Large parts of Europe have endured another day of freezing conditions as a Siberian weather system continues to bring chaos.Blizzards and heavy snowfall have closed roads, rail services and schools and forced the cancellations of hundreds of flights.
Reported by All India Radio 7 minutes ago.
Snow in Europe: Deadly winter storm brings chaos
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Europe wary of May's ideas for post-Brexit harmony | Reuters
Reported by Firstpost 7 hours ago.
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Majority of SPD members seen backing re-run of German coalition
World News Sat, 03 Mar 2018 Reuters Berlin: A leading Social Democrat on Saturday predicted 55 per cent or more of SPD members would back a renewed coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, and warned that a 'no' vote would spell disaster for the party, Germany and Europe. Thomas Oppermann, vice president of the Bundestag lower house of parliament, told Die Welt newspaper that he expected a "clear approval"...
Reported by WorldNews 44 minutes ago.
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Juncker responds to Trump's trade tariffs: 'We can also do stupid'
Europe has warned that punitive US trade tariffs on foreign steel could lead to retaliatory strikes against iconic American businesses.
Reported by euronews 6 hours ago.
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Donald Trump trade tariffs: Europe threatens US bikes, bourbon, Levi's jeans
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said that there would be consequences for the US if Trump's threat of 25% tariff on steel, 10% on aluminium imports takes effect.
Reported by Zee News 5 hours ago.
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FLNG to be the game changer for the liquefaction industry, to witness a CAGR of 27.14% during 2018-2024: Energias Market Research Pvt. Ltd.
NEW YORK, March 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) market is expected to witness a CAGR of 27.14%, and is projected to reach USD 88.99 billion by 2024. Factors propelling the growth of FLNG market include increasing investment in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market; shifting focus towards cleaner burning fuel, save on the cost by reduction in upstream infrastructure and reduction of operational downtime to develop a gas field. The report segments *Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG)* market by *Processing Capacity* (Small (0-2.9 MTPA), Large (3 MTPA and above)), by* Type* (Floating Production Platform, Regassification Platform), by *Deployment *(Near-shore, Offshore), by *Region* (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (MEA), Rest of the World (RoW). The report studies the global FLNG market over the forecast period (2018-2024). Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) is an offshore vessel that includes all the systems to enable offshore liquefaction of natural gas to LNG. FLNG offers flexibility in the types of processing equipment installed to accommodate a variety of gas conditioning requirements. FLNG acts as a moveable midstream asset that avoids costly pipeline infrastructure to move gas onshore.
*Browse full research report with TOC on "Global Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Market Outlook, Trend and Opportunity Analysis, Competitive Insights, Actionable Segmentation and Forecast 2024" at: https://www.energiasmarketresearch.com/global-floating-liquefied-natural-gas-flng-market-outlook/ *
*To purchase report: **sales@energiasmarketresearch.com*
*Key findings from FLNG market *
· The FLNG market is expected to reach at a capacity of 278 MTPA by 2024
· Small to mid-size FLNG is expected to grow by 28% during the forecast period. Low capital investment and shorter development time drives the growth of small and mid-size FLNG
· FSRU type FLNG is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20% during 2018 to 2024. LNG FPSO market growth will be simulated by the demand of natural gas in Asia-Pacific region
· Near-shore FLNG segment will dominate the FLNG market, factors such as reduced cost, shorter development time and reduction in land use drive the growth of near-shore FLNG
· Geographically, North America held the largest market share due to increase in LNG production from shale gas fields
· Asia-Pacific region is estimated to be the fastest growing region due to the increasing energy demand as well as development of gas fields in the region
· Planned offshore liquefaction facility in Iran and other import facility in Egypt and UAE are expected to fuel the growth of FLNG market in Middle East & Africa at a significant CAGR
· In August 2017, Golar LNG partners buys stake in Hilli Episeyo FLNG the which will be deployed later this year in Cameroon, to produce gas for Perenco
· The key players operating in FLNG market are Petronas, Royal Dutch Shell plc, Ophir Energy, Excelerate Energy L.P, Exmar, Woodside Petroleum Limited, Golar LNG, Black & Veatch Holding Company, GEPetrol and Delfin LNG
*FLNG- Changing **Project Economics*
Constructing offshore LNG liquefaction facilities have been able to save the costs for oil and gas companies helping them to improve the project economics. While transporting gaseous LNG from remote reserves to onshore facilities is a costly affair, adopting floating liquefaction and storage techniques would allow companies to generate more profits from offshore LNG reserves. Further uncertainty in oil prices tends to support the growth of the FLNG market across the globe. The cost cutting measures by oil and gas companies in compliance to falling prices of crude oil has led to prudent investment in many onshore facilities. FLNG offering lower production cost and increasing the profit margin is being adopted by many players operating in onshore facilities. FLNG offering opportunity to many players in energy sector is expected to register high growth over the coming years and would have positive impact on the overall gas market.
