Europe

'Bombshell' OPEC+ Output Hike Hits Oil Price

Oil prices slumped on Monday after eight OPEC+ members announced a sharp increase in production, while Asian stocks treaded water in thin trade with major markets closed. The output increase of 411,000 barrels a day announced by Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other members of the oil cartel on Saturday added to concerns about over-supply. The ...

Leverkusen Draw Hands Kane’s Bayern Bundesliga Title

Bayern Munich were crowned German champions for the 34th time on Sunday, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer Leverkusen drew 2-2 at Freiburg. Bayern's 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equaliser, meant defending ...

AfD Designated as "Far-Right Extremist": Is a Ban on the Party Coming ?

Germany's domestic intelligence service on Friday designated the rising far-right party AfD as an extremist group, handing authorities greater powers to monitor it and fuelling calls for it to be banned. The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) swiftly slammed the move as a "heavy blow" to democracy, just months after they won second ...

Africa's Cardinal Turkson is Continent's Papal Frontrunner

Ghana's Cardinal Peter Turkson is seen as one of the Church's most influential men from Africa, where Christianity is quickly growing -- and which some believe could be the birthplace of the next pope. The 76-year-old born into a humble family of 10 children is the first clergyman from the west African country to receive a red hat, having been ...

Power Progressively Comes Back in Spain and Portugal After Massive Outage

Lights flickered back to life in Spain and Portugal early Tuesday after a massive blackout hit the Iberian peninsula stranding passengers in trains and hundreds of elevators while millions saw phone and internet coverage die. More than 60 percent of Spain's national electricity supply had been restored by the end of Monday, the REE power ...

Conflicts spur 'unprecedented' rise in military spending

Worldwide military expenditure saw its steepest rise in 2024 since the end of the Cold War, reaching $2.7 trillion as wars and rising tensions drove up spending, researchers said Monday. Military spending rose worldwide with particularly large increases in Europe and the Middle East, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace ...

Trump, Zelensky Meet on Sidelines of Pope's Funeral

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly in St. Peter's basilica on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral in the Vatican on Saturday in their first encounter since a White House clash as the US president pushes the Ukrainian leader to make a peace deal with Russia. The two agreed to further talks after the funeral, the Ukraine ...

Trump’s Four-Wheel Boomerang: Clearing the Road for China

Trump, determined to “bring the auto industry back home,” recently imposed a 25% tariff on steel, aluminum, and crucially, the entire automotive sector. His goal was straightforward: to reshore production and safeguard American industry. However, in trying to curb imports, Trump has inadvertently given China’s EV sector a significant push. ...

Servant of the World: The Heavy Mantle Facing the Next Pope

Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, a conclave is set to convene in early May to elect his successor as the leader of the Catholic Church. The 267th pope will face formidable challenges in continuing the mission of this 2,000-year-old institution and spreading the message of Jesus. This responsibility is particularly daunting in a ...

Global Warming Is a Security Threat and Armies Must Adapt

From responding to weather disasters to facing rising competition in the fast-warming Arctic, militaries are increasingly exposed to climate change and cannot afford to let it become a strategic "blind spot," security experts say. Concerns have grown recently that climate action is being sidelined, as Europe bolsters its defense and the United ...

Key Dates in the Life of Pope Francis

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 ...

Who Am I to Judge? Pope Francis in Key Quotes

Key quotes from Pope Francis's papacy: Humility  "Pray for me" - pronounced at the end of every speech, because, he once explained, "I am a sinner too." His first tweet and first post on Instagram were versions of the mantra. The poor  "How I would like a poor church for the poor" - setting the tone for his pontificate, three days after his ...