PATRICK BLOG NEWS

The Archbishop of Canterbury has used his New Year's sermon to encourage the public to go into 2019 "in a spirit of openness towards each other" after the "struggles and divisions of recent years". The Most Rev Justin Welby said the UK is now "wonderfully" more diverse. But he added that people "disagree on many things, and we are struggling with how to disagree well". The sermon was shown on BBC One on New Year's Day at 12:55 GMT. Watch: The Queen's Christmas message Pope Francis urges peace in Christmas message Delivering his message from Lambeth Palace in London, the archbishop said: "Turn on the television, read the news, and you see a lot that could tempt you to despair. But the leading figure in the Church of England added: "Hope lies in our capacity to approach this new year in a spirit of openness towards each other - committed to discovering more of what it means to be citizens together, even amid g...

Nuclear-armed North Korea wants good relations with the US but could consider a change of approach if Washington maintains its sanctions, leader Kim Jong-un warned in his New Year speech on Tuesday after 12 months of diplomatic rapprochement. At a summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June the two signed a vaguely worded pledge on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. But progress has since stalled with Pyongyang and Washington arguing over what that means. “If the US fails to carry out its promise to the world... and remains unchanged in its sanctions and pressure upon the DPRK,” Kim said Tuesday, “we might be compelled to explore a new path for defending the sovereignty of our country and supreme interests of our state”. He was willing to meet Trump again at any time, he added, “to produce results welcomed by the international community”. The North is demanding sanctions relief - it is subject to multiple measures over its banned nuclear weapons and ...

The spray-painting of a swastika outside a suburban Indianapolis synagogue this summer was the final straw for Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, who quickly called for Indiana to join the 45 states that have hate crime laws. "It's not only the right thing to do, it's long overdue," Holcomb said in an interview Friday. "I'm convinced the overwhelming majority of Hoosiers feel the same way." As the annual legislative session draws near, though, some warn that such a proposal could spark a bitter cultural debate that would bring unwanted attention to the deeply conservative state, much like the 2015  religious objections law  that critics widely panned as a sanctioning of discrimination against the LGBT community and that drew a stiff rebuke from big business. "If this is a big, knock-down, drag out, 'RFRA-esque' discussion, it is not going to help anyone," said House Speaker Brian Bosma, using an acronym for 2015's ...

Obama slams Trump legal troubles amid Manafort revelations ... Oshawa devastated by plans to close GM car plant ... Trump officials accused of using wildfires to weaken regulations Top story: Hyde-Smith victorious despite stirring of racial tensions The Republican US senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has  won her race for re-election in Mississippi , after a tense runoff during which she attracted national attention for a series of racially loaded remarks in a state with a notoriously complex racial history. In her victory speech on Tuesday, Hyde-Smith pledged to “always represent every Mississippian”, after defeating her Democrat challenger, Mike Espy, by a closer than expected 55% to 45%. GOP majority.  The final Senate result of the midterms, Hyde-Smith’s victory gives Republicans a 53-47 majority in the US Senate, a gain of two seats. Democrat TJ Cox has taken the lead in the last outstanding midterm House race, for California’s 21st district, where a win would mean a 40-s...