*FLNG- Regional Insight*
North America being the prominent FLNG market is expected to make high investments in global FLNG projects. Further, the U.S. will focus on shale gas production leading to the increasing investment in floating liquefaction.
Asia-Pacific region continues to be most active LNG import market. Japan, South Korea and China together import one third of the world LNG produced. FLNG’s accessibility in remote markets has brought Pakistan and Bangladesh into picture. High growth in the Asia-Pacific region is due to strong demand from economies such as China and India. Further, steady growth in smaller markets including Thailand and Singapore has helped the region retain their important role in global trade.
The European FLNG market is driven on the account of stringent carbon emission reduction targets. Moreover, the need to diversify energy supplies in order to implement emissions reduction policies has led to increasing investment in the European FLNG market.
African region have a great potential to be a major LNG supplier. New offshore dry gas discoveries have brought investments in several floating and onshore projects in the region especially in Mozambique and Tanzania. The governments support the development of liquefaction projects and have actively worked to establish gas specific legislation. Further, West Africa is emerging as an important region for the deployment of small-scale floating liquefaction. Some of the FLNG projects in the region have made good progress in a short time. The success of these projects indicates more FLNG vessels could be utilized to monetize potential future discoveries.
*About Energias Market Research Pvt. Ltd.** -*
Energias Market Research Pvt. Ltd. publishes high quality reports, in-depth market research studies, to help clients obtain investment level clarity on current business scenario, trends and segmentation for their future developments. We are committed to our client’s needs, by providing high quality custom reports solutions best fit for strategy development and implementation to high return of invest (RoI). We believe that exceptional problems need expertise to solve, and with the help of our industries expertise we are able to offer an in depth understanding of what’s crucial, what’s applicable, and what it takes to ensure accomplishment in any business or venture.
With a wide range of expertise from various industrial sectors and more than 50 industries that includes *energy, chemical and materials, information communication technology, semiconductor industries, healthcare and daily consumer goods, etc.* We strive to provide our clients with a one-stop solution for all research and consulting needs.
*Contact: *
*Mr. Manas Nagi*
Business Development Manager
*For any queries email us: **info@energiasmarketresearch.com*
*To purchase report: **sales@energiasmarketresearch.com*
*Call us: +1-716-239-4915*
*Visit: **https://www.energiasmarketresearch.com/* Reported by GlobeNewswire 5 hours ago.
