News & Current Events

[ad_1] CHICAGO: After white smoke billowed Thursday from the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a pope had been chosen, students in every classroom at The Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago had their eyes glued to TV screens. As the image of the new pope, Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost, appeared onscreen, cheers erupted through the hallways. Children jumped out of their seats, pumping their hands in the air. "Our students are just beside themselves," said Mary Perrotti, director of advancement at the school. "They're beyond excited and can't believe a Chicagoan is their new pope. They were in awe." Prevost, 69, took the name Leo XIV and replaced Pope Francis, who died last month. The first American elected pontiff, Pope Leo XIV was born and raised in Chicago before undertaking his ministry in Peru. Catholic Chicagoans gathered in churches and […]

[ad_1] US vlogger says he's stuck in Pakistan amid rising tension. American blogger Drew Binskyannounced on Instagram that he's stuck in Pakistan amid tensions between India and Pakistan. He said he's doing alright and he loves Pakistan, urging both countries to make peace not war.Binsky is a travel vlogger who was recently in India and experienced "the worst business class" flight."I’m stuck in Pakistan right now due to the conflict with India, and all airports are closed. Thanks for all your thoughts and messages - I’m doing okay! I love this country and excited to continue exploring the Northern regions until I can get out," Drew Binksy wrote in his post. In the voiceover, he described a protest that was going on at the place where he was when he was taking the video. He also said people are mostly […]

[ad_1] Ed Martin was spat by an unidentified woman as he was giving an interview. Ed Martin, whom President Donald Trump initially nominated to serve as the top federal prosecutor for Washington, DC, was giving an interview standing on the road. A woman who was walking a dog appeared on the camera and confirmed that he was Ed Martin.In a fraction of second, the woman spit on Ed Martin and walked away saying, "You are a disgusting man."The video went viral with MAGA calling the woman a psychotic lib, a childless cat lady (she has a dog), unhinged etc. But the identity of the woman is not yet known. Ed Martin was dropped from the nomination in favor of Fox News fixture judge Jeanine Pirro. Ed Martin has given a new 'consolation' post as an associate deputy attorney general and […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump on Friday floated slashing tariffs on China to 80% ahead of a weekend meeting, signaling a possible move to ease tensions in the ongoing trade war."80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B," Trump posted on Truth Social referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is one of the US officials set to speak with counterparts from China at a meeting in Switzerland.In a separate post Trump said, "China should open up its market to USA — would be so good for them!!! closed markets don't work anymore!!!"The proposed 80% duty represents a considerable decrease from the existing 145% tariff imposed on numerous Chinese products. Nevertheless, this rate remains significantly higher than the standard 10% tariff established in the recently announced US-UK trade agreement on Thursday.China remains one of the United States' biggest […]

[ad_1] VATICAN CITY: Leo XIV urged the Catholic Church to "desperately" counter a lack of faith in his first homily as pope Friday, a day after the modest cardinal largely unknown to the world become the first US head of the 2,000-year institution.Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost on Thursday became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and successor to Argentina's Pope Francis, after a secret conclave by his fellow cardinals in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.In today's world, Leo warned in his homily to assembled cardinals, there are places or situations where "it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied"."Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed," said the new pope, […]

[ad_1] ISLAMABAD: Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party on Friday filed a petition in the high court here seeking his release from jail, claiming a threat to his life due to the impact of the prolonged detention on his health and in view of the current situation with India.Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party, in a WhatsApp message, said that the party's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur approached theIslamabad high court for the release of the party founder. Khan, 72, has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail of Rawalpindi, the garrison city, since mid-2023 in connection with multiple cases. "The Islamabad high court has been approached for the release of Imran Khan. An application has been filed by chief minister KP Ali Amin," the party said. "It has been requested that in view of the current war situation […]

[ad_1] File photo: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Picture credit: AP) Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said “you cannot spy against an ally” as tensions rose Thursday over reports that the United States has intensified intelligence-gathering efforts in Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory long eyed by US President Donald Trump.The comments came after Denmark summoned the top American diplomat in the country following a Wall Street Journal report that senior US intelligence officials under director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had ordered agencies to probe Greenland’s independence movement and attitudes toward US resource extraction on the mineral-rich Arctic island.Quoted by news agency Associated Press, Frederiksen called the allegations “rumors” in an international newspaper but made clear that such espionage, if true, would be unacceptable. “You cannot spy against an ally,” she said. “It’s that simple.”Jennifer Hall Godfrey, the acting head […]

[ad_1] File photo: Former US President Joe Biden (Picture credit: AP) Former US President Joe Biden has said he takes some responsibility for Donald Trump’s election win in 2024 but strongly defended his time in office, blaming a lack of messaging and Republican obstruction for voter dissatisfaction.In an interview on ‘The View’, Biden said, “Yes, I do,” when asked if he bore any responsibility for the Democrats’ defeat. “Because look, I was in charge, and he won, so I take responsibility.” However, he also claimed that if he had stayed in the race, he could have beaten Trump, a view he’s expressed before.Biden added he was not surprised that former Vice President Kamala Harris lost, saying her opponents “went the sexist route,” while also citing the “phenomenal negative impact” of the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, he called Harris “first rate” and […]

[ad_1] File photo: Rep Jasmine Crockett (Picture credit: AP) Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is facing fierce backlash online after suggesting that Republicans are “inherently” violent and aligned with domestic terrorist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan. Speaking on a recent podcast, Crockett said, “Y’all got the white supremacists galore… the Proud Boys, the neo-Nazis… even the KKK. So like inherently in who you are, y’all are violent.”She acknowledged that violence exists on all sides but argued Republican-aligned groups pose a particular threat. “You attract violent actors,” she said, dismissing right-wing claims about liberal violence. “They try to make Black Lives Matter out to be the most violent… no, no, no”, she added.Crockett’s comments sparked outrage, particularly among conservatives and Republicans on social media. One user fumed, “She’s so dumb it hurts.” Another wrote, “The KKK were Democrats, you moron!” Others […]

[ad_1] This is an AI-generated image, used for representational purposes only. An underwater volcano roughly 300 miles off the Oregon coast is rumbling back to life, with scientists warning that an eruption could take place any time before the end of the year.Known asAxial Seamount, the volcano lies nearly a mile beneath the ocean’s surface and has been showing clear signs of activity in recent weeks.As per NBC News, researchers recorded over 1,000 earthquakes per day in late March and early April. Bill Chadwick, a volcanologist at Oregon State University who has studied Axial for three decades, said, “The seafloor is actually rising, and that’s a big signal.” This swelling indicates magma is accumulating beneath the structure, a known precursor to eruption.The volcano, located on both a geological hot spot and the tectonic boundary between the Pacific and Juan de […]