/news/world/rss ob体育接口 Keep up with the latest developments and breaking news around the globe with Newstalk ob体育接口. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 22:36:29 Z en /news/world/pope-francis-death-ultra-conservatives-are-pushing-for-a-pope-like-them-why-it-might-not-happen/ /news/world/pope-francis-death-ultra-conservatives-are-pushing-for-a-pope-like-them-why-it-might-not-happen/ In the crush of Catholic Church news in the week since Pope Francis died, a theme keeps appearing in social media memes and quotes from the commentariat: hope, even optimism, that the next pontiff will be a true conservative, someone from the ranks of what was a passionate traditionalist opposition to Pope Francis. “Conservative Wisconsin bishop who could become first American Pope,” was the Daily Mail Online headline about Raymond Burke, a staunch advocate for the traditional Latin Mass. The Reverend Gerald Murray, a conservative commentator, told Newsmax TV that the cardinals selecting the new Pope are “going to return to a more John Paul II-, Benedict-style and substance of governance in the church”. It may be so much wishful thinking. Some arch-conservatives are campaigning to propel one of their own to the forefront of discussions over Pope Francis’ successor. Burke is among those whose name has placed high on some circulating lists, for unspecified reasons. Other hardline conservatives, including Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea and Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, have managed to land among the favourites with the gambling firm William Hill. But close church-watchers say the rumour mill about a hard-right post-Pope Francis turn rather reflects the built-up longings of a small but passionate, devoted and loud segment of the American church. After enduring a Pope for more than a decade whom some saw as damaging to the faith, American conservatives think this might be their moment. The faithful confess after visiting the tomb of Pope Francis to pay their respects at St Mary Major Basilica in Rome. Photo / Washington Post “A large number of American conservative Catholics would basically dream of having Cardinal Burke as the next Pope, but they’re disconnected to reality,” said Alejandro Bermúdez, a long-time figure in American conservative Catholic media who is consulting for the news site Catholic Vote. A senior Vatican official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to frame internal discussions dismissed Burke and Sarah – and candidates like them – out of hand. “There is no space for them in the [minds of] the vast majority of the cardinals. They’ve got zero chance.” Of Turkson, a senior cleric who speaks six languages and is a favourite of traditionalists, the official noted that his removal by Pope Francis from a senior position in 2021 appeared to diminish his chances. Several other Vatican-watchers agreed. The Reverend Thomas Reese, an American priest who has written several books about the inner workings of the Catholic Church and has closely followed papal conclaves, called reports of an ultraconservative front-runner “nonsense”. Some 80% of the cardinals were appointed by Pope Francis, Reese told the Washington Post, “and they are not going to elect someone who is then going to stand up and say that the Francis papacy was a disaster and we’re going back to the old church. That is not going to happen”. Reese said he thinks cardinals will look this time for a moderate. But what does that word mean? To some US conservatives, it means backing off things that seem to demote or dismiss traditional practices or doctrine: removing limitations Pope Francis put on the Latin Mass; refraining from things like establishing special policies around blessing LGBTQ couples; no futzing around with rules and traditions – such as appointing so many cardinals that the number is now over the norm. The Reverend Robert Sirico, a Michigan-based priest-commentator who went from same-sex marriage advocate to free-market conservative, said he thinks most US conservatives want a compromise on matters like the traditional Latin Mass, the ancient form of Catholic worship that Pope Francis strictly limited in 2021, saying it was becoming a sign of rebellion against the modern church. The Mass is said in Latin with the priest facing away from the congregation. “Overall, conservative Catholics would just like some clarity and theological substance from Rome,” he wrote in an email to the Post. “I have heard from ‘folks in the pew’ that they would also appreciate clear theological teaching on a host of matters (not all related to the hot-button issues) rather than what appears to have been an obsession with politics.” Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, a long-time Francis critic, said it was inappropriate to separate cardinals into “these wrong categories, between conservative and liberal. Because Jesus didn’t found two wings [of the church] ... there’s one church and the church is united in the faith in Jesus Christ. And there is no conservative baptism or the progressive baptism,” he said in an interview with the Post. Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller poses for a portrait in his office near St Peter's Square in Vatican City. Photo / Washington Post Yet some senior church conservatives have been extremely vocal in lobbying before the conclave, seeing the coming election as crucial to their bid to redirect the church after 12 years of Pope Francis’ “open door,” through which he reached out to groups including LGBTQ+ people and divorced and remarried Catholics. Some relatively conservative cardinals are considered serious candidates, led by Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary. But Erdo was never seen as part of the anti-Pope Francis set of archconservative bishops and cardinals who were extremely vocal in their criticism of the Pope, and who Pope Francis, in his last years, began to punish through demotions and removal of perks. Marco Politi, a long-time Vatican commentator, told the Post that “behind the scenes”, the “low-level helpers of the conservatives are busy” promoting the idea around the conclave that Pope Francis’ papacy was “a disaster”, he said. The point is to “intimidate the reformers. We are in the first stage of the manoeuvres.” “As we say in Italy, ‘It’s just tricks for the stupid’,” Politi said, in response to the circulation of names like Sarah and Burke. The promotion of conservative candidates from some corners started almost immediately after Pope Francis’ death was announced. “Meet Cardinal Robert Sarah, who’s in the running to be the next Pontiff. He’s conservative, pro-life, anti-woke,” far-right influencer Ian Miles Cheong wrote on X on April 21, the day Pope Francis died. “Already Cardinal Robert Sarah is trending,” The Pillar, a popular US Catholic news site, wrote of the Guinean cleric who strongly opposes priestly blessings of same-gender couples, noting the uptick in chatter while downplaying Sarah’s prospects. Since then, some outlets have also sought to link Burke and President Donald Trump – apparently based on previous, flattering statements Burke has made about Trump, but also absent any evidence that the President has expressed a papal preference. Messages left for the White House press office as to the President’s views on the conclave, and Burke, weren’t returned. Social media campaigns are also running rampant. A 2019 video of one of the leading liberal contenders – Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines – singing John Lennon’s ballad Imagine has gone viral. Some conservatives have shared it as evidence that Tagle is unworthy of being selected Pope because of the song’s lyrics, which include the lines “Imagine there’s no heaven ... and no religion, too”. In pre-conclave meetings among cardinals that began last week – known as congregations – some conservatives have been lobbying for a traditionalist Pope. Bishop Athanasius Schneider, a conservative auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, has been advocating for a leader free from “the materialistic, morally depraved and anti-Christian globalist agenda of this world” with a willingness to defend “the integrity of ... Church discipline”. “May all true sons and daughters of the Church implore the miracle of the election of a new Pope, who will be fully Catholic, fully Apostolic and fully Roman,” Schneider wrote in an open letter. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 03:09:49 Z /news/world/trump-administration-fires-holocaust-museum-board-members-including-emhoff/ /news/world/trump-administration-fires-holocaust-museum-board-members-including-emhoff/ The Trump administration terminated members of the US Holocaust Memorial Council, including Doug Emhoff. Emhoff condemned the politicisation of Holocaust remembrance, emphasising its danger and dishonour to victims. The White House plans to appoint new members supportive of Israel, sparking criticism of the move. The Trump administration has terminated members of the board that oversees the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, including Doug Emhoff, the husband of former vice-president Kamala Harris. “Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” Emhoff said in a statement posted to social media. “Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicised. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous – and it dishonours the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.” The White House confirmed to The Washington Post that President Donald Trump is planning to appoint new members to the board, though it stopped short of confirming the reports that it terminated members of the current board. The Holocaust Museum in Washington is seen in August 2020. Photo / The Washington Post “President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honour the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to The Post. On Tuesday morning (local time), some board members received a termination email from Mary Sprowls of the White House presidential personnel office. According to board member Alan D. Solomont, who received the email, it read: “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” Emhoff, who is Jewish, has been outspoken against the rise in antisemitism. Other terminated board members included Jon Finer, the former deputy national security adviser, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private conversation. Both Emhoff and Finer were among the members appointed to the board by President Joe Biden in January 2025. The Holocaust Memorial Museum is a nonprofit federal institution funded by federal appropriations and private contributions. It attracts millions of visitors every year who learn about and memorialise the millions of people who were killed in the Holocaust. The museum was first authorised by Congress in 1980 and opened in 1993. The board of trustees, known as the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, typically meets twice a year. The council traditionally has 68 members, including 55 members appointed by the president, as well as 10 members added by the Senate and House of Representatives. Three more members were appointed by the Departments of State, Interior and Education. Members usually serve five-year terms, with 11 members’ terms expiring each year. “At this time of high antisemitism and Holocaust distortion and denial, the Museum is gratified that our visitation is robust and demand for Holocaust education is increasing,” the museum said in a statement to the Post. “We look forward to continuing to advance our vitally important mission as we work with the Trump administration.” Amy Spitalnick, chief executive of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, condemned the terminations in a post on X: “This administration appears to be doing everything in its power to turn antisemitism into a political wedge – and it makes Jews, and everyone, less safe.” Andrew Weinstein, a former board member at the museum, disapproved, too. “The primary mission of the museum is to advance knowledge of the Holocaust and preserve the memory of its victims,” he wrote on Bluesky. “Removing Biden appointees is petty and vindictive and distracts from this important work.” The Trump administration’s decision to fire board members has been a running theme amid the president’s first 100 days back in the White House. In February, Trump purged the Kennedy Centre’s board members appointed by Biden and made himself the board’s chairman in what many have described as a “takeover”. In March, the president’s sweeping executive order aimed to eliminate what he considered “anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution. The order singled out the National Museum of African American History and Culture, drawing outrage from Democrats. The Trump administration also attempted to terminate board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in April. The email sent by Trump officials to the Holocaust museum’s board members was an almost line-for-line copy of what was sent to the CPB, a non-profit organisation created by Congress that provides funding to public broadcasters such as NPR and PBS. On Tuesday, the CPB sued the Trump administration, alleging that the president does not have the authority to fire board members there because it’s not a government agency subject to the decisions of the executive branch. In a statement to the Post, the Trump administration said it does have the authority to make these decisions: “As numerous courts have repeatedly affirmed, the Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority,” White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers said in a statement. “The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.” Herb Scribner is a breaking news reporter for features at The Washington Post. Praveena Somasundaram is a reporter on The Washington Post’s General Assignment desk. Wed, 30 Apr 2025 01:24:22 Z /news/world/beautiful-job-trump-faithful-applaud-president-at-100-day-mark/ /news/world/beautiful-job-trump-faithful-applaud-president-at-100-day-mark/ Supporters celebrated Donald Trump‘s first 100 days back in office at a rally in Michigan. The event highlighted Trump’s immigration crackdown and right-wing agenda, sparking mixed reactions from attendees. Some praised Trump’s actions, while others voiced concerns about deportations and economic policies. With music blasting and flags flying, supporters of Donald Trump celebrated his barnstorming first 100 days back in office as they gathered in Michigan in a party-like atmosphere to see the US President speak. “He’s done a beautiful job,” said seller Donna Fitzsimons, 65, as she prepared an array of Trump merchandise — including special “I Was There!” badges to mark the milestone. Throngs of people, many sporting Trump’s famous red baseball cap, filed into the Macomb Community College venue north of US carmaking hub Detroit and near the border of American friend-turned-foe Canada. Tunes blared on speakers in the carpark, including a cover of the Village People’s YMCA that Trump favours at his rallies, which instead spelled out “MAGA” in its chorus — Make American Great Again. US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver a speech marking his 100th day in office at Macomb County Community College Sports Expo Center in Warren, Michigan. Photo / AFP Wednesday’s event marks 100 hectic days in the White House dominated by an immigration crackdown, sweeping levies and a wider right-wing agenda that has pitted Trump against the courts amid complaints of executive overreach. “He’s taken quick action on things,” said janitor Kyle Murphy, 45, who praised Trump for “calling out wokeness” and the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) led by his billionaire ally Elon Musk. Steve Camber, a 60-year-old retired nurse, agreed: “No one can do anything in 100 days that quickly. But I think he’s doing really good, and Doge is doing amazing things.” Today’s event marked Trump’s return to his campaign trail stomping grounds in blue-collar Macomb County, which helped him win the crucial swing state of Michigan. ‘Love’ For some attendees, it was a chance to show their love for the Republican leader. “Any opportunity to see our president is exciting for me,” said Lisa Reeves, a 55-year-old decorator, who sported a sparkly Maga hat. “We love President Trump and his family. We just love their heart for America and the morality that they have for this country.” Still, some at the event voiced reservations about Trump’s actions, as opinion polls have shown a slump in support for the US president since January. Nelly Nkouka, 40, who moved to the United States from Congo in 2005, said she liked that Trump was “honest” but was hesitant about his large-scale deportation of migrants. “I think everybody needs a chance to be here,” the care home supervisor said. “Somebody needs to talk to him about it, to let people have an American dream.” Zaid Hanif, 29, backed Trump’s clampdown on the southern US border but was disappointed about his coziness with Israel, and his failure to make China concede in the countries’ ongoing trade war. Still, he was confident Trump could fix the economic turbulence triggered by stop-start tariffs policies that advocates say will boost American industry. “Obviously, the economy is not too good right now, but to fix it, if you’re not feeling well, you’re going to take some medicine, and medicine doesn’t always taste the best,” said Hanif, a textiles business owner. Fitzsimons, the merchandise seller, agreed: “It takes time to get to where you need to go... Let it play out.”  -Agence France-Presse Wed, 30 Apr 2025 01:13:57 Z /news/world/canada-s-carney-political-newcomer-who-says-he-s-best-in-a-crisis/ /news/world/canada-s-carney-political-newcomer-who-says-he-s-best-in-a-crisis/ Mark Carney, whose Liberal Party won Canada’s election on Monday, has a history of taking on roles at challenging moments. “I’m most useful in a crisis. I’m not that good at peacetime,” he said during the campaign. Carney secured a term as prime minister despite having never served in parliament, which is unprecedented in Canadian history. Even with no government experience, he convinced voters that his background dealing with financial turmoil equipped him to lead Canada through US President Donald Trump’s trade war. A 60-year-old married father of four, Carney was born near the Arctic in Fort Smith, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, but was raised in the western city of Edmonton. Like many Canadians, he played hockey in his youth. He studied at Harvard in the United States and Oxford in England, and made a fortune as an investment banker early in his career at Goldman Sachs, working in New York, London, Tokyo and Toronto. Carney then joined the Canadian civil service, eventually being appointed governor of the Bank of Canada in 2008 by former prime minister Stephen Harper, a conservative. The global financial crisis erupted shortly thereafter, and Carney was among a group of leaders credited with steering Canada through an international meltdown relatively unscathed. In 2013 the United Kingdom’s prime minister, David Cameron, tapped him to head the Bank of England, making Carney the first non-Briton to lead the institution since its founding in 1694. The UK then voted to leave the European Union, and Carney played a key role reassuring markets following the 2016 Brexit vote. When the Canadian announced he was leaving the bank in late 2019, Britain’s then-finance minister, Sajid Javid, said Carney had led “with conviction, rigour and intelligence.” In a recent appearance on a Canadian comedy show, the host -listing the financial crisis, Brexit and Trump’s trade war - joked Carney might be to blame for the economic upheaval that trails him. Laughing, Carney said, “It’s the other way around. I come in to fix these things.” ‘Technocrat’ King Charles meets new Canadian PM Mark Carney at Buckingham Palace. Photo / The Royal Family Reports that Carney had interest in entering Canadian politics have circulated for years. In January, after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his plans to resign, Carney launched a campaign to lead the Liberal Party. Analysts questioned whether a technocrat with no experience in retail politics could energise a party facing dismal polls, as anger towards Trudeau surged after a decade in power. Dalhousie University professor Lori Turnbull has noted Carney “doesn’t have a dynamic communication style”. And yet he went on to win the Liberal Party race, and the general election. Carney had isolated stumbles during the campaign, but experts said his most effective moments were those when he assumed the role of prime minister and assailed Trump in front of a row of Canadian flags. “The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military co-operation is over,” Carney said last month after Trump unveiled his auto tariffs. Touchy subject? After leaving the Bank of England, Carney wrote a book and became a United Nations adviser on climate change and finance. He also returned to the private sector as chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, a major multinational Canadian company. Carney faced tough questions about his private-sector experience, including any role he played in helping Brookfield reduce its Canadian tax burden. He also had tense exchanges with reporters when asked about his personal wealth. Carney was pressed to disclose his assets, including what stocks he held, so voters could judge whether he faced any conflicts as prime minister. He countered that he put all his assets in a blind trust, complying with Canada’s ethics rules. “Look inside yourself,” he said to a reporter who pressed him last month on his decision not to disclose his assets. “You start from a prior of conflict and ill will,” he charged. “I have stood up for Canada. I have left my roles in the private sector at a time of crisis for our country.” -Agence France-Presse Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:41:56 Z /news/world/carney-s-liberals-win-canada-election-defined-by-trump/ /news/world/carney-s-liberals-win-canada-election-defined-by-trump/ Prime Minister Mark Carney won Canada’s election, leading the Liberal Party to a new term. Carney’s campaign focused on his economic experience and an anti-Trump message. The departure of Justin Trudeau and concerns about Trump were key to the Liberal victory. Prime Minister Mark Carney has won Canada’s election, media projected, leading his Liberal Party to a new term in power after convincing voters his experience managing economic crises prepared him to confront US President Donald Trump. The public broadcaster CBC and CTV News both projected the Liberals would form Canada’s next Government, but it was not yet clear if they would hold a majority in parliament. Trump’s trade war and threats to annexe Canada, which he renewed in an election day social media post, outraged Canadians and made dealing with the United States a top campaign issue. Carney, who had never held elected office and only replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister last month, anchored his campaign on an anti-Trump message. He previously served as central bank governor in both Britain and Canada and persuaded voters his global financial experience had prepared him to guide Canada through a trade war. He promised to expand overseas trading relations to curb Canada’s reliance on the US. Carney’s descriptions of the Trump threat have been stark. Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal leader Mark Carney leaves a polling station after casting his ballot in the federal election in Ottawa, Canada. Photo / AFP “Donald Trump wants to break us so America can own us,” he said during the campaign. “They want our resources, they want our water, they want our land, they want our country. They can’t have it.” Trudeau’s departure But the departure of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also crucial to the Liberal win, which capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history. On January 6, the day Trudeau announced he would resign, the Conservatives led the Liberals by more than 20 points in most polls, as voter anger over soaring costs mounted after Trudeau’s decade in power. But Carney replacing Trudeau, combined with nationwide unease about Trump, transformed the race. Carney, 60, distanced himself from Trudeau throughout the campaign. He said Trudeau did not focus enough on growing Canada’s economy and scrapped a controversial Trudeau tax on carbon emissions that left many voters seething. Nearly 29million of Canada’s 41 million people were eligible to vote in the massive G7 country that spans six time zones. A record 7.3 million people cast advanced ballots. Results were still pending on the shape of Canada’s 343 members of parliament, with 172 seats needed for a majority. The Liberals won a majority in 2015 but have governed with a minority since 2019. -Agence France-Presse Tue, 29 Apr 2025 03:43:03 Z /news/world/ecuador-footballer-s-wife-and-child-rescued-after-he-hid-during-kidnap/ /news/world/ecuador-footballer-s-wife-and-child-rescued-after-he-hid-during-kidnap/ A footballer in Ecuador has been reunited with his wife and child after they were kidnapped from the family home while he hid under the bed. Jackson Rodriguez, who plays for the Emelec club, was at home in the coastal city of Guayaqui last Wednesday when the kidnappers struck at 3am, the Associated Press reported. Police chief Edison Rodriguez said the pro footballer told police that he hid under a bed when he heard the door being broken down. The kidnappers asked his wife where he was, then snatched her and the couple’s 5-year-old son after ransacking the home and stealing valuables. Rodriguez made a plea for his family’s freedom and his prayers were answered when armed police later rescued his wife and child from a derelict building. Video shared on social media by police showed the dramatic rescue, with the police saying the kidnappers were seeking a large ransom for the pair. Local media are reporting that the police are now providing protection for the family. The kidnapping came as multiple areas of Ecuador were put under a state of emergency to battle organised crime groups that authorities blame for escalating violence in the South American nation. Kidnapping is not unusual in Ecuador. In December 2024, another pro footballer, Pedro Perlaza, was kidnapped before being released alive. Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:07:57 Z /news/world/four-dead-including-children-after-vehicle-crashes-into-us-child-centre/ /news/world/four-dead-including-children-after-vehicle-crashes-into-us-child-centre/ Four people aged 4 to 18 were killed when a vehicle ploughed into a building housing an after-school camp in the US state of Illinois, police said, adding they were investigating the crash. Several others were injured and transported to hospital, Illinois State Police said in a statement, while the driver of the vehicle was uninjured and taken to hospital for evaluation. “At this time, we can confirm four fatalities believed to be between the ages of 4-18 years. Three individuals were struck outside the building and one inside,” the statement read. “Several additional individuals have been transferred to local area hospitals by ambulance and one by a life flight helicopter.” Police responded to the crash in Chatham, a small town around 16km south of state capital Springfield, at around 3.20pm on Monday. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shared a statement on X saying he was “horrified and deeply saddened” by the incident. “Parents said goodbye to their kids this morning not knowing it would be the last time. My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing – something that no parent should have to endure,” he wrote. The after-school centre, YNOT After School Camp, says on its website that it specialises in providing outdoor activities for children. – Agence France-Presse Tue, 29 Apr 2025 01:40:13 Z /news/world/fa-18e-warplane-lost-at-sea-from-us-carrier-investigation-underway/ /news/world/fa-18e-warplane-lost-at-sea-from-us-carrier-investigation-underway/ A US warplane worth US$100 million fell off the Harry S. Truman into the Red Sea. A towing tractor also slipped off, injuring one sailor; all personnel are accounted for. The incident is under investigation, with the carrier and its planes remaining operational. A multimillion-dollar US warplane fell off the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier into the Red Sea on Monday in an accident that injured one sailor, the US Navy said. A tractor that was towing the fighter plane – a model that cost around US$100 million – also slipped off the ship into the sea. “The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the Navy said in a statement. “Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard,” it said. “All personnel are accounted for, with one sailor sustaining a minor injury.” The carrier and its other planes remain in action and the incident is under investigation, the Navy added. No details of recovery work were released. It is the second F/A-18 operating off the Truman to be lost in less than six months, after another was mistakenly shot down by the USS Gettysburg guided missile cruiser late last year in an incident that both pilots survived. The Truman is one of two US aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East, where US forces have been hammering Yemen’s Houthi rebels with strikes since mid-March in an attempt to end the threat they pose to ships in the region. - Agence France-Presse – Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:18:36 Z /news/world/canada-car-ramming-suspect-charged-with-eight-counts-of-murder-police/ /news/world/canada-car-ramming-suspect-charged-with-eight-counts-of-murder-police/ A Vancouver man has been charged with murder after a car drove through a Filipino celebration. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, faces eight counts of second-degree murder. Police expect further charges after the incident, which killed 11 and injured more than two dozen. A 30-year-old Vancouver man has been charged with murder after 11 people died and more than two dozen were injured when a car drove through a Filipino holiday celebration in Vancouver at the weekend. A makeshift memorial of flowers marks the site where a car drove into a crowd of people during a Filipino street festival in Vancouver. A man faces 11 murder charges. Photo / Andrew Chin / Getty Images “The BC Prosecution Service has now charged Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, with eight counts of second-degree murder,” police said in a statement, adding that further charges were expected. - Agence France-Presse Mon, 28 Apr 2025 02:10:41 Z /news/world/ukraine-trump-tells-putin-to-make-a-deal-claims-zelensky-will-give-up-crimea/ /news/world/ukraine-trump-tells-putin-to-make-a-deal-claims-zelensky-will-give-up-crimea/ Donald Trump urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to “stop shooting” in Ukraine and sign a peace deal. Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome. Trump suggested Zelensky might be ready to give up Crimea as part of a peace agreement. US President Donald Trump says he wants Russia’s Vladimir Putin to “stop shooting” in Ukraine and sign a peace deal, a day after meeting Ukraine’s President at the Vatican. . Trump, who boasted before his inauguration that he could halt Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a day, has launched a diplomatic offensive since taking office to stop the fighting. Those efforts have so far failed. “Well, I want him to stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal,” Trump said in response to a question on what he wanted from Putin. US President Donald Trump raises a fist as he steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Photo / AFP Trump was speaking on the tarmac at Morristown airport before boarding Air Force One bound for Washington, having attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome over the weekend. “We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it,” Trump added, likely referring to a US-proposed peace plan for the three-year conflict in Ukraine. Trump had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the funeral, where the two leaders spoke face-to-face for the first time since a disastrous televised meeting in the White House in February. After their brief talk in St Peter’s Basilica, Trump cast doubt over whether Putin wanted an end to the war, which has devastated swaths of eastern Ukraine and killed tens of thousands. Trump also said he thought Zelensky was ready to give up Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula captured by Russia in 2014, as part of efforts to agree a peace deal. Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, claimed to have annexed four eastern and southern territories of the war-battered country despite not having full military control over them. -Agence France-Presse Mon, 28 Apr 2025 00:35:47 Z /news/world/death-toll-rises-following-massive-port-blast-in-iran/ /news/world/death-toll-rises-following-massive-port-blast-in-iran/ Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian visited the site of a port blast that killed at least 40 people and injured over 1000. The explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port was reportedly caused by a fire in a hazardous materials depot. Russia sent specialists to help fight the blaze, while authorities ordered schools and offices closed in Bandar Abbas. Iran’s president visited the scene of a massive port blast that killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1000, as a fire still blazed more than 24 hours after the explosion. The blast occurred on Saturday (local time) at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran, near the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world oil output passes. With choking smoke and air pollution spreading throughout the area, all schools and offices in Bandar Abbas, the nearby capital of Hormozgan province, were ordered closed to allow authorities to focus on the emergency effort, state television said. The health ministry urged residents to avoid going outside “until further notice” and to use protective masks. Arriving in Bandar Abbas, President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his appreciation to first responders, adding “we have come to see first-hand if there is anything or any issue that the government can follow up on”. “We will try to take care of the families who lost their loved ones, and we will definitely take care of the dear people who got injured,” he said. A photo released by Pezeshkian’s office later showed him at the bedside of a man hurt in the blast. Pezeshkian earlier ordered an investigation into the cause of the explosion. President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to a man injured in the Shahid Rajaee port dock explosion. Photo / AFP The Russian embassy said Moscow was sending multiple “aircraft carrying specialists” to help fight the blaze. According to Russia’s ministry of emergency situations, one of the aircraft is a dedicated firefighting plane. The , quoted a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate — a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that “there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area”. The port’s customs office said in a statement carried by state television that the explosion probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. Area sealed off A regional emergency official said several containers had exploded. “For the moment, 40 people have lost their lives as a result of injuries caused by the explosion,” Hormozgan provincial official Mohammad Ashouri told state television. The ISNA news agency, citing the provincial judiciary, gave the number of injured as 1242. Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said some of the injured were airlifted for treatment in the capital, Tehran. Aerial photos released by the Iranian presidency showed black smoke rising from the disaster zone on Sunday and drifting towards the sea. Heavy smoke billows at the site of an explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port dock southwest of Bandar Abbas in the Iranian province of Hormozgan. Photo / AFP “The fire is under control but still not out,” a state TV correspondent reported. Also at the scene on Sunday, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said “the situation has stabilised in the main areas” of the facility, Iran’s largest commercial port, and workers had resumed loading containers and customs clearance. Another official on site, Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh, said only one zone of the port was impacted. An image from Iran’s Tasnim news agency on Sunday showed a helicopter dropping water on the disaster zone. Others showed firefighters working among toppled and blackened cargo containers, and carrying out the body of a victim. The authorities have closed off roads leading to the site, and footage from the area has been limited to Iranian media outlets. Mourning Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP on Sunday that three injured Chinese nationals were in a “stable” condition. The United Arab Emirates expressed “solidarity with Iran” over the explosion and Saudi Arabia sent condolences, as did Pakistan, India, Turkey and the United Nations as well as Russia. The Tehran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah also offered condolences, saying Iran, with its “faith and solid will, can overcome this tragic accident”. In the first reaction from a major European country, the German embassy in Tehran said on Instagram: “Bandar Abbas, we grieve with you.” Authorities declared a day of national mourning on Monday, and three days of mourning in Hormozgan province from Sunday. The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations were meeting in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel. According to the Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020. -Agence France-Presse Sun, 27 Apr 2025 22:33:53 Z /news/world/death-toll-rises-after-car-ploughs-into-festival-crowd-in-vancouver-suspect-had-mental-health-issues/ /news/world/death-toll-rises-after-car-ploughs-into-festival-crowd-in-vancouver-suspect-had-mental-health-issues/ The suspect in a Canadian car-ramming attack that left 11 dead at a Filipino street party acted deliberately and had a history of mental health problems, police said, warning the toll could rise. No motive has been confirmed for the Saturday evening (local time) attack in the western city of Vancouver, though terrorism was ruled out by police. The ramming shocked the country a day before a general election dominated by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products and his threat to annex his northern neighbour, long a key ally and trading partner. Police chief Steve Rai raised the death toll from nine and said the 30-year-old suspect driving a black Audi SUV had a “significant history” of interaction with police and mental health care professionals. Several people have been killed after a driver ploughed into a crowd celebrating the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver, Canada. Photo / X The Filipino community had gathered in Vancouver’s Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood when festival-goers were hit by the SUV. The celebration, called the Lapu Lapu Festival, commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century. Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a brief address to the nation, shed tears as he addressed the tragedy. “Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter,” he said. “Those families are living every family’s nightmare.” An AFP reporter saw police officers at the scene on Saturday evening, with parts of the festival venue cordoned off. Footage posted online and verified by AFP shows the vehicle with a damaged hood parked on a street littered with debris, metres from first aid crews tending to people lying on the ground. Eyewitness Dale Selipe told the Vancouver Sun that she saw injured children on the street after the vehicle rammed into the crowd. “There was a lady with her eyes staring up, one of her legs was already broken. One person was holding her hand trying to comfort her,” Selipe told the newspaper. ‘Bodies everywhere’ Festival security guard Jen Idaba-Castaneto told a local news site that she saw bodies everywhere. “You don’t know who to help, here or there,” she said. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said in a tweet “I am shocked by the horrific news emerging from Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day Festival tonight.” Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos said in a statement he was “completely shattered to hear about the terrible incident”. In the capital Ottawa, Julie Dunbar, a semi-retiree out for a morning run, recalled an attack in 2018 in Toronto in which a man in a van killed 11 people. “So it has occurred before, but I fear for the society that we live in, that these things can happen,” said Dunbar, 72. Saturday’s event featured a parade, a film screening, dancing and a concert, with two members of the Black Eyed Peas featured on the lineup published by the organisers. Lapu Lapu Day is celebrated in the Philippines in remembrance of Indigenous chief Lapulapu, who led his men to defeat Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in battle in 1521. “This is the darkest day in our city’s history,” Vancouver police said in a statement. King Charles, Canada’s head of state, said on Sunday he was “profoundly saddened” by the deaths. Canadians go to the polls on Monday after an election race where candidates have wooed voters on issues including rising living costs and standing up to Trump. Carney is favoured to win after assuring voters he can stand up to Washington’s barrage of sweeping tariffs and threats of annexation. -Agence France-Presse Sun, 27 Apr 2025 18:57:25 Z /news/world/hamas-seeks-gaza-war-end-with-truce-hostage-exchange-proposal/ /news/world/hamas-seeks-gaza-war-end-with-truce-hostage-exchange-proposal/ Hamas is open to a deal for a five-year truce and release of all hostages. Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 35 people, with food and medical supplies running out. The UN warns of severe shortages in Gaza, with the World Food Programme expecting to run out soon. Hamas is open to an agreement to end the war in Gaza that would release all hostages and secure a five-year truce, an official said as the group’s negotiators held talks with mediators. A Hamas delegation visited Cairo today to discuss with Egyptian mediators ways out of the 18-month war while, on the ground, rescuers said Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 35 people. Nearly eight weeks into an Israeli aid blockade, the United Nations says food and medical supplies are running out in the territory. The Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the Palestinian militant group “is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years”. Hamas later said its delegation had left Cairo (today NZT). New deal The latest bid to seal a ceasefire follows an Israeli proposal Hamas rejected this month as “partial”. The new proposal calls instead for a “comprehensive” agreement to halt the war ignited by the group’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The rejected Israeli offer, according to a senior Hamas official, included a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the return of 10 living hostages. Hamas has consistently demanded that a truce deal must lead to the war’s end, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and a surge in humanitarian aid. An Israeli pull-out and a “permanent end to the war” would also have occurred – as outlined by then-United States President Joe Biden – under a second phase of a ceasefire that had begun on January 19 but which collapsed two months later. Hamas had sought talks on the second phase but Israel wanted the first phase extended. Israel wants all its hostages Israel demands the return of all hostages seized in the 2023 attack, and Hamas’ disarmament, which the group has rejected as a “red line”. “This time we will insist on guarantees regarding the end of the war,” Mahmud Mardawi, a senior Hamas official, said. “The occupation can return to war after any partial deal, but it cannot do so with a comprehensive deal and international guarantees.” Later, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan reiterated that “any proposal that does not include a comprehensive and permanent cessation of the war will not be considered”. “We will not abandon the resistance’s weapons as long as the occupation persists,” he said. Attack continues Israel pounded Gaza again today. Mohammed al-Mughayyir, an official with the territory’s civil defence rescue agency, told AFP that the death toll had risen to at least 35. In Gaza City, in the territory’s north, civil defence said a strike on the Khour family home killed 10 people and trapped an estimated 20 more in the debris. Umm Walid al-Khour, who survived the attack, said family members, including children, were sleeping when the strike hit and “the house collapsed on top of us”. Elsewhere across Gaza, 25 more people were killed, rescuers said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the latest strikes but it said that “1800 terror targets” had been hit across Gaza since the military campaign resumed on March 18. The military added that “hundreds of terrorists” were also killed. Aid cut Qatar, the US, and Egypt brokered the truce which began on January 19 and enabled a surge in aid, alongside exchanges of hostages and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. With Israel and Hamas disagreeing over the ceasefire’s next phase, Israel cut all aid to Gaza before resuming bombardment, followed by a ground offensive. Since then, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory, at least 2111 Palestinians have been killed, taking the overall war death toll in Gaza to 51,495 people, mostly civilians. The Hamas attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1218 people on the Israeli side, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also abducted 251 people, 58 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. ‘No food ... no flour or bread’ Israel says the military campaign aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives. On Friday local time, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said the hot meal kitchens it was supplying with food in Gaza “are expected to fully run out of food in the coming days”. AFP footage showed queues of people waiting for food in front of a community kitchen. “There is no food in the free kitchen, there is no food in the markets ... There is no flour or bread,” said north Gaza resident Wael Odeh. A senior UN official, Jonathan Whittall, said Gazans were “slowly dying”. “This is not only about humanitarian needs but also about dignity,” Whittall, head of the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian affairs in the Palestinian territories, told journalists. -Agence France-Presse Sun, 27 Apr 2025 02:02:23 Z /news/world/us-attorney-for-dc-accuses-wikipedia-of-propaganda-threatens-non-profit-status/ /news/world/us-attorney-for-dc-accuses-wikipedia-of-propaganda-threatens-non-profit-status/ Ed Martin accused Wikipedia of allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda. Martin’s letter questioned if Wikimedia’s actions violate its tax-exempt status, requesting details on editorial processes. The Wikimedia Foundation stated Wikipedia’s content is governed by policies ensuring accuracy, fairness, and neutrality. Trump appointee Ed Martin has accused the online encyclopedia Wikipedia of “allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda to the American public”. The acting US attorney for the District of Columbia sent a letter to the non-profit that runs Wikipedia, accusing the tax-exempt organisation of “allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda to the American public”. In the letter dated April 24, Martin said he sought to determine whether the Wikimedia Foundation’s behaviour is in violation of its Section 501(c)(3) status. Martin asked the foundation to provide detailed information about its editorial process, its trust and safety measures, and how it protects its information from foreign actors. “Wikipedia is permitting information manipulation on its platform, including the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the interests of the United States,” Martin wrote. “Masking propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise of providing informational material is antithetical to Wikimedia’s ‘educational’ mission.” The letter, which was earlier reported by the Free Press, is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration and its allies, including Martin, against institutions, media outlets and online platforms they have accused of pushing liberal agendas or political views. It builds on growing conservative criticism of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that is collaboratively written and edited by thousands of volunteer contributors from around the world. Some of the contentions in Martin’s letter echoed a report published in March by the Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish civil rights organisation, alleging “widespread anti-semitic and anti-Israel bias on Wikipedia”. The ADL had criticised Wikipedia in 2024 after the encyclopedia’s contributors collectively downgraded the ADL’s reliability rating as a source on topics related to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin. Photo / Getty Images The ADL did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Martin’s letter. Launched in 2001, Wikipedia is the internet’s most popular reference source and the ninth-most visited site on the global web, according to estimates by the analytics firm Similarweb. Its content is also influential in Google search results and in the datasets used to train leading artificial intelligence models. In 2003, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales created the Wikimedia Foundation as a San Francisco-based non-profit to fund the site and other collaborative “wiki” projects. “Wikipedia is one of the last places online that shows the promise of the internet, housing more than 65 million articles written to inform, not persuade,” the Wikimedia Foundation said Friday in a statement that did not acknowledge or address the letter from Martin’s office. The foundation said Wikipedia’s content is governed by policies that ensure information is presented as “accurately, fairly, and neutrally as possible”, in a process involving nearly 260,000 volunteers. “Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge,” the foundation said. Elon Musk has opposed Wikipedia in recent months. Photo / Getty Images While Wikipedia has weathered occasional controversies throughout its history over the content of its articles, its emergence as a bogeyman of US conservatives is relatively recent. In 2018, an Atlantic column dubbed it “the last bastion of shared reality” in an ever more polarised country. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the owner of X, is among those who have grown disenchanted with it. In October 2023, he offered to donate US$1 billion to the Wikimedia Foundation on the condition that it change the site’s name to “Dickipedia”. Wales had implicitly criticised Musk earlier that year for X’s decision to comply with the Turkish Government’s censorship demands, which Wikipedia had successfully fought in court. “This is what it means to treat freedom of expression as a principle rather than a slogan,” Wales wrote at the time. In December 2024, Musk posted on X, “Stop donating to Wokepedia”, resharing a post from the right-wing account Libs of TikTok that claimed the organisation spent a chunk of its annual budget on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI – a set of programmes the Trump administration has demonised and targeted for cuts. A June 2024 analysis by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, found “suggestive evidence” of “mild to moderate” left-leaning political bias in the language used to describe US public figures. Another conservative non-profit, the Media Research Centre, reported in February on a Wikipedia resource page that catalogues the perceived reliability of various information sources, noting that many conservative outlets were rated as unreliable. Wikipedia editor and tech critic Molly White said Friday that she views Martin’s letter as part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration and its allies of “weaponising laws to try to silence high-quality independent information” sources that they can’t control. Stephen Harrison, a journalist who has covered Wikipedia for years and wrote a novel inspired by it, said while Wikipedia’s mission is to serve as a global information source, Martin “seems to want an America First version of Wikipedia”. Wikipedia is not the first institution to find itself in the crosshairs of Martin, a longtime Republican political operative with no background as a prosecutor before Trump appointed him interim US attorney in January. Last week he sent a letter to a scientific journal focused on diseases and medicine related to the chest, asking about its editorial policies. Before being named US attorney, Martin appeared on Russia-backed media networks more than 150 times, the Washington Post reported last week. In one appearance on RT in 2022, he said there was no evidence of military build-up on Ukraine’s borders only nine days before Russia invaded the country. He further criticised US officials as warmongering and ignoring Russia security concerns. Martin apologised this week for praising a pardoned January 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendant who supported Nazi ideology and said he hadn’t known about the man’s beliefs, despite having repeatedly defended him in public for years. Earlier this month, the Post reported that the Trump administration had asked the top attorney for the IRS to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status as Trump clashed with the institution over its speech and diversity policies. – Washington Post Sat, 26 Apr 2025 20:53:16 Z /news/world/pope-francis-funeral-thousands-gather-in-vatican-city-to-farewell-head-of-the-roman-catholic-church/ /news/world/pope-francis-funeral-thousands-gather-in-vatican-city-to-farewell-head-of-the-roman-catholic-church/ Pope Francis’ funeral will take place today at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will attend, alongside world leaders such as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump.  Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, following the service.  A funeral steeped in centuries-old tradition is set to take place today as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is farewelled.  Between 200,000 and 500,000 people are predicted to descend on St Peter’s Square in Vatican City to pay their respects to the pontiff, who died on Easter Monday (local time), aged 88.  At least 130 of those mourners will be heads of state and delegations from around the world, Vatican officials confirmed on Thursday.  