- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
Pope 'understands' governments that buy arms in war-wracked world
Pope Francis said Friday he understood why governments buy weapons to defend themselves in a world wracked by war, as he prepared to preside over a traditional Easter procession.
Francis has previously said spending money on weapons "stains" humanity.
"I understand those governments that buy arms, I understand them," the pontiff said in an interview with Italy's Rai ahead of the religious ceremony at the Colosseum.
"I do not justify them, but I understand them. Because we have to defend ourselves".
Ukrainian and Russian women are expected this year to carry a cross at the Via Crucis procession, which is held on Good Friday, the day in the Christian calendar that Jesus was crucified.
Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See expressed "concerns" Tuesday over the plan, against a backdrop of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The procession commemorates Jesus' suffering and death, from his condemnation to his burial.
The pope will preside over it for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
A scaled-down version of the procession was held in 2020 and 2021 within Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Francis, who has repeatedly pleaded for an end to the Russian invasion, said the whole "world is at war".
He slammed "this diabolic pattern of killing one another out of the desire for power, the desire for security, the desire for many things".
The 85-year old on Thursday visited a prison in Civitavecchia, near Rome, to wash the feet of 12 inmates in a rite performed yearly to commemorate Christ's Last Supper with the apostles.
In Christian tradition, Jesus is said to have washed the apostles' feet ahead of the meal in a gesture of humility.
On Saturday evening, Francis will preside over the Easter vigil in Saint Peter's Basilica, followed by Easter Mass on Sunday morning, after which he will perform the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing.
Ferreira--PC