'His presence brings peace and joy!'-  Pope Leo arrives in Beirut for 3-day visit

'His presence brings peace and joy!'- Pope Leo arrives in Beirut for 3-day visit

"Pope Leo XIV arrived in Beirut on Sunday for a three-day visit to Lebanon, his second stop after travelling to Turkey, marking his first overseas tour since succeeding the late Pope Francis last May. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was on hand at Rafic Hariri International Airport to greet him. Footage shows the pontiff receiving an official reception as he disembarked the Vatican plane, with ceremonial honours and welcoming delegations gathered on the runway. “As the Lebanese people, we warmly welcomed and were very happy with the Pope’s visit. His presence brings peace, joy, and love, and it is a blessing. God willing, peace will prevail throughout Lebanon,” said Janet Jabbara, one of the Pope’s greeters. “In Lebanon, we have come through an explosion, a crisis, and an economic crisis as well. The Pope came to give us hope for all Christians in Lebanon, telling us: You are not alone, we support you,” another greeter added. During his three-day programme, Pope Leo XIV will hold meetings with senior officials, civil society figures, diplomats and religious leaders. He is also set to lead a commemorative mass at the site of the Beirut port explosion, which devastated large parts of the capital in 2020. The visit comes at a highly sensitive moment for the region, amid escalating Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese territory and renewed warnings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of potential military action should Beirut fail to disarm Hezbollah. Israel has carried out multiple strikes inside Lebanon since a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect on November 27, 2024."

Dancing on ice! - Red Square's iconic GUM ice rink opens with Cinderella and Prince Charming wowing crowds in Moscow

Dancing on ice! - Red Square's iconic GUM ice rink opens with Cinderella and Prince Charming wowing crowds in Moscow

"The grand opening of the iconic GUM department store ice rink and festive fair on Red Square took place in Moscow on Sunday, attracting hundreds of residents and tourists to the city centre. Footage shows dancers performing a selection from the upcoming Cinderella on ice show, directed by Russian figure skater and 2006 Olympic champion Tatiana Navka. "I think all girls dreamed of being Cinderella when they were little. Every girl should have her prince. This fairy tale is exactly about that; about how anything can happen in life," Navka said. "You just have to believe in goodness, believe in miracles, and stick to your principles." Footage also shows Russian Ice Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretiak, Serbian-Russian actor Milos Bikovic, Russian actress Tatiana Mikhalkova and Russian singer Philipp Kirkorov. Ice dancer and 2022 Olympic silver medalist Nikita Katsalapov explained that the performance focused on Cinderella meeting her Prince Charming - but they wouldn’t be giving everything away just yet! "Preparations are in full swing, but we won’t reveal all our secrets. We are working very hard, day and night. We are preparing a grand project, as always," he revealed. Meanwhile, visitors said they were astonished by the decorations, scale and the overall feel of the event. "The atmosphere is wonderful and festive, the mood is just great. Everything is for the people," said one, Kirill. The GUM ice rink is open all winter until March 1. This year’s design concept was inspired by old Russian folk art - painted clay figurines, or Dymkovo toys."