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Nairobi, Dec 22 (UNI) China is likely to take over Kenya’s Mombasa port if Kenya Railways Corporation defaults in the payment of a loan from Exim Bank of China. Kenya used Mombasa port to secure the loan which was taken from the Chinese bank to finance construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR). A leaked audit report shows that the government waived sovereign immunity on the Kenya Ports Assets on signing the agreement with China thus exposing Kenya Ports Authority to foreclosure by China Exim Bank. The report said “The payment arrangement agreement substantively means that the Authority’s revenue would...

Hollywood elites are no stranger to the finer things in life. Luxurious cars. Extravagant homes. Lavish lifestyles. It's part of the territory that comes with being famous. Actor Chris Pratt, best known for his role as Andy in "Parks and Recreation," lives a different lifestyle than many of his Hollywood comrades. In fact, he has a farm and raises his own animals to feed his family. But now the simplistic lifestyle is being labeled as "problematic" by TV Guide: When you take a deeper look at Pratt the man and not necessarily Pratt the actor, some of the shine wears off....

MSNBC Dominates Cable News in Sales Day (M-F 6a-2a) with Total Viewers, Finishing #1 for the Week and Topping FOX News for 1st Time Since 2000; MSNBC Also Tops FOX News in A25-54 for 1st Time Since 2001 MSNBC Prime (M-F 8-11pm) Continues to Lead Both FOX News and CNN in Total Viewers and A25-54 for the 4th Straight Week “The Rachel Maddow Show” is the #1 Cable News Program in Total Viewers and A25-54 for the Week “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” and “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams” Are #1 in Both Total Viewers and A25-54 for...

A 7-year-old Ont. boy might have just added himself to next year’s naughty list after calling 911 for receiving snow pants as a Christmas gift. Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt -- who tweeted the incident -- said the call was placed in the early evening on Dec. 25. He said the boy was upset with his present and wanted the police to help. In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Schmidt told CTVNews.ca that the incident is "an awareness and educational moment" that prompts another reminder for parents and caregivers to talk to children about making 911 calls.

December 19, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – The Jesuit order for decades used Gonzaga University’s campus to house priests who had been removed from active service in the priesthood due to accusations of sexual abuse, according to an report recently published by the Center for Investigative Reporting and republished by the Associated Press. According to the report, the Jesuit order’s Oregon Province sent to the university at least 20 Jesuit priests who had been accused of sexual misconduct, in most cases while they were functioning in the order’s missions in isolated Alaska villages populated by indigenous people as well as Indian reservations...

Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the socialist darling from New York, never seems to take a break from political gaffes, even on Christmas. Instead, she used the day to push the false notion that Jesus was a refugee. Joy to the World! Merry Christmas everyone - here’s to a holiday filled with happiness, family, and love for all people. ??(Including refugee babies in mangers + their parents.)— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 25, 2018 For all the anti-immigrant pundits uncomfortable with and denying that Christ’s family were refugees, too: https://t.co/lLQCupyG3N— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 25, 2018 It wasn't long before conservatives tore into...

The seven-year-old girl whose phone call with President Donald Trump on Christmas Eve went viral has said she still believes in Santa Claus. Mr Trump threw doubt on the existence of Santa when he asked Collman Lloyd if she still believed in Father Christmas. After learning the girl's age, the president asked: "At seven, it's marginal, right?" "Yes, sir," the girl replied. She later admitted she did not know the word's meaning, the Post and Courier reports. Collman, from Lexington in South Carolina, also told the newspaper that she was glad to be able to talk with the US president....

Pope Francis strongly condemned clerical sex abuse in his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia Friday, promising that the Church leadership will never again cover-up abuse or treat such cases lightly. “Let it be clear that before these abominations the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes. The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case,” Pope Francis said in Vatican’s City’s Apostolic Palace on December 21. “It is undeniable that some in the past, out of irresponsibility, disbelief, lack of...

(Washington, D.C.)  –U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement:“This shutdown is truly absurd, and would not have happened if President Trump had simply ignored the 11th hour taunts of a handful of conservatives and instead moved forward with the Senate's bipartisan bill. On behalf of families in Washington state and across the country who are now left wondering when they’ll get their next paycheck or when their government will be fully functioning, I’m urging Republicans to work with us to do the right thing and re-open the government as quickly as possible.”

