Vatican Says Catholic Church Cannot Bless Same-Sex Marriages

The message released by the Vatican was approved by Pope Francis

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  • How will the Queen – and the monarchy – cope with the loss of Prince Philip?

    Over the next few months and years, the Queen will – as she has already – come to rely increasingly on Prince Charles for advice and guidance about the future of The Firm

  • Derek Chauvin trial: Police restraint was more than George Floyd 'could take' given his condition, says medical examiner

    The police's restraint of George Floyd was more than he "could take" given the condition of his heart, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy of the 46-year-old said on Friday. Dr Andrew Baker was testifying in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who knelt on Mr Floyd for more than nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis last May. Dr Baker, who has served as the chief medical examiner of Hennepin County, Minnesota, since 2004, said the police officers' compression of Mr Floyd's neck and the restraint of his body were the primary causes of his death. Dr Baker was one of the most heavily anticipated witnesses to take to the stand in the closely-watched trial. His testimony added significant heft to the prosecution's case that Mr Chauvin killed Mr Floyd when he pinned the unarmed and handcuffed black man to the ground until he could no longer beg for air.

  • SNP’s flagship housing fund runs out of cash in days

    The Scottish Government’s flagship First Home Fund has run out of money in just eight days, in what opposition parties have branded a “spectacular misjudgement”. The £60m fund, which lends people up to £25,000 towards their deposit, was launched on April 1 but was closed on Thursday afternoon after being inundated with applications. The initiative is now “fully committed” for 2021/22. The news has been described as “devastating” for thousands of Scots hoping to get onto the property ladder, with the lack of availability of 95 per cent LTV mortgages making it “incredibly difficult” for first time buyers to access mortgage finance - despite “strong evidence” showing that owning a home is cheaper than renting. Funding for the scheme was slashed by 66.5 per cent from £200m last year, with SNP ministers blaming the UK Treasury for the cuts. “We anticipated that there would be huge demand given the success of the pilot scheme run last year,” said Nicola Barclay, chief executive of industry body Homes for Scotland. “Despite this, the Scottish Government allocated just 30 per cent of the levels spent in 2020, citing budget cuts from Westminster for the reduction.”

  • Northern Ireland is back as the most dangerous open wound in British political life

    There is more to the escalating conflict than the failings of the DUP – unionists determined to keep Northern Ireland part of the UK are facing a more general crisis

  • Debenhams is soon to shut up shop for good: Here’s what to buy in the department store’s closing-down sale

    Bag a bargain across skincare, make-up, fashion, electricals and kitchen appliances while you still can

  • Prince Harry expected to return to UK for Duke of Edinburgh's funeral – but not Meghan

    The Duke of Sussex is expected to return to the UK from the USA for the funeral of his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, despite widespread travel restrictions. However, it is thought unlikely that the Duchess, heavily pregnant with their second child, will join him. Prince Harry, 36, was extremely close to Prince Philip, although he is not thought to have seen him in person since the autumn of 2019. A royal source told the New York Post: "He will, of course, be there, no matter how difficult relations are between the Sussexes and the family." Current rules state that the majority of people attempting to travel to the UK must test negative for Covid within 72 hours of their flight and then quarantine for 10 days on arrival. There is an exemption for people attending the funeral of a close family member, although Prince Harry would have to self-isolate at all other times. He spoke of his grandfather during a recent television interview with James Corden, fondly describing how he conducted Zoom calls. "We've Zoomed them a few times. They've seen Archie running around," he said, laughing as he recalled how the Duke had slammed his laptop shut to end a call.

  • Kim Jong-un raises fears of food shortages in North Korea

    It was second time in a week Kim Jong Un raised a clarion call over deepening crisis

  • White House says China's moves around Taiwan 'potentially destabilizing'

    The White House on Friday said it was keeping a close watch on increased Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait, and called Beijing's recent actions potentially destabilizing. "We have ... clearly - publicly, privately - expressed our concerns, our growing concerns, about China's aggression toward Taiwan," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. "We've seen a concerning increase in PRC military activity in the Taiwan Strait, which we believe is potentially destabilizing," she said, when asked if Washington was concerned about a possible Chinese invasion.