*Browse full research report with TOC on "Global Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Market Outlook, Trend and Opportunity Analysis, Competitive Insights, Actionable Segmentation and Forecast 2024" at: https://www.energiasmarketresearch.com/global-floating-liquefied-natural-gas-flng-market-outlook/ *
*To purchase report: **sales@energiasmarketresearch.com*
*Key findings from FLNG market *
· The FLNG market is expected to reach at a capacity of 278 MTPA by 2024
· Small to mid-size FLNG is expected to grow by 28% during the forecast period. Low capital investment and shorter development time drives the growth of small and mid-size FLNG
· FSRU type FLNG is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20% during 2018 to 2024. LNG FPSO market growth will be simulated by the demand of natural gas in Asia-Pacific region
· Near-shore FLNG segment will dominate the FLNG market, factors such as reduced cost, shorter development time and reduction in land use drive the growth of near-shore FLNG
· Geographically, North America held the largest market share due to increase in LNG production from shale gas fields
· Asia-Pacific region is estimated to be the fastest growing region due to the increasing energy demand as well as development of gas fields in the region
· Planned offshore liquefaction facility in Iran and other import facility in Egypt and UAE are expected to fuel the growth of FLNG market in Middle East & Africa at a significant CAGR
· In August 2017, Golar LNG partners buys stake in Hilli Episeyo FLNG the which will be deployed later this year in Cameroon, to produce gas for Perenco
· The key players operating in FLNG market are Petronas, Royal Dutch Shell plc, Ophir Energy, Excelerate Energy L.P, Exmar, Woodside Petroleum Limited, Golar LNG, Black & Veatch Holding Company, GEPetrol and Delfin LNG
*FLNG- Changing **Project Economics*
Constructing offshore LNG liquefaction facilities have been able to save the costs for oil and gas companies helping them to improve the project economics. While transporting gaseous LNG from remote reserves to onshore facilities is a costly affair, adopting floating liquefaction and storage techniques would allow companies to generate more profits from offshore LNG reserves. Further uncertainty in oil prices tends to support the growth of the FLNG market across the globe. The cost cutting measures by oil and gas companies in compliance to falling prices of crude oil has led to prudent investment in many onshore facilities. FLNG offering lower production cost and increasing the profit margin is being adopted by many players operating in onshore facilities. FLNG offering opportunity to many players in energy sector is expected to register high growth over the coming years and would have positive impact on the overall gas market.
*FLNG- Regional Insight*
North America being the prominent FLNG market is expected to make high investments in global FLNG projects. Further, the U.S. will focus on shale gas production leading to the increasing investment in floating liquefaction.
Asia-Pacific region continues to be most active LNG import market. Japan, South Korea and China together import one third of the world LNG produced. FLNG’s accessibility in remote markets has brought Pakistan and Bangladesh into picture. High growth in the Asia-Pacific region is due to strong demand from economies such as China and India. Further, steady growth in smaller markets including Thailand and Singapore has helped the region retain their important role in global trade.
The European FLNG market is driven on the account of stringent carbon emission reduction targets. Moreover, the need to diversify energy supplies in order to implement emissions reduction policies has led to increasing investment in the European FLNG market.
African region have a great potential to be a major LNG supplier. New offshore dry gas discoveries have brought investments in several floating and onshore projects in the region especially in Mozambique and Tanzania. The governments support the development of liquefaction projects and have actively worked to establish gas specific legislation. Further, West Africa is emerging as an important region for the deployment of small-scale floating liquefaction. Some of the FLNG projects in the region have made good progress in a short time. The success of these projects indicates more FLNG vessels could be utilized to monetize potential future discoveries.
*About Energias Market Research Pvt. Ltd.** -*
Energias Market Research Pvt. Ltd. publishes high quality reports, in-depth market research studies, to help clients obtain investment level clarity on current business scenario, trends and segmentation for their future developments. We are committed to our client’s needs, by providing high quality custom reports solutions best fit for strategy development and implementation to high return of invest (RoI). We believe that exceptional problems need expertise to solve, and with the help of our industries expertise we are able to offer an in depth understanding of what’s crucial, what’s applicable, and what it takes to ensure accomplishment in any business or venture.
With a wide range of expertise from various industrial sectors and more than 50 industries that includes *energy, chemical and materials, information communication technology, semiconductor industries, healthcare and daily consumer goods, etc.* We strive to provide our clients with a one-stop solution for all research and consulting needs.
*Contact: *
*Mr. Manas Nagi*
Business Development Manager
*For any queries email us: **info@energiasmarketresearch.com*
*To purchase report: **sales@energiasmarketresearch.com*
*Call us: +1-716-239-4915*
*Visit: **https://www.energiasmarketresearch.com/* Reported by GlobeNewswire 5 hours ago.
