Pope Francis on Friday excoriated politicians who foment fear of migrants, saying they were sowing violence and racism, and urged them to “practise the virtue of prudence” to help them integrate.

The pope, who has made defence of migrants and refugees a major plank of his papacy, made his comments in a message prepared for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace, which is celebrated on Jan. 1 each year.

The message, whose title for 2018 is “Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in Search of Peace”, is traditionally sent to heads of state and government and international institutions.

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Police say officers have been stood down after responding to reports of shots being fired on Oxford Street in central London.

 

The Women's Tennis Association announced the passing of 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna. She was 49-years-old.

"It is with deep sadness that the WTA announces the passing on Sunday, November 19, of Jana Novotna, the former WTA World No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles champion," a WTA statement said. "After a long battle with cancer, Jana died peacefully, surrounded by her family in her native Czech Republic, aged 49."

The three UCLA basketball players who were arrested for shoplifting in China last week are flying back home to Los Angeles and "the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of Chinese authorities," Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement Tuesday morning.

"We are all very pleased that these young men have been allowed to return home to their families and university," Scott said in the statement. "We are grateful for the role that our Chinese hosts played, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the local authorities. We also want to acknowledge UCLA's significant efforts on behalf of their student-athletes. Finally, we want to thank the President, the White House and the U.S. State Department for their efforts towards resolution."

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Top trade officials from the 11 remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed on a bare-bones plan to bring the pact into force without the United States, according to a joint statement provided to POLITICO by the Chilean government.

The move came one day after President Donald Trump sharply criticized large multilateral trade deals during his keynote speech at the annual APEC leaders summit here.

"Ministers are pleased to announce that they have agreed on the core elements of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)," the statement said.

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Saudi Prince Mansour bin Muqrin and other officials were killed in a helicopter crash near Yemen on Sunday.

The helicopter was carrying eight people, including the prince and all of them died during the crash.

He was accompanied by the Undersecretary of the Asir Sulayman al-Juraish and the Secretary of Asir region.

The helicopter crashed while the group was touring an area near the coast in Asir province near the border of Yemen where Prince Mansour is governor.

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