Romanian teenager Cosmin sweats profusely under a gigantic bearskin costume as he prances to the exhilarating sound of drums, flutes and whistles to welcome the New Year.. Performing in a costume made of real bearskin and weighing 40 kilograms (88 pounds) is physically demanding, but Cosmin would not miss the dance for the world.
For the first time in modern history, a sitting pope will preside over his predecessor's funeral next week, with Pope Francis leading a "simple" ceremony for Benedict XVI, who died Saturday.. Unlike when previous popes have died, there is no need to call a conclave to elect a new pontiff, as Francis -- chosen to succeed Benedict in 2013 -- remains very much in the post.
Catholics and tourists visiting St Peter's Square on Saturday expressed sadness and admiration for former pope Benedict XVI, following news of his death aged 95.. Michael Dauphinee, a tourist visiting from the United States, hailed Benedict as a "great example".
Here is a selection of Benedict XVI's standout quotes, some of them controversial, from his 2005-2013 papacy and in his retirement.. - February 2013, announcing his resignation aged 85.
The shock retirement in 2013 of pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday aged 95, raised serious questions within the Roman Catholic Church about the extent to which there could be two "men in white" at the Vatican.. "Benedict's interventions... have raised questions regarding whether, given his own infirmity... he is being manipulated by persons eager to undermine the current papacy, even if Benedict himself is not," Gaillardetz said.
Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages after a papacy beset by Church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.. His papacy was also marred by a money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank, which exposed infighting among Benedict's closest allies.
Former pope Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95, the Vatican announced Saturday, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries.. "With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday he was keen to ramp up military cooperation and hailed the two countries' efforts to counter Western influence.. The Kremlin chief also hailed the efforts of Moscow and Beijing to counter "unprecedented Western pressure and provocations".
Croatia was counting the last hours Saturday before switching to the euro and entering Europe's passport-free zone -- two milestone steps for the country since joining the EU nearly a decade ago.. It will also be the 27th nation in the passport-free Schengen zone, the world's largest, which enables more than 400 million people to move freely around its members.
Pioneering television journalist Barbara Walters, who upended a male-dominated industry as the first woman to anchor an evening news show in the United States, died on Friday at the age of 93, her long-time employer ABC said.. Walters became the first woman to anchor a US evening news program when she joined "ABC Evening News" in 1976, earning the then-unprecedented salary of $1 million a year.