The funeral is set to begin at 10am local time (8pm NZT), following plans laid out by the Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff – a 20-page document dubbed The Shepherd of the Lord’s Whole Flock.  The service – expected to be conducted entirely in Latin – will last about two and a half hours and will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, 91-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.  A sermon will pay tribute to Pope Francis’ life.  The Swiss Guards, who provide personal security for the Pope, also have a role in the funeral service; kneeling for the consecration of the host and the blessing of the bread and wine.  The guards were reportedly put under a strict curfew in February when Pope Francis became severely ill with pneumonia. It was reported they were undergoing protocol drills in preparation for the Pope’s death.  PM Chris Luxon, Prince William, US President Donald Trump among mourners  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London, hours after the death of Pope Francis. Photo / Supplied  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will represent New Zealand at the Pope’s funeral today, joining a host of world leaders and dignitaries paying their respects in person.  Luxon travelled from Turkey yesterday, where he gave a speech at the Gallipoli Peninsula as part of the annual Anzac Day commemorations.  United States President Donald Trump and the First Lady, Melania Trump, will also attend the papal funeral, as will Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.  Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, British PM Sir Keir Starmer, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, are all on the confirmed guest list.  Other world leaders and dignitaries confirmed to attend the funeral today include Ireland’s President Michael Higgins, India’s President Droupadi Murmu, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera, Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See Yaron Sideman and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic.  The Prince of Wales, Prince William, will be there in place of his father, King Charles.  Traditionally, British sovereigns do not attend funerals. When Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, the then-Prince Charles attended the funeral to represent his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.  Other royal families represented include Queen Mary of Denmark, Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.  Final resting place breaks with tradition  Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, where Pope Francis will be laid to rest. Photo / Audrey Young  A funeral bell will toll after the funeral service, as the body of the Pope is taken through what is known as the door of death, to the left of the altar at St Peter’s.  In keeping with the pontiff’s wishes, Pope Francis will be laid to rest at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – outside of the Vatican, where many Popes before him are buried.  He will be the first Pope to be buried at Saint Mary Major since the 17th century, when Pope Clement IX was laid to rest there.  Fri, 25 Apr 2025 21:12:42 Z /news/world/india-hunts-gunmen-who-killed-26-male-tourists-in-kashmir-attack/ /news/world/india-hunts-gunmen-who-killed-26-male-tourists-in-kashmir-attack/ Indian security forces launched a manhunt after gunmen killed 26 tourists in Kashmir’s deadliest attack since 2000. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack, pledging the perpetrators “will be brought to justice”. No group claimed responsibility; rebels in the region have sought independence or merger with Pakistan since 1989. Indian security forces in Kashmir have carried out a major manhunt, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists, killing 26 people in the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia, decried the “heinous act” and pledged that the attackers “will be brought to justice”. A hospital list verified by police recorded 26 dead — all men, who were killed on Tuesday afternoon (local time) when gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot and raked crowds of visitors with automatic weapons. Many of their bodies were brought to Srinagar on Wednesday by a fleet of ambulances, as military helicopters soared overhead, searching the forested mountain flanks for signs of the attackers. Indian paramilitary personnel conduct a patrol in Pahalgam, south of Srinagar, following an attack. Photo / AFP All the dead were listed as residents of India from across the country — except one living in neighbouring Nepal. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack had been “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”. No group has claimed responsibility, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989. They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full. ‘Abomination’ “This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” Abdullah said in a statement after the attack. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.” AFP journalists near the site of the attack in Pahalgam, a popular site for tourists in summer, around 90km by road from the city of Srinagar, reported a heavy deployment of security forces. “The search operation is currently in progress, with all efforts focused on bringing the attackers to justice,” the Indian army said in a statement. In a separate incident, at Baramulla, the army reported on Wednesday a “heavy exchange of fire” with gunmen they said were part of an “infiltration bid” crossing the contested frontier from Pakistan. “Two terrorists have been eliminated”, the army said. At Pahalgam, a tour guide told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and had transported some of the wounded away on horseback. Waheed, who gave only one name, said he saw several men lying dead on the ground, while a witness who requested anonymity said the attackers were “clearly sparing women”. The killings came a day after Modi met US Vice President JD Vance in New Delhi. “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement shortly after the attack. The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 Indians were killed. That attack occurred on the eve of a visit by US President Bill Clinton. ‘Heinous’ The killings on Tuesday sparked global outrage. US President Donald Trump called Modi to quickly offer “full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack”. India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting has eased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019. In recent years, the authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for skiing in winter and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India. Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, mostly domestic visitors. Air India said it was adding two extra flights out of Srinagar on Wednesday, as terrified tourists sought to return home. The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy, killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others. Analyst Michael Kugelman argued the attack posed a “very serious risk of a new crisis between India and Pakistan, and probably the most serious risk of a crisis since the brief military conflict that happened in 2019”. India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency. Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination. One woman survivor described how men in uniform emerged from forests at a meadow where tourists were enjoying the peace of nature, The Indian Express newspaper reported. Survivors said they had assumed they were policemen. “They were there at least for 20 minutes, undeterred, moving around and opening fire”, the newspaper quoted the survivor as saying. “It seemed like an eternity.” -Agence France-Presse Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:31:35 Z /news/world/india-at-least-26-killed-in-kashmir-attack-targeting-male-tourists/ /news/world/india-at-least-26-killed-in-kashmir-attack-targeting-male-tourists/ At least 26 people were killed on Tuesday in Indian-administered Kashmir when gunmen opened fire on tourists, security sources told AFP.  It is the insurgency-hit region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” in the summer retreat of Pahalgam, pledging the attackers “will be brought to justice”.  The killings come a day after Modi met in New Delhi with US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day tour of India with his wife and children.  A tour guide in Pahalgam told AFP he reached the scene after hearing gunfire and transported some of the wounded on horseback.  Waheed, who gave only one name, said he saw several men lying dead on the ground, while a witness who requested anonymity said the attackers were “clearly” targeting men.  Pahalgam lies 90 kilometres by road from the key city of Srinagar.  One security source said that foreign tourists were among those shot, but there was no official confirmation.  Other security sources and some Indian media, reported late Tuesday that 26 people had died, an increase from the 24 that a senior local police officer had earlier told AFP.  No group has claimed responsibility, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.  They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.  Paramedics and police personnel carry an injured tourist at a hospital in Anantnag, south of Srinagar, after the attack. Photo / AFP  Vance offered condolences in a social media post, while President Donald Trump said “the United States stands strong with India against Terrorism”.  Modi, who is in Saudi Arabia, has cut short his trip to return home, foreign ministry officials said.  Males targeted  “The militants, I can’t say how many, came out of the forest near an open small meadow and started firing,” said the witness who asked not to be identified.  “They were clearly sparing women and kept shooting at men, sometimes single shot and sometimes many bullets, it was like a storm,” said the man, who cares for horses that are popular with tourists in the area.  The witness said dozens of people fled as the gunmen opened fire.  “They all started running around in panic”, he added.  Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that “the attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”, with the death toll still uncertain.  “This attack on our visitors is an abomination,” he added in a statement. “The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt.”  Holiday destination  Medics at a hospital in Anantnag said they had received some of the wounded, including with gunshot wounds.  India has an estimated 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in the territory, but fighting decreased since Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019.  “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” Modi said in a statement.  In recent years, the authorities have promoted the mountainous region as a holiday destination, both for winter skiing, and to escape the sweltering summer heat elsewhere in India.  Around 3.5 million tourists visited Kashmir in 2024, the majority domestic visitors.  In 2023, India hosted a G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar under tight security in a bid to show that what officials call “normalcy and peace” were returning after a massive crackdown.  A string of resorts are being developed, including some close to the heavily militarised de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.  India regularly blames Pakistan for backing gunmen behind the insurgency.  Islamabad denies the allegation, saying it only supports Kashmir’s struggle for self-determination.  The worst attack in recent years took place in Pulwama in February 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy killing 40 and wounding at least 35 others.  The deadliest recent attack on civilians was in March 2000, when 36 Indians were killed. That attack occurred on the eve of a visit by US president Bill Clinton.  -Agence France-Presse  Wed, 23 Apr 2025 01:36:29 Z /news/world/gang-ravaged-haiti-nearing-point-of-no-return-un-warns/ /news/world/gang-ravaged-haiti-nearing-point-of-no-return-un-warns/ Haiti, where rampant gang violence has surged in recent weeks, is approaching a “point of no return” leading to “total chaos”, the United Nations special representative to the troubled Caribbean nation warned today. “As gang violence continues to spread to new areas of the country, Haitians experience growing levels of vulnerability and increasing scepticism about the ability of the state to respond to their needs,” Maria Isabel Salvador told the UN Security Council. “Haiti could face total chaos,” she said, adding that international aid was desperately needed to avoid that fate. “I urge you to remain engaged and answer the urgent needs of the country and its people.” Salvador cited cholera outbreaks and gender-based violence alongside a deteriorating security situation, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, with authorities struggling to cope. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti faces severe political instability, while swathes of the country are under the control of rival armed gangs who carry out widespread murders, rapes, and kidnappings. The armed groups have been battling for control of Port-au-Prince and clashes have intensified as the gangs attempt to establish new territories. A Kenyan-led force authorised by the UN has failed to push back the gangs. The mission has around 1000 police officers from six countries but was intended to have 2500. In a report seen by AFP, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that further international support was “required immediately to allow the national police to prevent the capital slipping closer to the brink”. Haiti’s Ambassador to the UN, Ericq Pierre, said his country was “slowly dying”. “The Republic of Haiti is slowly dying under the combined action of armed gangs, drug traffickers, and arms dealers,” he said, calling on his partners to “help rid the country of the gangs that are terrorising the population”. The report detailed the upsurge in violence, with the UN recording 2660 homicides in the three months from December 2024 - a 41.3% increase over the previous quarter. Anti-gang operations resulted in 702 people killed in that time, of which 21% were estimated to be innocent civilians, the report said. Gender-based violence also recorded an alarming increase, with 347 incidents reported in the five months to February 2025, according to UN data. Collective rape was the most common violation, accounting for 61% of cases. - Agence France-Presse Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:39:29 Z /news/world/after-the-pope-s-death-catholics-mourn-lost-voice-for-the-dispossessed/ /news/world/after-the-pope-s-death-catholics-mourn-lost-voice-for-the-dispossessed/ On his last day - Easter, the holiest on the Christian calendar - Pope Francis doubled down on the defining theme of his papacy: mercy. After a private audience with United States Vice-President JD Vance, who represented an Administration Francis had taken to task for its migrant crackdown and aid cuts, the Pope’s final speech was read aloud in St Peter’s Square as the Pontiff, in his wheelchair, struggled for breath. “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants,” the text said, the words read by a surrogate, given Francis’ fragile health. “I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear,” a later passage read, without mentioning names or nations. Francis’ death ends a historic chapter for the world’s largest Christian faith, silencing a champion of the marginalised at a time when nationalism, a concept long held in contempt by the first Latin American pope, is once again surging in the West. The church now finds itself at a crossroads, plagued by divisions and competing visions after the death of a spiritual leader who called out religious hypocrisy as he sought to throw open the faith’s doors, as he put it, to “everyone, everyone, everyone”. “He still was a voice - a moral voice, moral in the sense that he stood up for peace and justice and the dignity of people,” said Brigitte Thalhammer, an Austrian nun who was standing next to a fountain in St Peter’s Square on Monday afternoon. “And I wondered: Who can be that voice now?” Pope Francis during the Easter Mass in St Peter's Square on Saturday NZT in Vatican City, Vatican. Photo / Getty Images, Vatican Media via Vatican Pool “My hope and prayer is that the church will be really different than what’s going on with the world leaders, where the bullies are on the top,” she said. “This is my prayer, that in the conclave they will find someone who can continue this way.” During his 12-year pontificate, Francis shifted the focus of the church away from debates about bedroom topics, such as divorce, homosexuality, and contraception. He engaged more with modern issues, including climate change, immigration, and artificial intelligence. The conclave - or the secretive assembly to pick the next pope - is likely to be held within 20 days. Packed with 135 voting cardinals from distant corners of the global church including Tonga, Myanmar, and Iran, it is poised to be the largest in the history of the church, as well as among the most unpredictable. Several top Vatican bureaucrats, as well as notable cardinals in Europe, Asia, and Africa, are seen as contenders. But Francis has no true heir apparent, and the likelihood of a surprise, or a deadlock that could see the event go on for multiple days, is viewed as relatively high. “More than other times, the new pope will be found within the conclave, and not before it,” said Marco Politi, author of The Unfinished,” about the legacy of Francis’ papacy. “The church is also coming out of more than 10 years of civil war, with the ultraconservatives against the Pope. The difference with other times is that you really don’t have leading candidates.” Francis’s death at 7.35am on Monday local time, in his rooms at Casa Santa Marta, was as much of a shock as it was foretold. He had almost died twice during a 38-day hospitalisation for double pneumonia, but a certain wilful optimism had descended upon his supporters after his March 23 release. The Pope was ordered to rest and avoid crowds, yet, as he had always suggested he would, he pressed on, eschewing retirement and rejecting the notion of a cloistered pope sequestered from his flock. In the death certificate, Andrea Arcangeli, the Vatican’s director of health and hygiene, attributed the cause to a cerebral stroke and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse, noting that it followed Francis’ acute respiratory failure from bilateral pneumonia, multiple episodes of bronchiectasis, arterial hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. His last public appearance was with thousands of faithful in St Peter’s Square at Easter - including a poignant moment when he blessed an infant. Vatican officials and other servants of the faith, some of them moved to tears, appeared stunned by the news. Pope Francis greets faithful at the end of Palm Sunday Mass at St Peter's Square at the Vatican in Vatican City, Vatican. Photo / Getty Images, Vatican Media via Vatican Pool “When I heard, I had to hold on to the arm of” another religious sister, said Reni Meak, a nun from Indonesia in St Peter’s Square , as bells marked the Pontiff’s death. On the city bus they took to the Vatican, tourists were asking them who might be the next pope. They said the question was premature and declined to guess. “Now is a day only for prayer,” she said. A carefully choreographed ritual began unfolding at the Vatican on Monday, nearly two hours after the Pope’s death, when it was announced by Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the Irish-born American prelate who serves as the Holy See’s camerlengo, the person who will administratively run the Vatican until the election of a new pope. “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Farrell said. