Pope Francis resumes public audiences a month after major surgery
CBSN
Rome — A month after being hospitalized for colon surgery, Pope Francis resumed his weekly public audiences Wednesday, using the event to mark the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion and to reiterate his intention to visit Lebanon. A smiling Francis walked without assistance before a crowd of several hundred tourists and pilgrims in a Vatican auditorium, where he recalled the "victims, their families, the injured and all those who lost homes and work" in the Beirut blast.
"My desire to visit you is great," Francis said. The pope underwent planned surgery on July 4 to remove half of his colon following a severe narrowing of his large intestine. It was his first major surgery since he became pope in 2013. It was scheduled for early July when the pope's audiences are suspended anyway and Francis would normally take some time off.Berlin — German authorities say they have arrested two people suspected of spying for Russia. The suspects, identified as German-Russian nationals, are accused of scouting targets for potential attacks, including U.S. military facilities in Germany, the Federal Public Prosecutor General for Karlsruhe said in a statement released Thursday.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding portions of major highways, leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai and grinding traffic at the city-state's huge international airport briefly to a complete halt. Meanwhile, the death toll from separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18, with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.
Paris — Five years have passed since Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames. The iconic spire and timber roof were destroyed in the blaze. People around the world were shocked at the scale of the fire and the damage it caused, but work to restore the iconic landmark to its former glory continues.