Foreign

After a lengthy wait, black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel's chimney in the Vatican this evening, meaning that the cardinals have not been able to choose a new pontiff. White smoke billowing out indicates that a new Pope has been elected. Crowds were gathered in their tens of thousands in St Peter's Square for the first vote of conclave - the results of which took more than three hours to announce. Because of the secrecy of the process, experts have pointed out that it might never be known what caused the delay, until after the conclave concludes. But the…

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered senior Pentagon leadership to cut the number of four-star generals and admirals by at least 20% across the military, according to a memo signed by Hegseth dated Monday. As of 2023, there were 37 four-star generals and admirals across the entire military. The memo which was obtained by CNN, directs the Pentagon to cut the number of general officers in the National Guard by 20%, and to cut the total number of general and flag officers across the military by 10%. There are currently about 900 general and flag officers — those with the…

Fortune comes in different shades, but it is sweeter in adversity. It just smiled on Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha, targeted by pro-Israel groups in the United States (U.S) for deportation, as he won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary yesterday. Abu Toha received the prestigious award on Monday, May 5, for essays published in The New Yorker “on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza that combine deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience” of the war. “I have just won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary,” Abu Toha wrote on social media. “Let it bring…

One of Pope Francis' popemobiles, which the late Catholic pontiff used to greet thousands of people, will be turned into a mobile health clinic to help the children of Gaza. Following a request by Pope Francis, the vehicle used during his visit to Bethlehem in 2014 is being refitted with everything needed for frontline care in a war zone, charity organisation Caritas, which is overseeing the project, said. The popemobile is one of a number of specially converted vehicles allowing the pontiff to greet huge crowds of well-wishers during official visits. He was able to sit or stand while it…

United States (U.S) President Donald Trump has denied that he is considering a third presidential term, a move which experts agree is banned under the U.S Constitution. "I'll be an eight-year president, I'll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important," Trump told NBC's Meet the Press programme with Kristen Welker in an interview that aired on Sunday, May 4. Trump, 78, has previously said that he was "not joking" about wanting to serve a third, or even fourth, term as U.S president. He later said his statements were meant to troll the "fake news media." His…

Harry, who quit the British royal family in 2020, says he doesn’t speak to his father amid row over his security detail. The United Kingdom’s Prince Harry has said he wants to reconcile with his family, but his father, King Charles III, will not speak to him amid a row over his security detail, as the fallout from his quitting the British royal family in 2020 continues. In an interview with the BBC on Friday, May 2, Harry, who moved to the United States with his wife, Meghan, said he did not think he would be able to bring his…

Major power outages across large areas of Spain and Portugal, as well as parts of southern France, knocked out traffic lights, disabled ATMs and disrupted public transportation and airport operations on Monday, April 28. Officials did not say what caused the outages, but several denied any foul play. There were traffic jams in Madrid city centre as traffic lights stopped working, Cadena SER radio station reported, as well as people trapped in stalled metro cars and lifts in the Spanish capital. Panicked residents tried in vain to get a signal as the phone lines cut. “There’s no [phone] coverage, I…

At least 68 African migrants have been killed in a United States (U.S) air strike on a detention centre in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen, the armed group's TV channel said on Monday, April, 28. It was not known if there were any Nigerians among the casualties. Al Masirah reported that another 47 migrants were injured, most of them critically, when the centre in Saada province was bombed. It posted graphic footage showing multiple bodies covered in the rubble of a destroyed building. A US defence official said the US military's Central Command was aware of the claims of civilian casualties. The…

Pope Francis's funeral will take place on Saturday in St Peter's Square, the Vatican has confirmed, with hundreds of thousands expected to attend. The head of the Catholic Church died of a stroke on Monday, aged 88, less than 24 hours after leading an Easter address. He had been in poor health after recently battling double pneumonia. A host of world leaders and royals - including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, the Prince of Wales, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, home to the biggest Catholic population in the world - have confirmed their attendance, according to…

Thousands of Christians gathered in the cavernous Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem for a centuries-old Holy Fire ceremony, Al Jazeera reports. Holding unlit candles, they packed into the sprawling 12th-century basilica built on the site where, according to tradition, Jesus was crucified and buried. The development came as Catholic Pontiff Pope Francis made a brief appearance in Rome before thousands of Catholic pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday mass. He urged for a ceasefire in Gaza. In near-total darkness, the Greek patriarch,at the Holy Fire ceremony, entered the Holy Edicule and emerged…