Iraq Army, Allies Reclaim Towns From Islamic State

French police shot and killed a man armed with a knife and a metal bar who is suspected of having set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen early on Friday, authorities said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on the social media site X that the armed individual was “neutralized.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “In Rouen, national police officers neutralized early this morning an armed individual clearly wanting to set fire to the city’s synagogue.

BANGKOK — Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a vote of FIFA’s full membership chose the South American bid over a joint proposal from Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. The FIFA Congress on Friday voted 119-78 for Brazil in the reduced field of two candidates to host the 2027 tournament after a joint bid by the United States and Mexico was pulled late last month, and South Africa withdrew its candidacy in November. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It will be the first time the global women’s tournament, first played in 1991, is staged in South America. Read More: How the Women’s World Cup Evolved Into What It Is Today Brazil was strongly favored to win since October when FIFA brokered deals for the men’s World Cups of 2030 and 2034.

VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church has a long and controversial history of the faithful claiming to have had visions of the Virgin Mary, of statues that purportedly wept blood tears and stigmata that erupted on hands mimicking the wounds of Christ. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] On Friday, the Vatican will announce new norms to help determine whether and when these seemingly supernatural events are authentic.

When the office softball group or five-a-side football team goes on a winning streak, it’s a nice pep for morale rather than the balance sheet. Then there’s Bayer AG, the German conglomerate that owns Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a football team that on Saturday could complete the first-ever undefeated season in the country’s top-tier Bundesliga in front of 30,000 fans. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Leverkusen have already clinched the league title, breaking Bayern Munich’s 11-year stranglehold, and they’re in both the national and a European cup final. Read More: Why Do Americans Call It Soccer Instead of Football?

The handshakes were warm, smiles beaming, as Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. As the two strongmen greeted flag-waving schoolchildren from a red carpet, the People’s Liberation Army band played the Soviet-era ditty Moscow Nights, whose waltzing lilt stood in stark contrast to the mayhem sown by Russia’s latest offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, which has forced almost 8,000 people from their homes. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Officially, Putin’s trip is to mark 75 years since the Soviet Union recognized the People’s Republic of China, with a gala to mark the occasion, though his war of choice casts a long shadow.

HOUSTON — Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas on Thursday for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 850,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Officials urged residents to keep off roads, as many were impassable and traffic lights were expected to be out for much of the night. “Stay at home tonight.