Saudi authorities have said the disaster happened as two waves of pilgrims converged on a narrow road, causing hundreds of people to suffocate or be trampled to death. The bishops are debating how the church can better care for Catholic families at a time when divorce is common and civil unions are on the rise. Chile said Monday that it is protecting more than 200,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean near Easter Island from commercial fishing and oil and gas exploration. The announcement came as top officials, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, attended an international conference on marine protection in Valparaiso. Belarusian independent media outlets on Monday accused the government of blocking their websites less than a week before presidential elections, describing it as an attack against free press. The publications said their sites were attacked after they ran stories about university students being forced to go to a public prayer attended by President Alexander Lukashenko and his 12-year-old son. European creditors meeting in Luxembourg voiced hope Monday that Greece’s newly elected government will deliver on promises to overhaul its economy, which would pave the way to the release of billions of bailout cash and potential help on debt repayments.
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