↧
Here's how police in Europe work together against cryptocurrency crime
· *Crime involving cryptocurrency has risen in line with the technology's prominence.*· *Police forces were initially confounded by assets which defied conventional investigative techniques.*
· *Business Insider spoke to a police analyst at Europol helping to coordinate a fightback.*
· *It involves bringing different police forces together, negotiating with the crypto community, and expanding fledgling investigative techniques.*
--------------------Where crime goes, the law follows — eventually.
Cryptocurrency was born in dark corners of the internet, and has a long association with illicit activity, and the sort of ultra-privacy-sensitive communities which make law enforcement nervous even if they're doing nothing wrong.
As bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have become mainstream, with soaring valuations per coin, they have also been adopted by a much broader array of criminals than the Silk Road users of the past — down to unsophisticated drug dealers on the streets of London.
In a briefing attended by Business Insider, London's Metropolitan Police said it is now not unusual for police to check smartphones for crypto wallets when they seize them as evidence.
Numerous police commanders have told Business Insider that their forces are making their first steps towards seizing cryptocurrencies from criminals after arrest, with an eventual view to distributing them for the public good under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
More criminals taking up crypto means that police forces have to come up with new ways to respond, especially as it its privacy features frustrate their traditional tactic for investigating crime: follow the money.
But while tracing cryptocurrency is hard, it isn't impossible. Several years down the line, detectives are starting to catch on.
*Europe's crypto fightback*
In Europe, much of the crypto-tracing activity and strategising takes place at a continent-wide level, orchestrated by Europol.
The pan-European police agency helps connect the many hundreds of law enforcement organisations across the continent, and provides a centralised system by which officers can access information and pool tactics.
Business Insider spoke with Jarek Jacubchek, a cybercrime analyst at Europol's HQ in the Netherlands, who gave an impression of the system as a whole.
Jacubchek works in Europol's cybercrime centre, a kind of nexus for high-tech crime which is available to help other forces do things that are not within their own capabilities.
This part of Europol has ended up handling cryptocurrencies as well. Jacubchek declined to tell Business Insider exactly how many staff now deal with crypto policing, but said it had risen sharply in the past year.
These things can include consulting a large database of IP addresses and digital wallet identifiers linked to persons of interest, or running new searches.
The results of these can open up new leads for detectives, or give officers the evidence they need to make a crucial arrest. They also produce how-to guides for agencies getting to grips with crypto for the first time.
*Getting inside the infrastructure*
One advantage Europol has is that they form relationships with the cryptocurrency infrastructure itself: Exchanges, brokers and other assets you have to use to deal in bitcoin and the like.
Every year Europol arranges the Virtual Currencies Conference, a closed-to-the-public meeting where crypto experts and police can meet and talk frankly.
The fifth one is due to be held in June this year. In a press release following the 2017 conference, Europol said that some 150 investigators turned up, along with representatives of parts of the crypto world.
Europol named participants including Bitcoin.de, Bitfinex, BitPanda, Bitonic, Bitstamp, BitPay, Coinbase, Cubits, LocalBitcoins, SpectroCoin, and Xapo.
Each year has seen a huge stride forward in the capabilities on offer, Jacubchek told Business Insider. He said: "Basically the first conference was 'what is bitcoin and how does it work?'"
"We never touch these basic topics any more, we already assume people are familiar and we can start talking about tracing technologies and about topics that are much more practical for the investigators."
The conferences have practical results, too. With encouragement from law enforcement, crypto services have developed and strengthened KYC ("Know Your Customer") procedures, bringing themselves in line with traditional finance by asking for proofs of identity, address and the like before people can access services. Some even ask people to submit selfies.
With these in place, even if the asset you're dealing in is essentially untraceable, you very much are not.
Jacubchek characterises the crypto companies he's had dealings with as "very cooperative"— not least because they want the police to help them in return. Their aim, he said, is to identify the types of data most valuable to law enforcement, and make sure that getting hold of it is "as frictionless as possible."
Exchanges and the like are obvious targets for hacks, theft and other illicit activity, and by keeping good records and maintaining good relationships with the police, they maximise the likelihood that criminals can be caught and dealt with.