The Catholic Church is increasingly caught in the middle of an escalating crisis in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions with priests shot dead, property destroyed and frequent detentions by armed separatists, according to a high-ranking church official. “They threatened that they’re going to kill us,” said Bishop Michael Bibi of the Bamenda archdiocese, following a recent detention by armed separatists. Bibi was detained twice this month by armed groups. On 5 December he attempted to travel from Bamenda, the capital of the North West region, to Kumba, 170 kilometres to the south west, intending to celebrate mass. However,...

I would recommend following a Yossi Gestetner @YossiGestetner for his analysis and insights on what's going on in DC. I would be interested in who you follow and why. Thank you.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Pilgrims from around the world flocked to Bethlehem on Monday for what was believed to be the biblical West Bank city’s largest Christmas celebrations in years. Hundreds of locals and foreign visitors milled in Manger Square as bagpipe-playing Palestinian Scouts paraded past a giant Christmas tree. Crowds flooded the Church of the Nativity, venerated as the traditional site of Jesus’s birth, and waited to descend into the ancient grotto. Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maaya said all Bethlehem hotels were fully booked, and the city was preparing to host an “astounding” 10,000 tourists overnight.

Hungary was a loser in the 20th century but it is determined to be a winner in the 21st, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Christmas interview published in daily Magyar Idok on Monday. [snip] Commenting on recent opposition protests, he said politics is an area where battles can be under way even on a Christmas Eve and protests are part of everyday life in a democracy. However, this does not apply to violence, destruction and vandalism, he added. It is easy to assess the situation: the government stands for work, family and security and opposition policies stand for...

In his traditional Christmas speech, Pope Francis criticised nationalism and called cultural differences a “source of richness”. Speaking about increasing nationalism in the Western world as a result of migration from North Africa and the Middle East the spiritual leader said: “Our differences are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness. As when an artist is about to make a mosaic: it is better to have tiles of many colours available, rather than just a few,” the Pope told a large audience in the Vatican. “The experience of families teaches us this,” he said, “as...

President Trump and First Lady Melania made a surprise visit to Iraq Wednesday after leaving the White House late on Christmas. There, he spoke for nearly 20 minutes to approximately U.S. troops stationed at Al Asad Air Base and met with military leaders. According to the White House pool report, the group was made up "of about 100 mostly U.S. special operations troops engaged in combat operations in Iraq and Syria."During his remarks, the Commander-in-Chief encouraged U.S. service members to keep up the fight and vowed to continue the fight against ISIS from Iraq. "I want to come and pay my respects...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is requesting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigate the cause of the growing number of sick migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, officials revealed to reporters Wednesday morning. A DHS official told reporters that “literally dozens” of sick migrants are being transported to hospitals across the border each day and that growing numbers of children showing illness are present in border patrol custody. “We’re doing dozens of hospital trips every single day with children that have fevers or manifest other medical conditions,” CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told CBSNews Wednesday morning....

The U.S. markets in December have taken a beating, posting the biggest losses for the month since 1931. In all, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is off more than 3,300 points from its Sept. 21 high of 26,656.98 (though the index has risen about 500 points on the day Wednesday). The Dow’s losses are tied to a number of uncertainties, we are told, including the trade war with China, the current partial government shutdown and, some believe, the fact that Democrats won the House in November and the Trump economic miracle is likely to be stymied.

Iran is ready to respond to any hostile U.S. action, but it does not consider the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Gulf last week a significant threat, an Iranian navy commander said on Monday.

Pope Francis gave his usual rant yesterday about the evils of capitalism, advanced civilization and material well-being. “For many people, life’s meaning is found in possessing, in having an excess of material objects. An insatiable greed marks all human history, even today, when, paradoxically, a few dine luxuriantly while all too many go without the daily bread needed to survive,” the Pope said. Hey Pope Francis: Why don’t you go live in a hut, without heat, air conditioning or comfortable clothes, cars and planes? You hypocritical Communist. Oh, and by the way: Merry Christmas! The Pope appeals to the worst...

New York (CNN Business)Holiday sales grew at their fastest pace in six years, buoyed by rising wages and a drop in gas prices. Retail spending from November 1 through December 24 increased 5.1% from a year ago, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. Shoppers spent more than $850 billion during the holidays. Unfazed by volatility on Wall Street, consumers flooded into stores and bought clothes and home decor online. Gas prices have dropped by more than 20 cents a gallon over the past month, giving shoppers extra cash for the holidays. "Consumer confidence translated into holiday cheer for retail," said Steve Sadove,...