News & Current Events

[ad_1] Cardinal Robert Prevost made his first public appearance as Pope on Thursday evening, moments after the traditional white smoke signalled that the conclave of cardinals had reached a decision. He stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and greeted tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square with the words, “Peace be with you.” He succeeds Pope Francis, who passed away recently. Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is the first American in history to lead the Roman Catholic Church. He addressed the crowd in Italian and Spanish, emphasising peace and dialogue “without fear.” The 69-year-old said he was an Augustinian, a Christian and a bishop, “so we can all walk together.” Who is Cardinal Robert Prevost? Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago, Illinois, and ordained as a priest in 1982, according to New York Times. He […]

[ad_1] Representative Image (AI-generated) Mali's suspension of political parties' activities is a violation of basic human rights and must be immediately repealed, United Nations experts said on Thursday.The Sahel nation's ruling junta on Wednesday suspended political parties' activities "until further notice for reasons of public order", amid opposition protests against the military government's ramped-up crackdown on dissent.It constitutes the latest act of repression of dissenting voices in an already shrinking civic space in the west African country, ruled by the military since two coups, in 2020 and 2021."This decree suspending political activities must be immediately repealed," three independent UN experts said in a statement.The UN's top independent expert on the rights situation in Mali, along with the special rapporteurs on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, condemned the adoption in Mali on April 30 of a bill repealing […]

[ad_1] This photo shows the state's death chamber in Columbia, SC, including the electric chair and a firing squad chair (Image: AP) A man who was put to death last month in South Carolina's second firing squad execution was conscious and likely in extreme pain for as long as a minute after the bullets, meant to quickly stop his heart, struck him lower than expected, according to a pathologist hired by his attorneys. An autopsy photo of Mikal Mahdi's torso showed only two distinct wounds from the three volunteer prison employees who all had live ammunition in the April 11 execution, according to the pathologist's report, which was filed Thursday with a letter to the state Supreme Court titled "notice of botched execution." Mahdi chose to be executed by firing squad over lethal injection or electrocution in the killing of […]

[ad_1] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, receives Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani during his official visit to Turkey (Photo: AP) ANKARA, TURKEY: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani arrived in Turkey on Thursday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as their two neighboring countries move forward with efforts to strengthen cooperation and repair previously tense ties. The talks in Ankara are expected to focus on a new peace effort between Turkey and a Kurdish militant group that has a foothold in Iraq, as well as water supplies to Iraq. Erdogan's office said that Turkish and Iraqi officials will ink a series of cooperation agreements during the visit. Relations between Turkey and Iraq were often strained over Turkish military incursions into northern Iraq for operations against the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and the establishment of Turkish […]

[ad_1] Sweden foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (Photo: AP) STOCKHOLM: Sweden's foreign minister met with her Turkish counterpart on Thursday to demand the release of a Swedish journalist convicted in Turkey of insulting the country's president, the Swedish foreign ministry said.The meeting was held on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Warsaw, the ministry told AFP."I met with the Turkish foreign minister (Hakan Fidan), we talked about (journalist) Joakim Medin and I clearly said that I wanted him to return home soon," Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told the Expressen daily.Medin, who works for Swedish newspaper Dagens ETC, was detained at Istanbul airport on March 27 when he flew in to cover the mass protests gripping Turkey.A Turkish court last month handed the 40-year-old an 11-month suspended sentence on charges of insulting President Recep […]

[ad_1] LONDON: King Charles III on Thursday joined veterans and other members of the royal family at London's Westminster Abbey for a service to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.Arriving at the abbey, Charles and his eldest son Prince William laid wreaths at the church's tomb of the unknown warrior.War-time prime minister Winston Churchill's 10-year-old great-great-grandson Alexander was due to light a candle of peace during the service, which was preceded by a national two-minute silence."It feels really amazing that I can represent my family and also the younger generation to know and remember everyone involved in World War II," the younger Churchill said.Other younger members of the congregation will hand out white roses to veterans.This year's commemorations have had an extra poignancy due to the great age of the dwindling band of those still alive […]

[ad_1] Representative Image (AI) Peruvian journalist Raul Celis Lopez has been shot in the head by two unidentified men on a motorbike as he was heading to work in Iquitos by motorbike taxi on Wednesday.Lopez had reported from Iquitos, deep in the Peruvian Amazon, for more than three decades.The 70-year-old radio host had regularly discussed corruption and the violence of the armed gangs that plague Iquitos on his daily current affairs program."None of his personal belongings were taken, a strong indication that this was a targeted execution," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a statement on WednesdaCondemnation of killingPress freedom organizations were quick to condemn the killing.The Inter American Press Association lamented the murder of a journalist "known for his denunciations of corruption, extortion, and crime in the region.""We are deeply alarmed by the upsurge in violence against journalists in […]

[ad_1] WASHINTON: The United States and Britain are expected to announce a trade deal on Thursday that will lower the burden of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs and potentially deliver a political victory for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump said on Wednesday that he would announce a "major trade deal" with a "big, highly respected country," which he did not identify. A US official confirmed the country was Britain, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss talks before an announcement. Starmer's office said the prime minister would give an "update" about US trade talks later in the day. "As you know, talks with the US have been ongoing and you'll hear more from me about that later today," Starmer said at a defence conference in London. The president placed a 10 per cent tax on imports from Britain, as well […]

[ad_1] VATICAN CITY: Cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday to resume voting for a new pope after the first conclave ballot failed to find a winner, sending billowing black smoke through the chapel chimney. Some of the 133 voting cardinals had said they expected a short conclave to replace Pope Francis. But it will likely take a few rounds of voting for one man to secure the two-thirds majority, or 89 ballots, necessary to become the 267th pope. For much of the past century, the conclave has needed between three and 14 ballots to find a pope. John Paul I, the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978, was elected on the fourth ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013. The cardinals opened the secretive, centuries-old ritual Wednesday […]

[ad_1] Bank of England (File Photo AP) LONDON: The Bank of England is widely expected to look past near-term inflationary pressures in the British economy and opt to cut interest rates on Thursday as a result of the potential shock to growth emanating from the tariff policies of the Trump administration. Most economists believe it's a near-certainty that the nine-member monetary policy committee will sanction a quarter-point reduction in the bank's main interest rate, to 4.25%. The decision is to be announced at 12:02 p.m., two minutes later than usual as a result of the two-minute silence for Victory in Europe Day. There's some speculation that some members may opt for an even bigger half-point cut. Economists are going to be particularly interested in the bank's accompanying economic forecasts as they will be the first since US President Donald Trump […]