The approach is the opposite taken by some cryptocurrencies, which have developed a reputation for criminality far beyond that of other coins. Jacubchek named monero, zcash and dash as especial markers of wrongdoing, an impression backed up by London's Metropolitan Police. (You can read a full story about problem cryptocurrencies here.)
But for the most part, police and the crypto community appear to be moving closer together, at the same time as virtual currencies take up a more permanent place in financial system.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Elon Musk's The Boring Company sold out of these $500 flamethrowers Reported by Business Insider 5 hours ago.
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Meet the Syrian refugees abandoning Europe for Trump's America
Some Syrian refugees turn their backs on Europe's wealthy welfare states.
Reported by USATODAY.com 5 hours ago.
Reported by USATODAY.com 5 hours ago.
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Green Party urge overhaul of 'utterly failing' drug laws to cut prisoner numbers
Britain has highest incarceration rate in Western Europe - with around 84,000 people in prison over illegal drug use
Reported by Independent 1 hour ago.
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2018 Geneva Motor Show’s Most Anticipated World Premieres
The biggest automotive event of the spring in Europe is just around the corner. As usual, the event will start with two press days on March 6, and then it will open its doors for visitors on March 8. Following the press days, the winner of the Car of the Year 2018 will be announced. All the car premieres for the show will get unveiled in the press days, meaning tons of information and official photos for some of the most anticipated cars...
Reported by autoevolution 4 hours ago.
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Car hire firms caught charging DOUBLE the going rate for repairs
Consumer group Which? collected photographic evidence of damage from hire car customers across Europe who believed they had been charged more than they should have.
Reported by MailOnline 4 hours ago.
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Trump trade tariffs: Europe threatens US bikes, bourbon, Levi's jeans
Reported by newKerala.com 4 hours ago.
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Brexit draft text and May's speech, now what next?
Europe Editor Tony Connelly looks at what's next for Brexit and negotiations rumble on
Reported by RTE.ie 3 hours ago.
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The World Is Embracing S.U.V.s. That’s Bad News for the Climate.
For the first time last year, S.U.V.s made up more than one in three cars sold globally as drivers in China, Australia and Europe ditch sedans.
Reported by NYTimes.com 3 hours ago.
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This little pilgrim got a big blessing from Pope Francis
Vatican City, Mar 3, 2018 / 03:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- When pilgrims in the Eternal City hope to get an up-close view of the pope, or even shake his hand, they are usually advised to arrive at the Vatican early, to sit next to the barrier and, most importantly, to find a baby.
Brian and Kelle Smith, whose youngest son Bobby recently made his debut on the Pope's Instagram account, only needed the first two suggestions. They’d come prepared with the baby.
Like many pilgrims who visit Rome, on Wednesday morning they woke up early, gathered their six children and braved the rain and long security lines before making in into the Vatican's Paul VI Hall for Pope Francis' Feb. 28 general audience.
Almost as soon as he entered the hall, Francis saw the family and made a beeline to the kids, giving each of them a blessing and patting Bobby, 2, on the cheeks. The toddler, perched on the barrier, has his eyes fixed on the Pope's pectoral cross.
Instead of continuing down the line, Francis paused when he saw Bobby pointing to his chest, and stepped closer, allowing the boy to trace his finger along the chain holding his pectoral cross.
Video footage of the encounter shows the Pope flashing a big smile and giving Bobby a final pat on the cheek before moving down the line of pilgrims.
Clips of the interaction immediately went up on Twitter, and later that day a close-up of the Bobby touching Francis' cross went up on the Pope's Instagram account, Franciscus.
In a March 2 interview with CNA, Brian Smith, the boy's father, said it was a special moment for the family, “and Pope Francis was great, he was engaging with [Bobby].”
Smith said his son had been waving at the Pope as he walked in, “and he's got the curly blonde hair, so I guess he caught Pope Francis' eye.”
Francis, he said, “was very warm, and he spent a lot of time with the kids, really engaging with my youngest son.”
Though the interaction only lasted about 20 seconds, Smith was moved by the amount of time Pope Francis spent with them. “He's the Pope, he's the leader of our Church, of a billion Catholics, and he came and spent that amount of time with us when thousands of people were there to see him.”
