After receiving a strong dose of diversity, the ‘new normal’ for New Years celebrations in the Netherlands involves downplaying death, riots, arson, violent attacks, and where even the torching of an iconic Dutch windmill is barely worth mentioning amid all the other mayhem: At midnight the Netherlands rang in 2020 with firework shows in Rotterdam and The Hague, where the thick fog cleared just... 

New Year’s Eve was chaotic in Belgium’s capital city with police making over 200 arrests amid widespread fires and property destruction, according to local media. Preliminary reports indicate at least 211 people were arrested during the night for offenses ranging from arson to shooting projectiles to vandalism. At least 21 cars and a scooter were either set alight or damaged by nearby... 

Pope Francis, in a Saturday message delivered from the Vatican, took aim at conservative Catholics, warning that “rigidity” in living out the Christian faith was turning people away, and that the church must adapt to a post-Christian west. Francis called for Vatican bureaucrats to embrace change during his annual Christmas greeting to the cardinals, bishops and priests who work in the Holy See. Catholicism’s... 

Pope Francis described violence against women as “a blasphemy against God.” A day earlier, the frustrated pontiff slapped the hand of a woman who yanked him towards her. Pope Francis issued a rare public apology on Wednesday for slapping the hand of a pilgrim who grabbed his hand and yanked him towards her. The apology came as the pontiff used his New Year’s Day homily to condemn... 

Hundreds of primary school children have been investigated by police for sexting in less than three years, including pupils as young as four. Figures from 27 police forces in England and Wales revealed more than 6,000 under 14s were investigated for sending indecent messages, including 306 children younger than ten. Sharing an indecent image of anyone who is underage is illegal in England and Wales,... 

While haggis, neeps and tatties typically represent the best of Scottish cooking, 2020 has other plans in a culinary clash of evolution, innovation and sustainability. In a new publication from Zero Waste Scotland, entomophagy (the practice of humans eating insects) could be the future, with the report suggesting that a change from cattle to critters could be lucrative and better for the environment. Dr... 

The French YouTube feminist known as ‘Charlie Danger’ has been called out on her self-righteous demand that every woman has the right to parade around in public topless without being harmed if that’s her choice: Earlier this month, Charlie Danger, who has the YouTube channel ‘Les revues du monde’ with about 587,000 subscribers, was invited to Toulouse in France to give a TED Talk where she... 

Footage shows Pope Francis slapping a woman’s hand in response to her grabbing his hand and yanking him toward her. Making an appearance at the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday, 83-year-old Pope Francis was greeted by thousands of tourists and Romans. When the woman tugged at the Pope, he struck her hand twice in an attempt to free his own hand and scowled as he walked away. It’s... 

A German public broadcaster has decided to make a choir of young girls sing a ‘very modern’ eco-friendly grandma-bashing song with a clear Greta Thunberg twist. What could possibly go wrong? The German regional broadcaster WDR proudly presented a new video featuring the channel’s all-girl children’s choir. “They can sing and they can be naughty,” read the announcement published on the... 

A Nativity play in the French city of Toulouse had to be cut short after a mob of fifty anti-Christian, far-left militants insulted and attacked the event’s participants and spat on a priest. The anti-Christian attack occurred on Saturday, December 14th at the Place Saint-Georges living nativity scene. The performance had been organized to celebrate the traditional spirit of Christmas and to emphasize... 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who himself has jewish ancestry, released a special video message wishing his fellow Jews a happy Hanukkah, and pledging the support of “every decent person” in Britain to combat rising antisemitism in the UK.: “To all our Jewish friends, neighbors, and relatives, wherever you are in the world, let me wish you a very happy Hanukah,” said Johnson. “And... 

A Finnish court has sentenced a migrant who has been convicted of child sex crimes in the past to a mere five years in prison for sexually assaulting another six victims, including a child. The 27-year-old migrant, who claims to be from Afghanistan but who speaks Farsi and may actually be Iranian, sexually assaulted the six victims in the city of Tampere and the town of Yolöjärve between April and... 

The iconic Paris landmark remains very “fragile” and might not be entirely saved, the rector of the Notre Dame Cathedral has said, adding that there’s a “50 percent chance” the still not removed scaffolding might collapse onto it. Notre Dame, which was badly damaged by a devastating blaze this April after being set on fire by Muslims, missed Christmas celebrations for the first time in over... 

Pope Francis shocked many when he delivered his 2019 Christmas address to the cardinals, bishops and other high ranking officials of the Catholic Church, by explicitly rejecting tradition, Western culture and even comparing Jesus in Bethlehem to a refugee: “Christendom no longer exists!” Francis declared in his speech. “Today we are no longer the only ones who create culture, nor are we in the... 

The advanced Russian nuclear hypersonic glider entered combat service on Friday with the first regiment of Avangard-armed missiles now operational, the defense minister reported. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, who reported the development to President Putin on Friday, said Avangard deployment was “a signatory event for the country and the armed forces.” The Russian military armed legacy silo-based...