Austria won its third Eurovision Song Contest after a glittering grand final in neighboring Switzerland, with singer JJ earning the continent’s votes for the operatic pop anthem “Wasted Love.” The song, which showcases the classically trained Austrian-Filipino singer’s remarkable vocals and was staged in a dramatic style that evoked a shipwreck, dazzled the crowd in Basel and saw Austria triumph ...
As a missionary and bishop in Peru, the future Pope Leo came face-to-face with one of the most serious and far-reaching scandals in the church in Latin America. For years, there were allegations of abuse within the hugely influential Catholic society Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (SCV), which had deep ties to Peru’s powerful and wealthy. The scandal came to a head ...
Leo XIV, the first ever American pope, will be formally inaugurated as the 267th pontiff Sunday during a special Mass in St. Peter’s Square attended by world leaders, royalty, and thousands of believers. The May 18 service will be rich in symbolism and include the formal bestowing on Leo of the symbols of office including the pallium – a lamb’s ...
The Justice Department isn’t planning to prosecute Boeing in a case tied to two crashes of the aerospace giant’s 737 Max, a person familiar with the matter said, a tentative agreement that would allow the plane-maker to avoid a guilty plea. Boeing agreed to plead guilty in the case last summer in a deal with the Justice Department after the Biden administration found earlier that ...
Israel and the new Syrian regime have recently held direct talks, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter – an indication of shifting dynamics between the former enemies as Israel expands its military presence in the country. The talks were held in Azerbaijan and were attended by the chief of the Israeli military’s Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen. Oded ...
Jake Wood, the foundation’s executive director, said he did not yet know when or how many aid trucks Israel would allow into Gaza, but he called conditions there “clearly urgent” and said he expects “positive updates on that in the coming days.” The Israeli government, which has blocked aid to Gaza for nearly 11 weeks, has not responded to multiple ...
Since winning power back from the hands of his populist rivals a year and a half ago, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has faced one very stubborn roadblock to his plans: the country’s president. That could change after a pivotal presidential election, which begins with a first round of voting Sunday. Rafał Trzaskowski, the mayor of capital city Warsaw who ...
The Israeli military says it has launched the first stages of a new major offensive in Gaza, in a development that comes on the same day that US President Donald Trump concluded his visit to the region without securing a ceasefire deal. “Over the past day, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) launched extensive attacks and mobilized forces to seize strategic ...
For millions across India, a rigid caste system thousands of years old still dictates much of daily life – from social circles to dating pools to job opportunities and schooling. The Indian government has long insisted that the social hierarchy has no place in the world’s most populous nation, which banned caste discrimination in 1950. So, it came as a ...
Russia and Ukraine’s first direct talks in three years began Friday with hopes as dim as the gray Istanbul skies. And while the weather brightened as the talks went on, the prospects for peace did not. In the end a large prisoner swap (one of many in this war) and two discussion topics for future talks – a meeting between ...