  • I grew up in Belfast’s Sandy Row, the rioters don’t speak for my community – we denounce these violent thugs

    Nothing good can come from throwing petrol bombs. Our families and children want to live peacefully, without the terror our relatives experienced

  • Teenage twins from London missing for nearly a week found ‘safe and well’, police say

    Both 13-year-olds had been last seen in Twickenham on Saturday, police say

  • The war hero: How Prince Philip's quick thinking saved his ship from German bombers off Sicily

    Quick thinking and no small measure of bravery by Prince Philip saved dozens of lives during the Second World War, earning him a lifelong debt of gratitude from his comrades at arms. During the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily, the 22-year-old, then a first lieutenant in the Royal Navy, foiled a Luftwaffe bomber that looked almost certain to destroy his ship. But the story of how the Duke of Edinburgh saved the ship only emerged in recent years when veterans began to talk publicly about the incident. He was second-in-command of the destroyer HMS Wallace during the Allied landings in Sicily in July 1943 when the ship came under repeated attack. Undaunted, he quickly devised a plan to throw a smoking wooden raft overboard to create the illusion of debris on fire in the water as a decoy, successfully distracting the enemy. Harry Hargreaves, a yeoman on board the ship, revealed the story in 2003 during an online BBC event capturing people's stories of the war. The veteran recalled how the crew had only 20 minutes before the next bombing run to come up with an idea.

  • Deputy Has Encounter With Rare and Endangered Florida Panther

    A deputy had a close encounter with an endangered and rarely seen Florida panther in Naples, quickly rolling up her window as it approached her.Footage captured by the deputy, identified by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) as Community Service Deputy (CSD) Brandi Ahrens, shows the panther running towards the vehicle.“CSD Ahrens was typing a report in her work vehicle along the CREW Bird Rookery Swamp public hiking trail off Shady Hollow Boulevard around 8.30 am when she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye,” wrote the Collier County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook. “It was a Florida panther, and it was heading her way.”According to the National Wildlife Federation" (NWF), there are only 120 to 130 Florida panthers left in the wild. “The subspecies is so critically endangered that it is vulnerable to just about every major threat,” including habitat-loss due to construction, pollution, and busy roadways. Credit: Collier County Sheriff’s Office via Storyful

  • Analysis: Russian military buildup raises stakes as fighting in Ukraine intensifies

    Dozens of troop carriers and missile launchers sit on flatbed wagons lining up along tracks running through southern Russia, in a region bordering Ukraine. Ukraine and Western countries accuse Russia of sending troops and heavy weapons to support proxy fighters who seized a swathe of the eastern Donbass region in 2014. Moscow denies it is part of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and says it provides only humanitarian and political support to the separatists.

  • Coronavirus latest news: Johnson & Johnson blood clots 'extraordinarily rare', says Government adviser

    Drinkers told they must wear masks in pub beer gardens 'Light at end of tunnel' for summer holidays Prince Philip's funeral will be 'family affair' due to Covid restrictions Ben Marlow: Monday's grand reopening is a moment of truth Subscribe to The Telegraph for a month-long free trial Blood clots associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are "extraordinarily rare", a scientist advising the Government on its coronavirus response has said. The UK has ordered 30 million doses of the vaccine, which is also known as Janssen, although it is yet to be approved for use by regulators. "We still don't know whether they are directly related and caused by the vaccine but it seems possible that they could be," Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the Covid-19 clinical information network, told the Today programme. "It wouldn't be surprising to find the J&J, the Janssen vaccine, also causes rare blood clots because it's based on an adenovirus technology which is not that far away from the technology being used in the AstraZeneca vaccine." Prof Openshaw said any blood clots were "extraordinarily rare events" and likened the risk level to "if you [were to] get into a car and drive 250 miles". It comes a day after the European Medicines Agency said that it has started a review to assess blood clots in people who have been given the Johnson & Johnson jab. Follow the latest updates below.

  • A&E ‘swamped’ with patients seeking help for mild Covid jab side-effects

    A&E ‘swamped’ with patients seeking help for mild Covid jab side-effects. Emergency departments report surge in cases of headaches linked to AstraZeneca jab amid concerns of blood clots

  • The crowd chanted Philip’s name, and for a moment, the Queen let her guard slip - How Prince Philip won the heart of the nation

    In Philip’s later years he became Britain’s longest serving consort and continued to endear himself to the nation

  • BBC sets up form for complaints about Prince Philip coverage - as viewers turn off

    There was particular upset online as the MasterChef final was postponed.

  • Eamonn Holmes says dislocated pelvis started his pain battle

    The presenter has been documenting his struggle with pain on social media.

  • ‘Seatgate’ diplomatic row grows as Italy calls Erdogan a ‘dictator’

    The Italian prime minister Mario Draghi called Mr Erdogan a ‘dictator’

  • Latest weekly Covid-19 rates for local authority areas in England

    One in 20 local areas have recorded a week-on-week rise in rates.