Top 10 news: Funeral held for hostage mistakenly killed by Israel, Cardinal Becciu sent to prison, & more

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was once an adviser to Pope Francis and was seen as a papal contender himself, has been sentenced to 5.5 years of imprisonment in a historic Vatican fraud trial on Saturday (Dec 16). In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek re-election as an independent candidate in 2024, Russian news agencies reported on Saturday.

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Cardinal Becciu sent to prison for 5.5 years in historic Vatican fraud trial

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Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was once an adviser to Pope Francis and was seen as a papal contender himself, has been sentenced to 5.5 years of imprisonment in a historic Vatican fraud trial on Saturday (Dec 16).

LIVE: Funeral held for hostage mistakenly killed by Israeli army

A hostage who was mistakenly killed by the Israeli military while being held hostage in Gaza by Islamist group Hamas was laid to rest at a funeral in southern Israel on Saturday (December 16). Around 300 people turned out to mourn Samer Fouad Al-Talalka, 25, a member of Israel's Bedouin Arab minority, in his hometown of Hura.

'Independent' Putin is seeking Russian presidency again. Here's what it means

On Saturday, a group of over 700 politicians and figures from the sporting and cultural worlds met in Moscow and gave unanimous endorsement to Vladimir Putin as an independent candidate. Putin announced earlier this month that he will seek another six-year term in March next year in Russian presidential election.

UK destroyer shoots down suspected attack drone 'targeting Red Sea shipping'

A British destroyer shot down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea, defence minister Grant Shapps on Saturday (Dec 16) said in a statement, amid growing maritime tensions in the region."Overnight, HMS Diamond shot down a suspected attack drone which was targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea. One Sea Viper missile was fired and successfully destroyed the target," Shapps said in a statement posted on X.

Parliament security breach: Five accused reveal their plan of self-immolation

The five people, who were arrested for the Parliament security breach on December 13, said that they were earlier considering options of self-immolation and distribution of pamphlets before they decided to jump from the visitors' gallery into the Lok Sabha with smoke canisters, said Delhi Police officials on Saturday (Dec 16).

China: AI giant SenseTime founder Tang Xiao'ou dies days after revenue fabrication row

China's leading artificial intelligence firm SenseTime's founder and influential computer scientist Tang Xiao'ou died at the age of 51, said the company, in a statement on Saturday (Dec 16)."It is with an extremely heavy heart that we announce to everyone the sorrowful news: Our beloved founder... Tang Xiao'ou, due to an illness that could not be treated, left us forever at 23:45 on December 15, 2023," said SenseTime, in an online post.

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf dies at 86, Sheikh Meshal, 83, named successor

The emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Saturday (Dec 16), died at the age of 86, after being in power for three years, said the royal court. “With great sadness and sorrow, we – the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world – mourn the late His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away to his Lord today,” said a statement aired on Kuwaiti state television.

Ireland could become first country in EU to provide nature with a protected status

The Irish government is planning to consider a request to alter the constitution in order to provide nature with a protected status. This could make Ireland the very first country in the European Union to do so.The proposal, recommended by the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, has recommended the government advance a referendum on safeguarding biodiversity. This would grant nature rights similar to that of humans.

PM Modi holds bilateral with Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik as discussions on free trade pact ongoing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tarik, held a bilateral meeting at the Hyderabad House on Saturday (Dec 16), focussing on reinforcing the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two nations.India is the third country Haitham bin Tarik has travelled to followingIran and Singapore after becoming the Sultan of his country.

Biden failing for the poor? US records highest-ever number of homeless people

Homelessness in the United States reached to a record high as it surged to an unprecedented level due to a significant increase in first-time homelessness in the post-pandemic period.The findings of a report released by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday (Dec 15) revealed that over 650,000 individuals experienced homelessness on a single night in January this year, marking a notable 12 per cent rise from the figures reported in 2022.