After Pell acquittal, pope compares “unjust sentences” to persecution of Jesus
VATICAN CITY – Just hours after Australia‘s highest court threw out the sex abuse conviction of the Vatican’s former treasurer, Pope Francis offered his morning Mass for all those who suffer…
Vietnam donates 550,000 masks to EU countries in coronavirus fight
HANOI – Vietnam has donated 550,000 face masks to five European countries to support their fight against the coronavirus that has killed more than 75,000 people worldwide. The masks, made…
Vietnamese hat seller turns to homemade face shields in virus fight
HO CHI MINH CITY – For nearly three decades, Quach My Linh has sold hats at Ba Chieu market in Vietnam’s bustling Ho Chi Minh City. But following a nationwide…
Cardinal Pell to walk free after Australian court acquittal
MELBOURNE – Australia‘s highest court has acquitted former Vatican treasurer George Pell of sexually assaulting two teenaged choirboys in the 1990s, allowing the 78-year-old cardinal to walk free from jail.…
Virus-hit Carnival cruise ship docks in Australia as country’s death toll hits 40
MELBOURNE/SYDNEY – Carnival Corp’s troubled Ruby Princess cruise liner, the biggest single source of coronavirus infections in Australia, has docked south of Sydney to get help for sick crew members…
Australia optimistic over slowing virus spread, urges vigilance
MELBOURNE – Several Australian health officials said they were cautiously optimistic about the slowing spread of coronavirus in the country but warned social distancing restrictions are to stay in place…
Vietnam protests Beijing’s sinking of South China Sea boat
HANOI – Vietnam has lodged an official protest with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat it said had been rammed by a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel near…
Philippines gets Vietnam commitment to continuous rice supply
MANILA – The Philippines, the world’s top rice buyer, says it has secured Vietnam‘s commitment for continuous supply of the staple foood, which may include a 300,000-tonne importation, under an…
Australia pledges $130b wages subsidy to protect jobs from coronavirus
SYDNEY – Australia will spend $130 billion to subsidise the wages of an estimated 6 million people, marking a third tranche of stimulus designed to limit the fallout of the…
Olympics: Australia says no collusion in decision to withdraw from 2020 Games
MELBOURNE – The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has said its decision to pull out of the 2020 Tokyo Games was unilateral and made without the knowledge of Canada or the…
