday as the US Congress passed a massive Republican tax cut plan, handing the president his first major legislative achievement since taking office nearly a year ago.

After US veto, UN assembly to vote on Jerusalem resolution

The UN General Assembly will hold an emergency session on Thursday to vote on a draft resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital after the United States vetoed the measure at the Security Council.

Nearing passage, US tax overhaul hits last-minute snag

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives approved President Donald Trump's all-important tax code revamp on Tuesday, but a late and embarrassing rules snag will force the chamber to vote on the package once more.

Canada, US to host N. Korea crisis talks in January

Canada and the United States announced on Tuesday they will host a summit of foreign ministers in Vancouver on January 16, including envoys from Japan and South Korea, to seek progress on the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Trump, May host first call after Twitter dust up

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Theresa May spoke for the first time since a row over his retweets of a British extremist group, addressing vexing questions about Brexit and Middle East peace on Tuesday.

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