In his Christmas message, Pope Francis prayed for peace in Syria, Libya and other war-torn regions of the world and called on the international community to crackdown on “brutal terrorism” perpetrated by ISIS and other terrorists.

The Urbi et Orbi message, which means ‘to the city and the world’, was delivered from the central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica to the faithful gathered in the square below.

“We pray to the Lord that the agreement reached in the United Nations may succeed in halting as quickly as possible the clash of arms in Syria and in remedying the extremely grave humanitarian situation of its suffering people. It is likewise urgent that the agreement on Libya be supported by all, so as to overcome the grave divisions and violence afflicting the country,” he said.

“May the attention of the international community be unanimously directed to ending the atrocities which in those countries, as well as in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, even now reap numerous victims, cause immense suffering and do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples.

Turns out mom was right. 

Chicken soup is good for a cold.

But it’s not the only old-school remedy that scientists have actually found to be helpful.

Here are nine weird household tricks that you can actually use to ward off pain, soothe a cold, calm a headache, or brighten your smile.

Paul Schrodt

The internet lost it when Steve Harvey mistakenly crowned the wrong woman Miss Universe on Sunday night, and many felt bad for Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez, who had to give up the crown to the rightful owner, Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo.

But you might be wondering: What exactly did Gutierrez lose, besides the title of Miss Universe?

The winner of the pageant gets quite a lot, but the biggest perk may be all the free publicity — and despite lower ratings this year, with the viral mix-up, both Gutierrez and Alonzo are going to get plenty of that.

But as Miss Universe, Pia Alonzo will be entitled to a series of press appearances and travel that help raise awareness for charitable causes. The pageant explains in an FAQ what Miss Universe does after nabbing the crown:

After the winner is crowned, they are whisked away to New York City and are prepped for a media tour where they make multiple appearances at media outlets, networks, charitable organizations, sponsor events, etc. The titleholders spend their reign representing their platforms, raising awareness and funds for charitable alliances, and traveling.

Beyond media attention, Miss Universe gets a year’s salary, a fancy New York City apartment, and plenty of free stuff (especially clothes and beauty products) provided by sponsors. The prize package for this year includes:

By Elise Harris

(CNA/EWTN News).- While the days of the Muslim Brotherhood are over, one expert says the February murder of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by ISIS has opened the door to an even wider persecution – one that’s gaining steam under new forms of Islamic authoritarianism.

Mariz Tadros, author and scholar on persecution in the Arab world, spoke at a conference last week in Rome, calling the gruesome beheadings “just the beginning.”

The murders, she said, have unleashed a new wave of both physical and economic persecutions against the country’s Christian minority.

“Following the beheading of the 21 Christians there were more assaults, physical assaults (and) murders of Ethiopians that didn’t appear as visibly in the press, but that basically showed a strategy of targeting Christians.”

Increased persecutions have also taken on an economic aspect, she said, explaining that Christians have begun to be exploited for economic interests.

At a time when everyone – Christians and non-Christians included – are suffering from a large “security vacuum,” the lack of a national condemnation for the beheadings and the absence of a zero-tolerance message for such acts “is very disconcerting,” Tadros told CNA.

catholicherald.co.uk

Catholic patriarchs from the Middle East have encouraged their troubled people to find inner peace at Christmas and urged the world to remember them.

“In Iraq, we will celebrate the birth of Christ who comes into our hearts in silence and tears,” said Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad. However, he said, “We remain sustained by (an) inner peace that perpetuates the joy of faith and hope that we will, despite the trials, work toward a fairer country and a better future.”

“This year, Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in deplorable conditions,” he said, citing “the deteriorating situation at all levels in our country” and “what they experienced as Christians, victims of segregation and exclusion.”

ISIS still occupies Mosul and the cities of the Ninevah Plain, the patriarch said.

“No one, except those who have planned this religious purification, could have imagined such a catastrophe,” Patriarch Sako said, noting that, since the summer of 2014, many Christians have been forced to live in camps, in which their needs are being provided for only by the church or civil society.

Beirut (AFP) – More than two-thirds of Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in extreme poverty, according to a United Nations study published Wednesday, up nearly 50 percent from last year.