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church. He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courage.” Later, Farrell presided over the rite of certification of the Pope’s death and the placing of the body in the coffin, which, as ordered by Francis, will be simpler than those used to entomb past popes. The rite, at the chapel of the Santa Marta House, was also set to be attended by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Francis’ relatives and Vatican health officials. Vatican officials also today ceremonially sealed in red ribbon and wax the official papal apartment, where Francis normally delivered his Sunday Angelus prayers from the balcony. Francis’ rooms at Casa Santa Marta were also sealed. The Roman curia - or Vatican City bureaucracy - will view the body at the chapel. Later, it will be moved to St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing ahead of the papal funeral, which is likely to be held on Friday, Saturday or Sunday local time and is also expected to be somewhat slimmed down, per Francis’ direction. In Francis’ will, drafted in 2022 and published by the Vatican on Monday, he reiterated what he had publicly said: that he wished to be entombed at Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major - which will make him the first pontiff in more than century not to be buried inside the Vatican walls. US President Donald Trump said on social media that he and the first lady would attend the funeral. “The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus,” Francis wrote in his will. A congregation of cardinals, to be run by Farrell, will meet and decide on the precise timing of the transfer of the body to St Peter’s. During his 12-year papacy, the first Jesuit pope put pastoral outreach above the role of doctrinal enforcer, washing the feet of prisoners and reaching out to divorced and remarried Catholics and the LGBTQ+ community. In the process, he faced a level of internal dissent not seen in decades, as traditionalists took aim at teachings and writings they saw as sometimes contradictory to Catholic doctrine. Francis’ death will remove a figure from the world stage who strongly argued in favour of social justice. Francis clashed with the Trump Administration and European governments over anti-migrant policies and sought to elevate the issue of dignity for the poor and propel forward the fight against climate change. To varying degrees, on both sides of the Atlantic, all of his banner causes are now under fire. Any friction subsided for a moment as world leaders - including populists he had sparred with - paid tribute. They included Trump, whom Francis met in 2017. During a photo opportunity with the beaming US leader, the Pope appeared visibly glum. “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” Trump said in a brief statement on his Truth Social account. In a statement on X, former President Joe Biden said Pope Francis was “unlike any who came before him”, calling him the “People’s Pope”. Biden, the second Catholic president in US history, said the Pope “commanded us to fight for peace and protect our planet from a climate crisis. He advocated for the voiceless and powerless.” Javier Milei, President of Argentina - Francis’ birth country - said he was saddened to learn of his death, while alluding to past tensions. “Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honour for me,” Milei wrote on X. He had previously described Francis as an “imbecile who defends social justice”, among other harsh language. Argentina and Brazil both announced week-long periods of mourning. If Francis was revolutionary, it was through a change in style and tone rather than substance. On several reforms, he would draw a firm line - ruling out, for instance, the idea of married priests. Within Vatican City, he would allow women to finally shatter the stained-glass ceiling by promoting them to jobs of unprecedented power. But while he permitted discussions on the ordination of women as deacons to move forward, he effectively declared that such a change would not come to pass during his papacy. He sought to build a less top-down church by bringing more laypeople into the decision-making process. He never altered church teachings that described homosexuality as “intrinsically disordered” and “evil”. But his famous “who am I to judge?” comment when questioned about homosexuality in 2013 would signal the start of a pastoral rapprochement with a LGBTQ+ community long alienated by the church. A decade later, and after making statements in favour of secular civil unions for same-sex couples that were remarkable for a Catholic pontiff, he authorised priests to offer short blessings to some same-sex couples - a move that cost the Pope enormous capital as traditionalists in Africa, parts of Asia, and elsewhere strongly pushed back against the idea. “Those words, ‘who am I to judge’, by themselves opened the doors that were shut to us,” said Innocenzo Pontillo, co-ordinator of Kairos, a group of LGBTQ+ Catholics in Italy. “It wasn’t about one document he put out. The greatest thing he did was to call the church to open its doors to us. Because of him, there is hardly a diocese in Italy now that refuses to collaborate with us. That, to me, is change.” Traditionalists took issue not only with Francis’ outreach. Some also argued that his teachings were contradictory or vague. American conservative Catholics also deeply opposed his efforts to stamp out the Latin Mass, a rite that Francis saw as furthering the notion of a remote, imperious church he often spoke out against. It would come to symbolise Francis’ long-standing clash with conservative Catholics in the US, whom the Pope in 2023 would describe as “reactionary” and “backward looking”. By the time Vance, who has at times found common ground with conservative Catholics in the US, visited Francis on Sunday, the Pope was in no state to be combative. “I know you’ve not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance said to Francis, sitting down facing the Pope in his wheelchair. “Thank you very much for your visit,” an interpreter for Francis said to the Vice-President, though the Pope could be heard saying very little. Francis’ last speech at Easter, calling for mercy for the vulnerable and marginalised, in many ways echoed the words he spoke to cardinals ahead of the 2013 conclave in which he was elected. They were the words that many believe helped inspire his peers to elevate him, and came to define Francis’ “papacy of the peripheries”. “The church is called to come out of herself and to go to the peripheries, not only geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mystery of sin, of pain, of injustice, of ignorance and indifference to religion, of intellectual currents, and of all misery,” Francis had said. – Washington Post Tue, 22 Apr 2025 03:43:25 Z /news/world/world-leaders-and-celebrities-mourn-pope-francis-following-his-death-in-rome/ /news/world/world-leaders-and-celebrities-mourn-pope-francis-following-his-death-in-rome/ Pope Francis died on April 21 in Rome from a stroke and heart failure, aged 88. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ordered flags at half-mast to honour the Pope’s passing. Global leaders and celebrities have since paid tribute, highlighting his humility, compassion, and commitment to social justice. Following a lengthy battle with his health, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, in Rome from a stroke and “irreversible” heart failure, the Vatican announced yesterday. The Bishop of Rome – born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 – lived a life devoted to God, and will be remembered for his generosity, humility and ability to lead the Catholic Church through a period of significant change. His papacy was one like none before as he sought to engage with and reconcile differences in the Church, renewing people’s understanding of unity and faith within a modern world by promoting a compassionate voice and taking a receptive approach to social justice. Pope Francis’ final act of service saw him defy doctors’ orders to rest so he could give the customary Urbi et Orbi blessing to a crowd of thousands gathering in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon instructed officials to fly the New Zealand flag at half-mast across all government departments, buildings and naval vessels until 5pm today in a sign of respect for the late Pope’s passing. Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88, the Vatican announced. Photo / Getty Images Meanwhile, high-profile figures from home and around the globe have begun penning tributes to the 88-year-old, sharing memories and photos that define his unwavering commitment to his beliefs. Russell Crowe The Wellington-born actor, who played the Vatican’s chief exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth in 2023 film The Pope’s Exorcist, shared a tribute from the Eternal City. “A beautiful day in Rome, but, a sad day for the faithful. RIP Francis,” Crowe wrote on X. Christopher Luxon The Prime Minister took to X immediately after the news broke to honour the Pope, who he described as a “man of humility”. “My thoughts are with Catholics and all those in New Zealand and around the world who mourn his death,” Luxon said in his post. Martin Scorsese The star director of films The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and Shutter Island (2010) has long held a deep appreciation for the pope, having met him on several occasions in Vatican City. Martin Scorsese told Variety in a statement there’s “so much that can be said” about Pope Francis’ impact on the world and church, but said he’d “leave that to others”. “He was, in every way, a remarkable human being. He acknowledged his own failings. He radiated wisdom. He radiated goodness. He had an ironclad commitment to the good. He knew in his soul that ignorance was a terrible plague on humanity. So he never stopped learning. And he never stopped enlightening. And, he embraced, preached and practised forgiveness. Universal and constant forgiveness,” Scorsese said. “The loss for me runs deep – I was lucky enough to know him, and I will miss his presence and his warmth. The loss for the world is immense. But he left a light behind, and it can never be extinguished.” Pope Francis meeting with American filmmaker Martin Scorsese at Vatican City in January 2024. Photo / Getty Images Donald Trump United States President Donald Trump made a series of posts on Truth Social to mark the Pope’s passing. “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” Trump wrote. He later directed that all US flags on public buildings, grounds, military posts, naval stations and naval vessels in the country must be flown at half-mast via the platform, while confirming his and wife Melania’s attendance at the Pope’s funeral. King Charles The King issued an extensive message addressing news of the Pope’s death on behalf of him and his wife, who were both said to be “deeply saddened” by the news. King Charles said Pope Francis would be remembered “for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith”. Donatella Versace The fashion house heavyweight, once the creative director of the family’s namesake luxury label Versace, wrote a brief message to the pope in light of his death. “Rest In Peace His Holiness Pope Francis,” Donatella Versace wrote, finishing with a white heart and dove emoji. Donatella Versace wrote a brief message to Pope Francis on Instagram. Photo / @donatella_versace Chris Hipkins The former Prime Minister and current leader of the Opposition said he was “very sad to hear of the passing of Pope Francis” in a statement issued by the Labour Party last night. Chris Hipkins honoured the Pope for how he “stood up for action on climate change, championed peace through his diplomacy, and advocated for the rights of migrants and refugees”. Whoopi Goldberg EGOT recipient Whoopi Goldberg, who has hosted the talk show The View since 1997, commemorated Pope Francis with a photo of her meeting him in 2023. Goldberg said the late Pope “was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and none [sic] believer”. Lionel Messi The Argentinian professional footballer made special note of him and the pope’s shared roots when honouring his death on Instagram, highlighting Francis as the first Latin American Pope. “A different pope, close, Argentinian ... rest in peace, Pope Francis. Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you,” Lionel Messi wrote. Lionel Messi's message to the late Pope Francis following news of his death. Photo / @leomessi Winston Peters The foreign minister, who is currently serving as Acting Prime Minister while Luxon is overseas, shared further condolences “on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand”. “We join in mourning his loss and honour his enduring legacy of humility and compassion,” Peters wrote. Jimmy Fallon The American comedian and host of The Tonight Show recalled when he and the Pope’s paths crossed at the Vatican in June 2024. “It was an honour meeting Pope Francis last summer. I’m glad I made you laugh. Thank you for your encouraging words. Rest in peace,” Jimmy Fallon said. JD Vance US Vice-President JD Vance met with Pope Francis the day before his death, becoming one of the last world leaders to do so. The two shook hands and spoke briefly, although Vance was soon paying tribute to him on X. “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of Covid. It was really quite beautiful,” Vance wrote. “May God rest his soul.” Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, the former wife of Prince Andrew and mother to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, was quick to write a poignant message for Pope Francis as his death came to light. “No better example of total humility in kindness and compassion. Thank you for leading us not just with words, but with your unwavering service to humanity,” the Duchess of York said. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, shared this message for the late Pope Francis on Instagram. Photo / @sarahferguson15 Emmanuel Macron The President of France, a predominantly Roman Catholic country, said the world was “grieving” as he expressed his condolences for Pope Francis and the church. “From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the Church to bring joy and hope to the poorest. To unite people with one another and with nature. May this hope be reborn endlessly beyond him,” Emmanuel Macron wrote on X. David Henrie Former Wizards of Waverly Place actor David Henrie paid his respects by sharing a story of his and his partner’s little miracle after they met with Francis amid personal tragedy. “After three miscarriages, we got to receive a special blessing from Pope Francis. Nine months later, our little Pia Francesca was born,” Henrie wrote. “I’ll forever be grateful for that moment.” Barack Obama Barack Obama, the former US President from 2009 to 2017, described the Pope as a “rare leader who made us want to be better people”, as he shared photos of them together in the White House. “May we continue to heed his call to ‘never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope’,” Obama pledged. Eva Longoria The Desperate Housewives actress, sharing several pics of her and husband José Bastón holding hands with Pope Francis, said that his “compassion, kindness and humility will always be remembered”. “Rest in Peace, Your Holiness Pope Francis. Thank you for being an ally to many of us and speaking up for the marginalised.” Hillary Clinton The former First Lady and 67th US Secretary of State took note of the Pope’s final public address on Easter Sunday, where he said: “I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves.” Hillary Clinton said Francis’ speech preached caring for those who are marginalised, vulnerable and fleeing their homes, and reminded us all to “heed his wish”. Antonio Banderas Award-winning Spanish actor Antonio Banderas befittingly addressed the Pope’s death in Spanish on Instagram, including a photo of him shaking the pope’s hands at a public gathering. “Pope Francisco has died – a man who, at the head of the Catholic Church, showed kindness, love, and mercy to the neediest people,” Banderas wrote in English below. Joe Biden Former US President Joe Biden, who left office in January this year, was just the second Catholic to hold the highest office in the land. He said that the news of the Pope’s death came “with great sadness” to him and his wife Jiill. “Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him,” Biden wrote on X. “For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased. As Pope, he was a loving pastor and challenging teacher who reached out to different faiths.” “He was the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love.” Ursula von der Leyen The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, marked the Pope’s passing with a photo of them exchanging words and a handshake. “My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss. May they find solace in the idea that Pope Francis’ legacy will continue to guide us all toward a more just, peaceful and compassionate world,” von der Leyen penned soon after the news broke. Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023. Tue, 22 Apr 2025 03:19:15 Z /news/world/15-potential-successors-to-pope-francis/ /news/world/15-potential-successors-to-pope-francis/ The April 21 death of Pope Francis triggered a period of mourning in the Catholic Church, but also kick-started the race for his successor.  Whether diplomats, theologians, mediators or Vatican insiders, here are 15 cardinals who are among the potential favourites to become the next pope, known as the “papabili”, divided by region.  This list, however, is by no means exhaustive and Francis’ successor could well be someone else.  EUROPE  Pietro Parolin (Italy), 70, Vatican Secretary of State  The Vatican’s chief diplomat, Parolin has been the number two at the Vatican during nearly all of Francis’ papacy.  He is known to many world leaders, having travelled the globe, but also to many inside the Roman Curia, the government of the Holy See.  A member of Francis’ Council of Cardinals, an advisory body, Parolin played a key role in the historic 2018 deal between the Holy See and China on the appointment of bishops.  Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Italy), 60, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem  Pizzaballa is the top Catholic in the Middle East with an archdiocese encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.  He was made a cardinal in September 2023, shortly before the war broke out between Israel and Hamas.  The Franciscan has appealed for peace from both sides, and at Christmas in 2024 led mass both in Gaza and in Jerusalem.  Matteo Maria Zuppi (Italy), 69, Archbishop of Bologna  Zuppi, a member of the Roman community of Sant’Egidio, has for more than three decades acted as a discreet diplomat for the Vatican, including serving as Pope Francis’ special peace envoy for Ukraine.  Known for riding his bicycle around Bologna, Zuppi is a popular figure for his decades of work on behalf of the needy. He also advocates for welcoming migrants and gay Catholics into the Church.  He has been president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) since 2022.  Claudio Gugerotti (Italy), 69  A diplomat and polyglot from the Italian city of Verona, Gugerotti is an expert on the Slavic world.  He served as nuncio - or ambassador of the Holy See - in several countries including Britain, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine.  Consulted by Francis on the war between Ukraine and Russia, Gugerotti was named Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches in 2022.  Jean-Marc Aveline (France), Archbishop of Marseille, 66  Born in Algeria, Aveline has spent most of his life in Marseille and is an emblematic figure of the southern French port city.  Considered a close friend of Francis, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Marseille in 2013 and elevated to cardinal in 2022.  The smiling, affable Aveline has advocated for dialogue between religions and cultures, and the defence of migrants - both central tenets of Francis’ papacy.  Anders Arborelius (Sweden), 75, Bishop of Stockholm  Appointed in 2017 as Sweden’s first cardinal, Arborelius is a convert to Catholicism in the overwhelmingly Protestant Scandinavian country, home to one of the world’s most secularised societies.  He is the first Swedish Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation and a staunch defender of Church doctrine, notably opposed to allowing women to be deacons or blessing same-sex couples.  Like Francis, Arborelius advocates welcoming migrants to Europe, including Christians, Catholics and potential converts.  Mario Grech (Malta), 68, Bishop emeritus of Gozo  Grech is the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, a body that gathers information from local churches on crucial issues for the Church - whether the place of women or remarried divorced people - and passes it along to the Pope.  He has had to perform a delicate balancing act, following Francis’ lead on creating an open, attentive Church while acknowledging the concerns of conservatives.  He has acknowledged the “fraternal dialogue” between Catholics of all levels while assuring traditionalists that the Church is “not a democracy, the Church is hierarchical”.  Peter Erdo, 72, Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest  An intellectual and respected expert in canon law, Erdo speaks seven languages, has published more than 25 books, and is recognised for his openness to other religions.  But his ties with the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban - whose hardline anti-migrant views clash with those of Francis - have been under scrutiny in the past.  Known for his enthusiasm for evangelism, the cardinal who grew up under Communism is a conservative on such issues as gay marriage and divorcees who remarry.  Jean-Claude Hollerich, 67, Archbishop of Luxembourg  A Jesuit like Francis, Hollerich spent over 20 years in Japan, and is a specialist in European-Asian cultural relations as well as German literature.  Firm on dogma, the theologian is still open to the need for the Church to adapt to societal changes, much like the Argentine pope he was close to and for whom he served as an adviser on the Council of Cardinals.  Hollerich has advocated for the environment and has pushed for laypeople, especially young people, to have more involvement in the Church.  ASIA  Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines), 67, Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila  Tagle, Asia’s frontrunner for the papacy, is a charismatic moderate who has not been afraid to criticise the Church for its shortcomings, including over sexual abuse of minors.  Fluent in English, he is an eloquent speaker with self-deprecating humour and, like Francis, is a leading advocate for the poor, migrants and marginalised people.  Nicknamed “Chito”, he was made a cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2012 and had already been considered a candidate for pope in the 2013 conclave in which Francis was elected.  Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar), 76, Archbishop of Yangon  President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, Maung Bo was made a cardinal by Francis in 2015, his country’s first and only cardinal.  Bo has called for dialogue and reconciliation in conflict-ridden Myanmar, and after the military coup of 2021 appealed to opposition protesters to remain non-violent.  He has defended the persecuted mainly Muslim Rohingya, calling them victims of “ethnic cleansing”, and spoken out against human trafficking uprooting the lives of many young Burmese.  AFRICA  Peter Turkson (Ghana), 76, Archbishop emeritus of Cape Coast  One of the Church’s most influential cardinals from Africa, Turkson is often mentioned as a possible first black pope -- although he said in a 2010 he didn’t want the job, insisting any such pope would “have a rough time”.  He serves as the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.  Born into a humble family of 10 children, Turkson speaks six languages and has visited the World Economic Forum in Davos multiple times to convince business leaders of the perils of trickle-down economics.  Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Democratic Republic of Congo), 65, Archbishop of Kinshasa  Ambongo is the only cardinal from Africa on Francis’ Council of Cardinals, the advisory committee to the pontiff.  As president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, he signed a letter in January 2024 voicing opposition to the Vatican’s declaration allowing priests to carry out non-liturgical blessings of same-sex unions.  In a 2023 interview, Ambongo proclaimed that “Africa is the future of the Church, it’s obvious”.  AMERICAS  Robert Francis Prevost (United States), 69, Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo  A native of Chicago, Prevost is the prefect of the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, which is charged with advising the pope on appointments of new bishops.  He spent years as a missionary in Peru and is the Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in that South American country.  Made a cardinal by Francis in 2023, he is also the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.  Timothy Dolan (United States), 75, Archbishop of New York  A jovial, ruddy-faced extrovert with Irish-American roots, Dolan is a theological conservative, fiercely opposed to abortion.  The former archbishop of Milwaukee, he oversaw the fallout from a major sexual abuse scandal in the diocese.  In New York, amid shrinking Church membership, Dolan has reached out to embrace the growing Hispanic population, which is predominantly Catholic.  -Agence France-Presse  Mon, 21 Apr 2025 23:13:47 Z /news/world/live-updates-pope-francis-death-prompts-mourning-across-the-world/ /news/world/live-updates-pope-francis-death-prompts-mourning-across-the-world/ Pope Francis died of a stroke, the Vatican announced hours after the death on Monday of the 88-year-old reformer who inspired devotion but riled traditionalists during 12 years leading the Catholic Church. The Argentine pontif died at his Santa Marta residence in the Vatican almost a month after leaving hospital following a five-week stay battling double pneumonia. One day after he greeted Easter crowds in St Peter’s Square, mourners gathered in the plaza, many in tears, to mark his passing. STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVEBLOG (function(n){function c(t,i){n[e](h,function(n){var r,u;if(n&&(r=n[n.message?"message":"data"]+"",r&&r.substr&&r.substr(0,3)==="nc:")&&(u=r.split(":"),u[1]===i))switch(u[2]){case"h":t.style.height=u[3]+"px";return;case"scrolltotop":t.scrollIntoView();return}},!1)}for(var t,u,f,i,s,e=n.addEventListener?"addEventListener":"attachEvent",h=e==="attachEvent"?"onmessage":"message",o=n.document.querySelectorAll(".live-center-embed"),r=0;r',c(t.firstChild,i)))})(window); STORY CONTINUES “He’s actually returned to the Lord — and godspeed,” Italian Cesarina Cireddu told AFP.  World leaders from US President Donald Trump to Russian leader Vladimir Putin paid tribute to the pope’s moral and spiritual leadership. Prayers were held around the world.  “We are orphaned,” said street sweeper Javier Languenari, 53, in the pope’s home city of Buenos Aires, as Argentina declared a week of national mourning.  According to the death certificate released by the Vatican, Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure.  It also revealed he had type 2 diabetes, which was not previously known.  People stretch to receive copies of a special edition of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano announcing the death of the Pope Francis, in Saint Peter's Square. Photo / AFP  Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican official who takes over the immediate running of church affairs, announced Francis’ death.  “This morning [Monday] at 7.35am (local time) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church,” said the camerlengo.  Francis’ body was to be laid on Monday evening (local time) in a single coffin of wood and zinc in the Santa Marta chapel, ahead of the transfer likely on Wednesday to St Peter’s Basilica to lie in state.  Cardinals will meet on Tuesday to start planning the funeral at St Peter’s Basilica, which must take place between four and six days after the death — between Friday and Sunday.  Francis had already announced he would be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In his will published on Monday, he said he wanted a simple, unadorned tomb “with the only inscription: Franciscus”, Francis in Latin.  The cardinals will also start preparing the conclave, where cardinals under the age of 80 will meet within three weeks to decide who will become Francis’s successor.  ‘Terrible shock’  A hush descended on the normally boisterous St Peter’s Square as the death knell rang out for the pope’s passing.  Caroline Wahl, visiting from Germany, said the pope had looked “weak” when they saw him on Easter Sunday, adding that thinking about him now gave her “goosebumps”.  The bells at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, rang out 88 times — one for each year of the pope’s life — and they also tolled in Mosul, in Iraq, where the pope visited in 2021.  People light candles as they pay respects in front of a portrait of Pope Francis during a condolence meeting in New Delhi, following the news of his death. Photo / AFP  In Gaza, where the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, the Christian community feels “as though a light of love and peace has been extinguished”, said George Ayad, 67.  In Kinshasa, Madeleine Bomendje struggled to accept the news: “It’s a terrible shock,” she said.  The lights of the Eiffel Tower were turned off on Monday night, while the Colosseum in Rome was to go dark on Tuesday.  ‘Beacon of compassion’  Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic world and the first from the Americas.  He took over after Benedict XVI became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down — and cut a sharply different figure from the German theologian.  A football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis sought to forge a more open and compassionate Church.  He strongly defended social justice and the rights of migrants, and repeatedly called for action against climate change.  Throughout his papacy, Francis championed the poor and vulnerable and emphasised love over doctrine, famously saying of gay believers, “who am I to judge”.  His views riled Church traditionalists, while his outspoken views often clashed with those of politicians, but widespread tributes were paid.  People pray as they attend a solemn requiem at The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, informally known as Westminster Cathedral, in central London. Photo / AFP  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Francis a “beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage”.  Argentina’s President Javier Milei — who had before taking office accused Francis of being an “imbecile” who “promotes communism” — pointed to his compatriot’s “goodness and wisdom” despite their “differences”.  US President Donald Trump — who recently drew the ire of Francis with his mass deportations of migrants — wrote “Rest in Peace” on his Truth Social platform, and ordered flags to be flown at half mast.  Former US president Joe Biden, a Catholic, hailed “one of the most consequential leaders of our time”.  Argentine football great Lionel Messi thanked Francis for “making the world a better place” as the late pontiff’s favourite club, San Lorenzo, paid tribute to “a thoughtful, open-minded, cultured man”.  Health issues  Francis, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, almost died twice while in hospital with double pneumonia — but still defied doctor’s orders to take two months off after returning home.  Known for being stubborn, he made several public appearances, including meeting Britain’s King Charles and visiting a prison.  But he struggled to speak, and delegated the traditional Easter Sunday “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) benediction to an associate.  He later toured Saint Peter’s Square in his popemobile, greeting worshippers.  His hospital stay was the latest of a series of health issues, from colon and hernia surgery to problems walking, which saw him take to a wheelchair in recent years.  But he never took a day off and made frequent trips abroad, including a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour last September which drew huge crowds.  Church reforms  When Francis took over, the Catholic Church was beset by infighting, and plagued by a global scandal over cover-ups of clerical sex abuse of children.  Francis initiated a major shake-up of the Vatican’s governing body that included improving financial responsibility and allowing lay Catholics to lead Vatican offices.  However, critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce.  On abuse, he promised an end to impunity and changed Vatican law, but victims’ groups said his actions fell short of the “zero-tolerance” he promised.  “In this realm, where Francis had supreme power, he refused to make the necessary changes,” said Anne Barrett Doyle from BishopAccountability.org, complaining of a lack of external oversight and transparency.  “It will forever tarnish the legacy of this remarkable man.”  -Agence France-Presse  Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:10:07 Z /news/world/pope-francis-death-head-of-catholic-church-dies-aged-88/ /news/world/pope-francis-death-head-of-catholic-church-dies-aged-88/ Pope Francis has died at age 88, the Vatican announced. He was the first South American Pope, elected on March 13, 2013. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon praised his commitment to the vulnerable and interfaith dialogue. Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, the Vatican has announced. Francis had been suffering from recent health struggles after being hospitalised in February due to a severe respiratory illness. Initially admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for bronchitis, his condition progressed to double pneumonia. After receiving intensive medical care, he was discharged on March 23. Cardinal Kevin Farrell revealed his death in a statement issued by the Vatican. “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” he said. “At 7.35am this morning (local time), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church. “He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised. “With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.” In a post on the social media platform X, the Vatican said the pontiff had died in his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. pic.twitter.com/jUIkbplVi2— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 21, 2025   Who was Pope Francis Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected Pope on March 13 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope will go down in history as a radical pontiff, a champion of underdogs who forged a more compassionate Catholic Church while stopping short of overhauling centuries-old dogma. Dubbed “the people’s Pope”, the Argentine pontiff loved being among his flock and was popular with the faithful, though he faced bitter opposition from traditionalists within the Church. The first pope from the Americas and the southern hemisphere, he staunchly defended the most disadvantaged, from migrants to communities battered by climate change, which he warned was a crisis caused by humankind. But while he confronted head-on the global scandal of sex abuse by priests, survivors’ groups said concrete measures were slow in coming. From his election in March 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was eager to make his mark as the leader of the Catholic Church. He became the first pope to take the name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century mystic who renounced his wealth and devoted his life to the poor. “How I would like a poor church for the poor,” he said three days after his election as the 266th pope. He was a humble figurehead who wore plain robes, eschewed the sumptuous papal palaces and made his own phone calls, some of them to widows, rape victims or prisoners. The football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires was also more accessible than his predecessors, chatting with young people about issues ranging from social media to pornography - and talking openly about his health. Francis always left the door open to retiring like his predecessor Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down. After Benedict died in December 2022, Francis became the first sitting pope in modern history to lead a papal funeral. He suffered increasingly poor health, from colon surgery in 2021 and a hernia in June 2023 to bouts of bronchitis and knee pain that forced him to use a wheelchair. His fourth hospitalisation, of more than a month for bronchitis in both lungs, was his longest, raising speculation he might step down. But he brushed off talk of quitting, saying in February 2023 that papal resignations should not become “a normal thing”. In a 2024 memoir, he wrote that resignation was a “distant possibility” justified only in the event of “a serious physical impediment”. World reacts to Pope’s death World leaders have reacted to the news with sorrow. “I am saddened to hear of the passing of Pope Francis,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said. “A man of humility, his legacy includes an unwavering commitment to the vulnerable, to social justice and to interfaith dialogue. “My thoughts are with Catholics and all those in New Zealand and around the world who mourn.” Minister of Foreign Affairs and Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters said: “On behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand, we extend our deepest condolences to the Holy See and the global Roman Catholic community on the passing of Pope Francis. “We join in mourning his loss and honour his enduring legacy of humility and compassion.” Former Prime Minister Helen Clark also posted on X to express her sadness. “Respected globally for his dedication to peace & justice. He also made history as the 1st Pope from Latin America. May Pope Francis rest in peace now.” French President Emmanuel Macron called him a “man of humility, on the side of the most vulnerable and most fragile”. New Zealand Catholics mourn Pope Francis’ death Auckland Bishop Steve Lowe said Catholics across New Zealand are praying for the soul of Pope Francis. “While he didn’t set foot on our shores, we know the deep love that Pope Francis had for the Catholic faithful scattered across the world,” said Bishop Lowe, who is president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. Bishop Lowe said one of Pope Francis’ lasting legacies will be his encouragement for the Church to be a place of listening, of dialogue and of discernment. “The Holy Father reminded us of the importance of walking together as the entire People of God – lay people, religious women and men, and clergy – following the path of Jesus,” he said. Bishop Lowe said Catholic communities across New Zealand will be holding special Masses to allow people to pray for Pope Francis. “There is an obvious and an enduring connection that we Catholics have with Pope Francis, but we invite our Christian brothers and sisters, other people of faith and people who are searching to join us in lifting up our departed brother in prayer,” he said. “In that sense, we are following the Church’s practice of praying for any person who has died – albeit a Pope on this occasion." Timeline of Pope Francis’ life Here are some key dates in the life of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, who died on Monday aged 88: - December 17, 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires to an accountant and a housewife from an Italian emigrant family. - September 21, 1953: Receives his calling to become a priest. He later described being moved to go to church while heading to a school event, a day that “changed my life”. - 1957: Undergoes an operation to remove part of his lung. - March 11, 1958: After studying chemical engineering at university, he joins the Jesuit order as a novice. - December 13, 1969: Ordained as a priest. On July 31, 1973, he becomes leader of Argentina’s Jesuits, a position he holds for six years. - 1980: Amid tensions in the Jesuit order, returns to work as parish priest and rector at a college in San Miguel, near the capital. In 1986 he goes to Germany and later, Argentina’s second city Cordoba. He returns to Buenos Aires in 1992 as auxiliary bishop. - February 28, 1998: Appointed archbishop of Buenos Aires. - February 21, 2001: Made cardinal by John-Paul II. - March 13, 2013: Elected 266th pope after his predecessor Benedict XVI resigns. He chooses the name Francis in reference to Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the poor. - July 8, 2013: Makes first trip outside Rome to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a major gateway to Europe for migrants, where he castigates the “globalisation of indifference.” Three years later, he will bring back 12 families from a migrant camp in Lesbos, Greece. - July 11, 2013: Launches a reform of the Vatican’s penal code to fight sexual abuse against minors and corruption within the Church. - July 29, 2013: Signals a more tolerant church when he says on a flight back from Brazil that “if someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?” - June 18, 2015: Francis publishes his second encyclical, “Laudato Si’” dedicated to environmentalism. The letter urges action against climate change. - February 12, 2016: Holds a historic meeting with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, nearly 1,000 years after the schism between the Eastern Church and Rome. - May 23, 2016: Historic audience at the Vatican with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar mosque. - April 11, 2018: Francis acknowledges “grave errors” in his handling of child sexual abuse cases in Chile and asks for forgiveness. - September 22, 2018: Francis announces the first-ever agreement between China and the Holy See over bishop appointments. - March 27, 2020: As much of Europe shuts down due to coronavirus, Francis delivers an “Urbi et Orbi” address alone in a deserted St Peter’s Square. - October 21, 2020: In a documentary, says he is in favour of same-sex civil unions. - March 6, 2021: During the first ever papal visit to Iraq, meets the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. - July 4, 2021: Undergoes successful colon surgery, spending 10 days in hospital. - June 5, 2022: New Apostolic Constitution comes into force, completing a major reform of the governance of the church that he began when he took office. - January 5, 2023: Presides over the funeral of Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square. - March 29, 2023: Admitted to hospital for a respiratory infection, and stays three nights. - June 7, 2023: Admitted to hospital for hernia surgery, staying nine nights. - September 3, 2024: Embarks on epic, 12-day voyage, the farthest of his papacy, to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore -- at age 87. - February 14, 2025: Admitted to hospital with bronchitis, which turns into double pneumonia. NZ Herald with additional reporting AFP   Mon, 21 Apr 2025 08:56:49 Z /news/world/israel-says-gaza-medics-killing-a-mistake-to-dismiss-commander/ /news/world/israel-says-gaza-medics-killing-a-mistake-to-dismiss-commander/ An Israeli military report on the killing of 15 Palestinian emergency workers in Gaza admitted on Sunday that mistakes led to their deaths and that a field commander would be dismissed. But a probe found no evidence of “indiscriminate fire” by troops and maintained that some of those killed were militants. The Palestine Red Crescent denounced the report as “full of lies”. The medics and other rescue workers were killed when responding to distress calls near the southern Gaza city of Rafah early on March 23, days into Israel’s renewed offensive in the Hamas-run territory. The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk. “The examination identified several professional failures, breaches of orders and a failure to fully report the incident,” a summary of the investigation said. Reserve Major General Yoav Har-Even, who led the investigation, accepted that troops had committed an error. “We’re saying it was a mistake. We don’t think it’s a daily mistake,” he told journalists when asked if he thought the incident represented a pervasive issue within the Israeli military. Those killed included eight Red Crescent staff members, six from the Gaza civil defence rescue agency and one employee of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA and Palestinian rescuers. Their bodies were found about a week later, buried in the sand alongside their crushed vehicles in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan area. OCHA described it as a mass grave. Younis al-Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has said an autopsy of the victims revealed that “all the martyrs were shot in the upper part of their bodies, with the intent to kill”. The military rejected his accusation. “The examination found no evidence to support claims of execution or that of any of the deceased were bound before or after the shooting,” the probe said, amid allegations that some of the bodies had been found handcuffed. “The troops did not engage in indiscriminate fire but remained alert to respond to real threats identified by them,” it said, adding that six of the 15 were “identified in a retrospective examination as Hamas terrorists”. It had earlier said nine of those killed were militants. “The IDF (military) regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians,” the probe added, without providing evidence that six of the men were militants. Har-Even acknowledged that no weapons were found on the dead men. The Palestine Red Crescent rejected the investigation findings. “The report is full of lies. It is invalid and unacceptable, as it justifies the killing and shifts responsibility to a personal error in the field command when the truth is quite different,” spokesperson Nebal Farsakh told AFP. ‘No attempt to conceal’ After the incident, the army said its soldiers had fired on “terrorists” approaching them in “suspicious vehicles”. A spokesman later added that the vehicles had their lights off. But a video recovered from the cellphone of one slain aid worker, released by the Red Crescent, appeared to contradict the Israeli military’s account. The footage shows ambulances travelling with their headlights on and emergency lights flashing. The military acknowledged an operational failure by its forces to fully report the incident, but reiterated earlier statements that Israeli troops buried the bodies and vehicles “to prevent further harm”. “There was no attempt to conceal the event,” it said. “We don’t lie,” military spokesman Effie Defrin said on Sunday. The Red Crescent’s Farsakh, however, said her organisation was denied access to the site for five days. The military said a deputy commander “will be dismissed from his position due to his responsibilities as the field commander in this incident and for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief”. ‘Breach of orders’ The military said there were three shooting incidents in the area on that day. In the first, soldiers shot at what they believed to be a Hamas vehicle. In the second, around an hour later, troops fired “on suspects emerging from a fire truck and ambulances”, the military said. “The deputy battalion commander assessed the vehicles as employed by Hamas forces, who arrived to assist the first vehicle’s passengers. Under this impression and sense of threat, he ordered to open fire.” The third incident saw the troops firing at a UN vehicle “due to operational errors in breach of regulations”, the military said. The probe determined that the fire in the first two incidents resulted from an “operational misunderstanding by the troops”. The UN said in April that after the team of first responders was killed, other emergency and aid teams were hit one after another over several hours while searching for their missing colleagues. Mundhir Abed, a medic from the Red Crescent Society who survived the attack, told AFP he was beaten and interrogated by Israeli troops. Another medic also survived, with the military confirming on Sunday that he was in custody. “Since the incident occurred by mistake, as the report claims, why does the occupation continue to detain the paramedic?” Farsakh asked, adding they were only informed he was being held days later by the Red Cross and that “the occupation has not yet clarified” where. -Agence France-Presse Mon, 21 Apr 2025 02:43:43 Z /news/world/us-defence-secretary-accused-of-sharing-yemen-strike-details-in-chat/ /news/world/us-defence-secretary-accused-of-sharing-yemen-strike-details-in-chat/ US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details of US air strikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat. This is the second time Hegseth has been accused of sharing sensitive information on the app. Three top Pentagon officials were put on leave pending investigations into unspecified leaks. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information on forthcoming US airstrikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, the New York Times reported today. AFP was not able to independently verify the Times’ report, which detailed what would be the second time Hegseth has been accused of sharing sensitive military information on the commercial messaging app with unauthorised personnel. Last month, the Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which officials including Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz discussed the strikes, which took place on March 15. The revelation sparked an uproar, with US President Donald Trump’s administration facing a scandal over the accidental leak. A Pentagon Inspector-General’s probe into that leak is ongoing. Today, the Times reported that Hegseth had shared information on the same March 15 strikes with the second Signal group chat. The information shared “included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen”, the newspaper reported. The outlet said that unlike the accidental leak where journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly included in the group, this group chat was created by Hegseth. The other chat was initiated by Waltz. “It included his wife and about a dozen other people from his personal and professional inner circle in January, before his confirmation as Defence Secretary,” the Times reported, citing unnamed sources. Hegseth’s wife Jennifer Rauchet is a journalist and former Fox News producer. The group also included his brother Phil Hegseth and Tim Parlatore, both of whom serve in roles at the Pentagon. Parlatore also continues to serve as Hegseth’s personal lawyer, the Times reported. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. ‘Unconscionable’ Trump largely pinned the blame for the earlier leak on Waltz, but has dismissed calls to fire top officials and insisted instead on what he called the success of the raids on the Yemeni rebels. This week, three top Pentagon officials were put on leave pending investigations into unspecified leaks in the Defence Department. Deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, senior adviser Dan Caldwell and Colin Carroll hit back today, releasing a statement saying Pentagon officials had “slandered our character with baseless attacks”. “At this time, we still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with,” they said in a joint statement posted on social media. “While this experience has been unconscionable, we remain supportive of the Trump-Vance Administration’s mission to make the Pentagon great again and achieve peace through strength.” – Agence France-Presse Mon, 21 Apr 2025 01:07:57 Z /news/world/pacific-nations-split-as-nz-abstains-vote-from-global-shipping-emissions-pledge/ /news/world/pacific-nations-split-as-nz-abstains-vote-from-global-shipping-emissions-pledge/ By RNZ The world’s maritime watchdog has agreed to a landmark deal for shipping companies to pay for their carbon dioxide emissions - but New Zealand abstained from the vote. The Ministry of Transport said New Zealand was preserving its position “while officials undertake further work to analyse the draft resolution”. The ministry said officials would give further advice to ministers before any formal adoption at the next meeting of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in October. The deal was 10 years in the making and covers the vast majority of the world’s commercial shipping. Although shipping makes about 3% of global emissions, international shipping, like aviation, isn’t covered by countries’ climate pledges under the Paris Agreement, leaving it outside the main deal for tackling climate change globally. In 2023, countries in the IMO unanimously agreed that the international shipping sector would cut its planet-heating emissions to net zero by or about 2050. Under the deal agreed last week, starting in 2028, ships must lower emissions over time by becoming more efficient or switching to cleaner fuels, and would pay penalties for emissions over a certain threshold. The Guardian reported that the US$10b a year expected to be raised by the levies would likely be used by the shipping industry to introduce clean technologies. Many small Pacific nations abstained from the vote, with local media reporting that many Pacific leaders expressed the view that the deal was too little, too late and wouldn’t deliver them the payments they needed to adapt to climate change. Tuvalu Minister for Transport, Energy, Communications and Innovation Simon Kofe delivers a closing statement on behalf of Fiji, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Vanuatu, Seychelles, and Tuvalu at the International Maritime Organisation. Photo / Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu were among those who chose to abstain, while Cook Islands, Tokelau and Samoa voted for the agreement. Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and other fossil-fuel states opposed the rules and forced the agreement to a vote. They then voted against the deal. However, a comfortable majority of countries voted in favour, including China, France, Singapore, Brazil, UK, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Chile, Greece and Indonesia. The US pulled out of negotiations, but the deal went ahead anyway. The deal was seen as a compromise to get some form of carbon pricing over the line. Shipping emissions are particularly relevant to New Zealand, because the vast majority of exports travel by ship to distant markets, and exporters such as Fonterra and Zespri are under pressure from their customers to show they have workable plans to cut their emissions. According to Zespri, shipping carries 99% of New Zealand’s trade by volume and about 80% by value. The kiwifruit exporter has previously said its customers were already demanding plans to lower the company’s emissions and its goal of growing its exports would require tackling carbon emissions. Because kiwifruit itself is a low-carbon product, between a third and a half of the company’s climate impact comes from transporting the fruit. Zespri and a shipping partner have trialled burning biofuel made from blended cooking oil between Hong Kong and Tauranga, and the company is studying a possible low-emissions shipping corridor between Tauranga and Belgium via the Panama Canal. - RNZ Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:34:08 Z /news/world/zelenskyy-says-ukraine-will-observe-easter-truce-accuses-russia-of-breaches/ /news/world/zelenskyy-says-ukraine-will-observe-easter-truce-accuses-russia-of-breaches/ Ukraine will abide by an Easter truce, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after Vladimir Putin’s order. Zelenskyy accused Russia of breaking promises, citing continued assaults and artillery fire. Ukraine’s air force issued warnings, reporting drone attacks and a ballistic missile threat. Ukraine will abide by an Easter truce, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, hours after Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to pause all combat activity until midnight, local time. “If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly – mirroring Russia’s actions,” Zelenskyy said Saturday in a post on X. He proposed “extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20”. But the Ukrainian leader also accused Russia of having already broken its promises. “Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” he said. Vladimir Putin's surprise Easter truce in Ukraine would be the most significant pause in the fighting throughout the three-year conflict. Photo / Getty Images Ukraine’s Kherson governor reported several Russian drone attacks after Putin’s order was supposed to have come into force at 6pm local time. Ukraine’s air force issued air-raid warnings across several regions in eastern Ukraine on Saturday evening, also while the ceasefire was supposed to be in effect. Ukraine’s air force said on social media there was a “ballistic missile threat” and official air-raid maps indicated alerts issued for the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. “Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow,” Zelenskyy said. “We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything. Ukraine’s Defence Forces will act rationally – responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response,” he added. Russia and Ukraine this week conducted a prisoner-of-war exchange, each returning 246 soldiers. Photo / AFP Putin made the surprise announcement of an Easter truce, set to last until midnight on Sunday (Moscow time), having last month rejected a US proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine had accepted that offer. US President Donald Trump is pushing to end the three-year war, but on Friday threatened to ditch his efforts to broker a ceasefire if he did not see meaningful progress soon. Previous attempts at holding ceasefires for Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 were not implemented after the two sides failed to agree on them. Sat, 19 Apr 2025 21:44:36 Z /news/world/plane-passenger-shoots-kills-us-hijacker-on-belize-flight/ /news/world/plane-passenger-shoots-kills-us-hijacker-on-belize-flight/ A passenger on a small plane from Belize on Thursday shot dead an American armed with a knife who was attempting a hijacking, police in the Caribbean nation said. The would-be hijacker threatened the pilot shortly after the Cessna Grand Caravan from Belize’s Tropic Air took off in the morning with 14 on board from the town of Corozal. It was headed for the Belizean island of San Pedro, but the man ordered the pilot to head “out of the country”, police commissioner Chester Williams told Channel 5 news. The plane hovered for some time over the international airport of Belize City before landing just as it was about to run out of fuel, at which point the hijacker stabbed two fellow passengers. One had a firearm he was licensed to carry, and shot the attacker dead, according to officials and local media. Police identified the assailant as 49-year-old US national Akinyela Sawa Taylor, who was apparently a military veteran. The injured passengers were taken to the hospital. The US Embassy in Belize expressed its regret over the incident on the eve of the Easter long weekend. “It really highlights the importance of safety and security,” the embassy’s public affairs officer, Luke Martin, told reporters. “We have a strong relationship with Belizean law enforcement, and in times like this, that partnership proves crucial,” with a quick exchange of information, he added. -Agence France-Presse Thu, 17 Apr 2025 23:58:27 Z /news/world/ukraine-us-sign-deal-for-access-to-critical-minerals/ /news/world/ukraine-us-sign-deal-for-access-to-critical-minerals/ Ukraine and the United States signed a memorandum for US access to Kyiv’s natural resources. The deal includes an Economic Partnership Agreement and an Investment Fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Kyiv seeks military guarantees, while the US aims to deter Russian aggression through business interests. Ukraine and the United States have signed a “memorandum of intent” to move forward with a fraught deal for US access to Kyiv’s natural resources and critical minerals, Kyiv said. “We are happy to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent, which paves the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine,” Ukraine’s first Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on X. Kyiv and Washington had planned to sign a deal on extracting Ukraine’s strategic minerals weeks ago, but a clash between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February derailed work on the agreement. Trump wants the deal – designed to give the US royalty payments on profits from Ukrainian mining of resources and rare minerals – as compensation for aid given to Ukraine by his predecessor, Joe Biden. Svyrydenko did not publish details of the memorandum, but said work continued towards securing a final agreement. ‘Beneficial for both’ “We hope that the Fund will become an effective tool for attracting investments in the reconstruction of our country, modernisation of infrastructure, support for business, and the creation of new economic opportunities,” she said. “There is a lot to do, but the current pace and significant progress give reason to expect that the document will be very beneficial for both countries.” US officials say boosting American business interests in Ukraine will help deter Russia from future aggression in the event of a ceasefire. Kyiv is pushing for concrete military and security guarantees as part of any deal to halt the three-year war. - Agence France-Presse Thu, 17 Apr 2025 22:04:03 Z /news/world/russian-missiles-hit-sumy-civilians-as-military-held-ceremony-soldier-says/ /news/world/russian-missiles-hit-sumy-civilians-as-military-held-ceremony-soldier-says/ Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr was sitting at a military medal ceremony in a university building basement on Sunday when two Russian ballistic missiles tore through the surrounding area. From the hospital where his wounded stepdaughter is being held in intensive care, Oleksandr described how spraying shrapnel struck passing civilians and the city streets were engulfed in flames. While the soldiers, including fellow troops from his 117th Brigade, sat safely underground waiting for the all clear, Oleksandr’s wife – who had been walking on the street with their children – used her hand to plug their 6-year-old’s shrapnel wound as the girl’s lung filled with blood, he said. The Russian missile attack on the centre of this crowded city on Palm Sunday killed 35 people and wounded more than 100 others, almost all of them civilians, according to local authorities. The carnage enraged Ukraine, supporting Ukrainians’ views that Russia remains intent on killing them and demolishing their cities even as President Donald Trump’s negotiators make repeated visits to Moscow, hoping the Kremlin will agree to a deal. The strikes came just two days after Trump envoy Steve Witkoff flew to Moscow for an hours-long meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump later told reporters he understood the attack on Sumy to have been a “mistake,” adding to Ukrainian distrust in Washington’s views of the war. But many in this grieving city, including Oleksandr, 38, have also directed their fury at the organisers of the military medal ceremony, which may have been the target of the Russian strikes. In an hour-long interview, Oleksandr, whom The Washington Post is identifying only by first name in keeping with military rules and to avoid retribution from higher command, said that plans for the wartime pageantry probably attracted Russia’s attention. Under international law, both sides must take measures to avoid civilian harm. Russia’s launch of ballistic missiles into a busy intersection in a major city amounted to the highest number of civilian casualties in a single incident in Ukraine so far this year. However, the law also requires Ukraine to avoid placing military targets in heavily populated civilian areas. That arrangement can prove extraordinarily complicated in Ukraine as troops defend civilian areas from assault, but events such as medal ceremonies, which Russia has targeted in the past, are not vital defensive positions. Oleksandr said holding the event in Sumy was unnecessary and irresponsible. The city sits just 18 miles from the Russian border, lacks adequate air defences and comes under regular attack. Russians may have intercepted communications or been informed by a local collaborator about the plans. Oleksandr had recently been fighting just inside the Russian region of Belgorod and was annoyed to be called home for the ceremony. Soldiers were needed on the battlefield, he said, not in a basement in the centre of Sumy. “I don’t need these medals or these papers,” he said from the children’s hospital where his stepdaughter, Elina, had shrapnel and bone removed from her lung. “I want to kill all Russian soldiers and go home to my civilian life.” “We’re fighting for Ukraine,” he added. “For me, Ukraine is that little girl in her hospital bed. It’s the woman standing next to her.” On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the head of Ukraine’s regional military administration, Volodymyr Artiukh. He acknowledged his presence at the ceremony to Ukraine’s national broadcaster but denied organising it. Oleksandr said Artiukh was “100% responsible” for the deaths and injuries caused by the strikes. Artiukh did not respond to a request for comment. The Ukrainian Government has not publicly acknowledged that there was a ceremony but has instead focused on the large number of civilian casualties – which Post reporting confirmed – including people headed to church services. Russia, meanwhile, has claimed without evidence that the attack killed more than 60 Ukrainian troops. Sumy’s hospitals and cemeteries, newly filled with civilians, tell a different story. Russia’s Defence Ministry has not responded to queries about the civilian casualties. Spring comes to Sumy It was the first warm spring weekend of the year, and Sumy’s downtown – home to a large community centre and the state university – was filled with locals enjoying a reprieve from winter. Congregants were celebrating Palm Sunday. Children were preparing to put on a play. Residents strolled the streets and others boarded bus No 63, heading to church, picnics and family visits. And in a basement, soldiers, commanders and Artiukh had discreetly gathered for a ceremony that Oleksandr said began at 10am. Soon after 10am, the first missile hit, shattering the community centre’s glass atrium and smashing through the ground floor and into the basement, where the children’s play was about to begin. Outside, witnesses said, chaos broke out as people scrambled for shelter. Stunned, Ivan Marunchak and Mykhailo Zubakiev, both 13, turned toward the scene. Ivan’s phone rang and his mother, Tetiana, frantically asked if he was okay. Then came the second missile, tearing through the roof of a university building and sending Ivan’s phone flying from his hand. The boys were thrown to the ground. Ivan, his leg numb, tried to drag himself up a flight of steps to shelter. He saw Mykhailo running for help, but his friend wouldn’t get far – he had taken shrapnel to the stomach. On the red city bus that had been passing by, Kyrylo Ilyashenko, also 13, waited on the floor for glass to stop raining down on his head. The driver was already dead. Bodies lay slumped in seats and on the floor. He knew his mom was trapped somewhere in that mess. He crawled through a window and – working on pure adrenaline and years of wrestling training – ripped the bus door open from the outside with his bare hands. He helped pull the living to safety, including his mom, Marina, whose face and white puffy coat were drenched in blood. Oleksandr rushed up from the basement and called his wife, Viktoria, as he took in the disaster outside. She answered screaming “Elina is 300!” – using the military code for wounded to describe their daughter. They were already en route to the hospital, she said. As they always do, the streets quickly filled with helpers: medics, soldiers, passersby. The wounded were rushed to hospitals. The dead were first covered with foil blankets, then moved into bags. The attack happened on Sumy's first warm spring weekend of the year. Photo / The Washington Post Ivan’s and Mykhailo’s parents were running through the streets in a frantic search. Both boys ended up at the same hospital for surgery – Ivan on his leg and Mykhailo on his stomach. It wasn’t until Tuesday morning that Mykhailo opened his blue-gray eyes. His first question was about Ivan, who was recovering downstairs. Mykhailo’s mother, Alla Zubakieva, said she felt scared and stressed for her son and his friend but also furious at Artiukh and other officials for planning a medal ceremony in the city. “Today I found out he’s been fired, and thank God,” she said of Artiukh. “I’m not just angry at the Russians – I also find the Government responsible.” ‘It was a holiday’ In a hospital across town, wounded adults were scattered everywhere, recovering from surgery days after the strike. In one lay Nataliya Nartayeva, 66, whose left arm was blown off in the attack. When asked whether she would leave Sumy, she raised her right arm in defiance and said she will not. “We will always win,” she said. In another room, Viktor Vovtenko, a security guard at the university physics building, was flat on his back. He was rushing to the shelter after the first strike when the second threw him to the floor, breaking his spine. Now he can’t feel his legs. His family stayed in Sumy in hopes a ceasefire might pan out. When asked what message he had for Trump after the latest attack, he lifted his hand over the edge of his hospital bed and raised his middle finger in the air. In another room, Lyudmila, 62, lay under her sheets and wept. Her curly grey hair had been shaved, her head wrapped in white bandages after a surgery to remove a hematoma in her brain. “My husband died in the bus,” she said quietly. “You can’t imagine what kind of hell it is.” The couple had been on their way to church for Palm Sunday. “It was a holiday – a special day,” she said. She sat near the bus window, and her husband, Mykola, 60, a truck driver, stood next to her. After the blasts, everything was echoing as she dug through bodies on the floor. She found Mykola already dead. Emergency workers dragged her to the street, then to the hospital. “I don’t want to live right now,” she said, tears streaming. “I want the entire world to know what’s happening in Sumy.” Mykola’s funeral would be on Wednesday, she said, but doctors would not allow her to go. So many people died in the strikes that several funerals have happened in Sumy each day this week. Mourners have gathered again and again in black at churches, in cemeteries and by the attack site to lay flowers and stuffed toys in honour of the dead. The risk of the next attack is constant. On Monday morning, locals paused cleaning the streets to look up in fear as a Russian drone buzzed overhead. On Wednesday morning, a crowd gathered to bury Nataliya and Mykola Martynenko and their 11-year-old son, Maksym – a whole family eliminated in an instant on their way to church three days before. As their bodies were displayed in front of the family’s village house, a double rainbow appeared in the sky. The crowd looked up. “A rainbow around the sun. It’s a sign,” one woman said. Then another air raid alert: a ballistic missile threat. Telegram channels warned civilians to take cover. A fighter jet flew overhead. The crowd dispersed. Thu, 17 Apr 2025 04:30:02 Z