During the brief encounter both the Pope and Bobby were talking with each other, Francis spoke in Italian and Bobby in baby-babble. However, with the noise and the excitement of the moment, Smith said he couldn't make out what either was trying to say.
“It all seemed to happen so fast,” he said, noting that Francis “came and touched all six of the kids' heads and gave them all a blessing, which was great.”
The family left Rome Thursday night and returned to Germany, where Smith is stationed with the U.S. military. They didn't know about the Pope's Instagram post until the next day, when a friend sent them a link to the post on Facebook.
“It was a pretty neat photo, the photographer did a great job capturing it,” he said. “It was pretty meaningful.”
After living in Germany for two years, the family is set to return to the United States in six months, and had wanted to visit Rome one last time before going back.
“We basically just went to Rome to see the Pope,” Smith said, explaining that they had initially planned to attend the general audience in January while visiting a friend in Italy, but had to cancel the Rome portion of the trip because the Pope was in South America.
However, it wasn't their first time meeting the Vicar of Christ. Though it was their first interaction with Pope Francis, Brian, Kelle and their three oldest children met Benedict XVI during his Mass for Pentecost in 2010.
“One thing about both of them is that popes love babies,” he said, recalling that as soon as Benedict entered St. Peter's Basilica “he saw the children and he just ignored everybody else and came for the kids and blessed them.”
“So my older three kids don't have an excuse,” he joked, “because they've been blessed by two popes.”
Smith said that while he is excited to return to his home in Texas for a few years, he has enjoyed living in Europe, where, despite a general decline in the practice of the Christian faith, “there's still so many great sites...Pretty much all of modern Europe is based on 1,000 years of the Church being here. So it's great.”
Highlights of their time in Europe have included visits to Fatima, Orvieto and Lourdes, where Smith participated in the annual military pilgrimage to the shrine, as well as many other places where saints are buried.
However, Smith said perhaps the biggest highlight was having his son Bobby – who is named after Jesuit St. Robert Bellarmine – baptized by a Jesuit priest he knows during Mass celebrated at the saint's tomb in Rome.
“This has been a great posting for us,” he said, “because you hear about things but America is not really a Catholic country, so it's great to be able to see all of these pilgrimage places, it's a great blessing.”
Reported by CNA 3 hours ago.
Brian and Kelle Smith, whose youngest son Bobby recently made his debut on the Pope's Instagram account, only needed the first two suggestions. They’d come prepared with the baby.
Like many pilgrims who visit Rome, on Wednesday morning they woke up early, gathered their six children and braved the rain and long security lines before making in into the Vatican's Paul VI Hall for Pope Francis' Feb. 28 general audience.
Almost as soon as he entered the hall, Francis saw the family and made a beeline to the kids, giving each of them a blessing and patting Bobby, 2, on the cheeks. The toddler, perched on the barrier, has his eyes fixed on the Pope's pectoral cross.
Instead of continuing down the line, Francis paused when he saw Bobby pointing to his chest, and stepped closer, allowing the boy to trace his finger along the chain holding his pectoral cross.
#PopeFrancis greets a young child at today’s audience who wants to get a better look at the Cross he wears. pic.twitter.com/vXH0u7UHqv
— Mary Shovlain (@maryshovlain) February 28, 2018
Video footage of the encounter shows the Pope flashing a big smile and giving Bobby a final pat on the cheek before moving down the line of pilgrims.
Clips of the interaction immediately went up on Twitter, and later that day a close-up of the Bobby touching Francis' cross went up on the Pope's Instagram account, Franciscus.
In a March 2 interview with CNA, Brian Smith, the boy's father, said it was a special moment for the family, “and Pope Francis was great, he was engaging with [Bobby].”
Smith said his son had been waving at the Pope as he walked in, “and he's got the curly blonde hair, so I guess he caught Pope Francis' eye.”
Francis, he said, “was very warm, and he spent a lot of time with the kids, really engaging with my youngest son.”