Based on an assessment of more than 4,000 refugee households, the report found that an estimated 70 percent of them are living below the Lebanese extreme poverty line of $3.84 (3.52 euros) per day.

"This is a striking increase from 49 per cent in 2014," said Mireille Girard, head of the UN refugee agency’s Lebanon office.

The inter-agency study was conducted by the World Food Programme, the refugee agency and the UN’s children’s fund.

Refugees are facing a dire situation as their savings dry up, work opportunities are increasingly rare and humanitarian aid packages grow smaller.

According to the study, the refugees are borrowing to cover even their most basic needs, including rent, food, and healthcare, putting nearly 90 percent of them in debt.

Household spending dropped to $493 per month from $762 in 2014, reflecting reduced quality of food consumed and a heightened reliance on debt and humanitarian aid.

By: icrc.org

In preparation for the coming winter, which is expected to be particularly harsh, the ICRC recently delivered 10 tons of olive husk fuel to heat the Al Rahma health clinic in the mountainous area of Chebaa in the south-east of Lebanon.

Chebaa is squeezed between the Syrian and Israeli borders and has long been directly or indirectly exposed to conflicts and their effects. Over the past few years, its population has grown considerably because of the presence of refugees from neighbouring Syria, which has put a significant strain on the already fragile local infrastructure.

By Kareem Chehayeb: middleeastmonitor.com/

The Lebanese government’s mix-up with the Saudi-led anti-terror coalition isn’t just another example of its political chaos. It is a sign of how the country is more disjointed than ever; the empty presidential chair is just the tip of the iceberg.

Like Indonesia, Pakistan and Malaysia, Lebanon’s government wasn’t entirely aware of the fact that it was included in Riyadh’s counter-terrorism initiative, which many have been calling a coalition of Islamic nations. Prime Minister Tammam Salam, who leans towards the pro-West March 14 Alliance, welcomed Lebanon’s inclusion in the 34-state coalition, and believes that his country has a big role to play. Things got more interesting once the foreign ministry, under Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil of the Freedom Patriotic Movement (FPM), the largest Christian party of the pro-Assad and Iran March 8 Alliance, released a statement of its own. The foreign ministry wasn’t aware of Lebanon’s inclusion; it condemned the prime minister for making his statement without notifying officials, stating that the incident “impinges on the ministry’s prerogatives and its constitutional role in dealing with foreign policy.” This alone foreshadows some terrible consequences if Lebanon does commit to the coalition, and it’s only one of many reasons why it shouldn’t.

by Jamie Nimmo

The company behind pioneering heart-monitoring technology praised by President Obama has landed in London as part of a scheme to nurture start-ups from troubled Lebanon. 

CardioDiagnostics, founded in the US in 2012 by Lebanese entrepreneur Ziad Sankari, is behind LifeSense, the world’s first cloud-based cardiac monitor — a wearable device that evaluates heart activity and can alert the hospital in case of emergency.

At a White House event in May, Obama told Sankari: “You are the face of change. You have the power to drive creative solutions to our pressing challenges.”

CardioDiagnostics is one of 15 start-ups on a six-month programme in London called the UK-Lebanon Tech Hub, a joint scheme by the Government and Lebanon’s central bank. 

The aim is to break into European markets before the entrepreneurs return to conflict-strewn Lebanon to grow their businesses.

FILE – In this undated file photo made available Sept. 25, 2011, Hannibal Gadhafi, son of the recently ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi

By HWAIDA SAAD and RICK GLADSTONE

BEIRUT, Lebanon — When the youngest son of the former Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, was arrested in Lebanon last week in connection with the unsolved disappearance of Moussa al-Sadr, an exalted Lebanese Shiite cleric who vanished while visiting Libya in 1978, speculation sprouted about new information concerning one of the biggest whodunits in the treacherous politics of the Middle East.

On Monday, the mystery deepened with news that the son, Hannibal Qaddafi, may have been forcibly — and illegally — brought to Lebanon against his will in a plot involving the son of a colleague of Mr. Sadr’s, Sheikh Mohammad Yacoub, who disappeared along with Mr. Sadr and a third companion in Libya nearly four decades ago.