Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was unable to hold Christmas Eve Mass for the first time in more than 200 years — after a fire ravaged its structure in April. With heavy hearts, French Catholics instead gathered at the nearby church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, a few hundred metres away, for a service celebrated by the cathedral’s …

Ukraine’s election has catapulted Volodymyr Zelensky, a 41-year-old stand-up comedian and television star with no political experience, into the nation’s top job. As leader of a country dependent on international aid and battling separatists, Zelensky, will have to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, deep economic problems and possibly rebellious elites. BREAKING: #Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide. …

Kurdish-led forces seized the Islamic State’s main hub of Hajin Friday, a milestone in a massive and costly US-backed operation to eradicate the jihadists from eastern Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces secured Hajin, the largest settlement in what is the last pocket of territory controlled by IS, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “After a week of heavy fighting …

World leaders gathered in Paris will lead global commemorations on Sunday to mark 100 years since the end of World War I at a time of growing nationalism and diplomatic tensions. Around 70 leaders including US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will mark the centenary of the 1918 Armistice in the French capital. British Prime Minister Theresa …

At least 61 combatants have been killed in clashes in Yemen’s flashpoint Hodeida, medics and a military source said Sunday, and dozens of wounded were taken to hospitals outside the city. Medics in the Red Sea city reported 43 Huthi rebels and nine loyalists killed in clashes over the past 24 hours. afp Another nine loyalist fighters were reported killed …

Since picking up a wrench as one of the first female car mechanics in conservative Pakistan, Uzma Nawaz has faced two common reactions: shock and surprise. And then a bit of respect. The 24-year-old spent years overcoming entrenched gender stereotypes and financial hurdles en route to earning a mechanical engineering degree and netting a job with an auto repairs garage …

As many as 5,000 people are believed missing from the quake and tsunami that struck Indonesia’s Palu city, an official said Sunday, an indication that far more may have perished in the twin disaster than the current toll suggests. Indonesia’s disaster agency say they have recovered 1,763 bodies so far from the 7.5-magnitude and subsequent tsunami that struck Sulawesi on …

“Three bombers with explosive belts targeted Sweida city alone, while the other blasts hit villages to the north and east,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Observatory, said the group then followed up with further attacks in the province. AP The assault, which the Observatory said also wounded more than 30 …

Victims of child sex abuse will be able to sue institutions such as churches under proposed new laws in Australia’s most populous state, authorities said Sunday. The proposed legislation came after a five-year royal commission — which released its final report late last year — detailed thousands of harrowing abuse cases involving churches, orphanages, sporting clubs, youth groups and schools …

As word came over the radio that a Sherpa had been struck on the head by a falling rock high on Everest, the three doctors at base camp jumped into action, fully aware that saving him would be a life-or-death race against the unpredictable mountain. Wary of the fading light that would ground the medevac helicopter overnight, they administered emergency …