Though the interaction only lasted about 20 seconds, Smith was moved by the amount of time Pope Francis spent with them. “He's the Pope, he's the leader of our Church, of a billion Catholics, and he came and spent that amount of time with us when thousands of people were there to see him.”
During the brief encounter both the Pope and Bobby were talking with each other, Francis spoke in Italian and Bobby in baby-babble. However, with the noise and the excitement of the moment, Smith said he couldn't make out what either was trying to say.
“It all seemed to happen so fast,” he said, noting that Francis “came and touched all six of the kids' heads and gave them all a blessing, which was great.”
The family left Rome Thursday night and returned to Germany, where Smith is stationed with the U.S. military. They didn't know about the Pope's Instagram post until the next day, when a friend sent them a link to the post on Facebook.
“It was a pretty neat photo, the photographer did a great job capturing it,” he said. “It was pretty meaningful.”
After living in Germany for two years, the family is set to return to the United States in six months, and had wanted to visit Rome one last time before going back.
“We basically just went to Rome to see the Pope,” Smith said, explaining that they had initially planned to attend the general audience in January while visiting a friend in Italy, but had to cancel the Rome portion of the trip because the Pope was in South America.
However, it wasn't their first time meeting the Vicar of Christ. Though it was their first interaction with Pope Francis, Brian, Kelle and their three oldest children met Benedict XVI during his Mass for Pentecost in 2010.
“One thing about both of them is that popes love babies,” he said, recalling that as soon as Benedict entered St. Peter's Basilica “he saw the children and he just ignored everybody else and came for the kids and blessed them.”
“So my older three kids don't have an excuse,” he joked, “because they've been blessed by two popes.”
Smith said that while he is excited to return to his home in Texas for a few years, he has enjoyed living in Europe, where, despite a general decline in the practice of the Christian faith, “there's still so many great sites...Pretty much all of modern Europe is based on 1,000 years of the Church being here. So it's great.”
Highlights of their time in Europe have included visits to Fatima, Orvieto and Lourdes, where Smith participated in the annual military pilgrimage to the shrine, as well as many other places where saints are buried.
However, Smith said perhaps the biggest highlight was having his son Bobby – who is named after Jesuit St. Robert Bellarmine – baptized by a Jesuit priest he knows during Mass celebrated at the saint's tomb in Rome.
“This has been a great posting for us,” he said, “because you hear about things but America is not really a Catholic country, so it's great to be able to see all of these pilgrimage places, it's a great blessing.”
Reported by CNA 3 hours ago.
↧
Europe’s top 10 dribblers: Hazard, Messi, Costa, Coman & more
It's what gets you on the edge of your seat, it's what creates excitement. These are the best at doing just that.
The post Europe’s top 10 dribblers: Hazard, Messi, Costa, Coman & more appeared first on teamtalk.com. Reported by Team Talk 3 hours ago.
The post Europe’s top 10 dribblers: Hazard, Messi, Costa, Coman & more appeared first on teamtalk.com. Reported by Team Talk 3 hours ago.
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Zimbabwe:Contrary to Reports, Finance Minister Welcome in Germany
[The Herald] Germany has said it is ready to engage Zimbabwe on long-term projects, and has denied reports that it refused entry to Zimbabwe's envoy to Europe, Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who has so far held successful engagements with British and French authorities.
Reported by allAfrica.com 2 hours ago.
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↧
Deadly storm batters US East Coast as Europe's big freeze persists
Falling trees claimed at least seven lives in the United States, with children among the dead
Reported by euronews 18 minutes ago.
↧
Iran calls on U.S., Europe to scrap nuclear arms, missiles
"The condition for negotiating Iran's missiles is the destruction of the nuclear weapons and long-range missiles of the United States and Europe."
Reported by Jerusalem Post 2 hours ago.
↧
Hardliners give cautious welcome to May's Brexit vision
LONDON (Reuters) - The head of a hardline group of pro-Brexit lawmakers on Saturday gave a cautious welcome to Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for Britain's future ties with Europe, saying now was not the time to nitpick.
Reported by Reuters 1 hour ago.
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