News & Current Events

[ad_1] Pope Francis, who passed away aged 88, will be remembered as a revolutionary pontiff who worked to reshape the Catholic Church into a more inclusive and compassionate institution. From embracing the poor and migrants to showing unexpected support for LGBTQ+ believers, his decade-long papacy was defined by a willingness to confront centuries-old dogma and face down conservative opposition.Elected in 2013 following Pope Benedict XVI’s historic resignation, Francis immediately signalled a shift in tone. Rejecting the opulence of papal palaces, he chose to live in modest Vatican guesthouse rooms, calling for “a poor Church for the poor.” Named after Saint Francis of Assisi, the Argentine pope brought humility and humanity to the papacy — and in doing so, attracted both admiration and fierce resistance.Support for LGBTQ+ and remarried CatholicsFrancis’s now-famous remark, “Who am I to judge?” in response to questions […]

[ad_1] WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA: Susan de Meyer's horses have different effects on different children. Hyperactive kids learn to be a little quieter around them while nonverbal children are moved to communicate and to bond with them. De Meyer runs a program in the southern African country of Namibia that harnesses the power but also the gentleness of horses to help children with learning disabilities and conditions like ADHD and autism. Each weekday morning, de Meyer's dusty paddock just outside the capital, Windhoek, is enlivened by a group of eight to 10 children from one of the special schools she helps. The children ride the horses, groom them, stroke them and often, de Meyer says, talk to them. De Meyer grew up on a farm surrounded by horses and they've always been part of her life. She said they have a quality […]

[ad_1] South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace posted a profanity-laced video on social media over the weekend, showing a heated confrontation with a man who accused her of avoiding in-person town halls. The incident, which unfolded in a makeup store, quickly escalated into a shouting match filled with expletives, personal jabs, and political accusations.In the clip, the man challenges Mace on her town hall schedule, prompting her to film the encounter and respond, “You could have gone to a dozen town halls last year.” She added that she has already held one this year and plans to “do plenty more,” saying, “you’re always invited.”When the man continued pressing her, Mace snapped, “Do you want to keep going? You want to keep harassing me?” At one point, she brought up her record on gay marriage, stating, “And by the way, I […]

[ad_1] A British Airways staff member was found dead in his hotel accommodation during a stopover in the US.The return journey to Britain was cancelled by distressed crew members after they found his body at their San Francisco accommodation on Tuesday.Concern arose when the well-liked flight attendant did not appear for the scheduled return service to Heathrow after being in the city for 48 hours.The flight deck crew departed for San Francisco airport separately, whilst other crew members waited in the hotel lobby. Upon his non-appearance, they were taken to his room, where he had reportedly remained undiscovered for two days. Investigations into the cause of death are ongoing.The cancellation affected numerous travellers, who received hotel accommodation and were subsequently rebooked on alternative flights.A source told The Sun: "There was no way the flight back from San Francisco could go […]

[ad_1] Rows of trees were found chopped down across the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. Social media users shared photos of trees slashed with a chainsaw on South Grand Avenue and nearby areas, just before Earth Day. The Los Angeles Times reported that the police department has no details about the incident. According to ABC 7, security guards at two different buildings in the area said surveillance footage showed an unidentified person on a bicycle carrying a chainsaw. Images by users showed clean cuts at the base or midway up tree trunks, with some trees barely hanging by threads of bark. A Reddit user claimed that every tree between 1st Street and Wilshire Boulevard was affected. Photos show fallen trees at intersections including Olympic Boulevard and Hope Street, and Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue. Many of the targeted […]

[ad_1] Harvard University, Donald Trump (AP photo) The United States government planned to withdraw another $1 billion in federal grants and health research contracts from Harvard University, escalating conflict over institutional autonomy, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.The administration announced last Monday its decision to suspend $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in contract value after Harvard's refusal to comply with policy requirements.Officials were caught off guard when the university disclosed a letter from the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, according to the Journal's Sunday report."Before Monday, the administration was planning to treat Harvard more leniently than Columbia University, but now officials want to apply even more pressure to the nation's most prominent university, according to the people," the Journal reports. "People familiar with Harvard's response say there was no agreement to keep the letter private, and […]

[ad_1] Gunmen launched a violent attack on a Chinese-owned hydroelectric power plant under construction in southern Chile on Sunday, setting fire to dozens of vehicles and construction equipment.The targeted facility, the Rucalhue power plant, is being built by Rucalhue Energia Spa, a subsidiary of China International Water and Electric Corporation (CWE), with a projected investment of $350 million. It is located along the Biobio River, about 550 kilometers (340 miles) south of Santiago.According to police chief Renzo Miccono, the armed attackers threatened security personnel before setting fire to the site. "They proceeded to burn all the equipment there was at the site," he said.The assault led to the destruction of 45 trucks and five pieces of earth-moving machinery. Two security guards were injured during the incident.The comes amid the ongoing opposition from Indigenous communities that the project is facing. Critics […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump on Easter Sunday issued a stern message to international trade partners, posting an eight-point list of alleged “non-tariff cheating” practices that he claimed could damage relations with the United States. Among the listed tactics were currency manipulation, government subsidies, counterfeiting, and transshipping to evade tariffs. The post comes shortly after Trump announced a 90-day suspension of reciprocal tariffs for most US trade allies—excluding China. Speaking to reporters last Thursday in the Oval Office, Trump said discussions with Beijing were ongoing. “Yeah, we're talking to China. I would say they have reached out a number of times,” he said.Trump’s ‘non-tariff cheating’ list: Currency manipulation VATs which act as tariffs and export subsidies Dumping below cost Export subsidies and other government subsidies Protective agricultural standards (e.g., no genetically engineered corn in EU) Protective technical standards (Japan's bowling […]

[ad_1] Two days before their planned visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, 27 French lawmakers and local officials were informed on Sunday that their entry visas had been revoked. The group, which included members of France's left-wing ecologist and communist parties, said the trip was meant to promote international cooperation and peace, reported news agency AFP.The French consulate in Jerusalem had invited the lawmakers for a five-day official programme. However, Israel’s interior ministry cancelled their visas under a law that allows authorities to bar individuals considered a threat to national interests. Among those banned were national assembly deputies Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbiere, Julie Ozenne, communist deputy Soumya Bourouaha, and senator Marianne Margate. Other participants included mayors and local elected officials. In a joint statement, they described the move as “collective punishment” and a “major rupture in diplomatic ties.” They […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump (File Image) US President Donald Trump on Sunday said Russia and Ukraine could reach an agreement "this week," possibly to end their war of more than three years. He also said the two rivals could then do "big business" with the United States and "make a fortune.""Hopefully Russia amd (sic) Ukraine will make a deal this week. Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a big fortune!" Trump posted to his Truth Social network.However, he did not share details of any progress in peace talks Washington has sought to push forward between Moscow and Kyiv, since he took over from Joe Biden in January.The US president's Truth Social post comes just days after his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, warned that Washington could […]