World

Pope Leo Says Church Must Illuminate 'Dark Nights of This World' in First Mass
Pope Leo Says Church Must Illuminate 'Dark Nights of This World' in First Mass

Leo XIV urged the Catholic Church to "desperately" counter a lack of faith in his first homily as pope Friday, a day after the modest cardinal largely unknown to the world become the first US head of the 2,000-year institution. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost on Thursday became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion ...

Pope Leo XIV to Begin Pontificate with Inauguration Mass on May 18
Pope Leo XIV to Begin Pontificate with Inauguration Mass on May 18

The inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV will take place on Sunday, May 18, in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican announced. World leaders are expected to gather for the event, held 10 days after the election of Robert Francis Prevost as the first US head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. The new pontiff will meet with journalists on Monday and ...

PKK Nears Disarmament After Historic Meeting
PKK Nears Disarmament After Historic Meeting

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) held a "successful" meeting this week with a view to disarming and disbanding, a Kurdish news agency close to the armed movement said on Friday. The meeting resulted in "decisions of historic importance concerning the PKK's activities, based on the call" of founder Abdullah ...

Where Things Stand in the US-China Trade War
ExplainerWhere Things Stand in the US-China Trade War

US and Chinese officials meet this weekend in Geneva for their first formal talks aimed at resolving a grueling tit-for-tat tariff war that threatens hundreds of billions in trade and roils global markets and supply chains. AFP looks at how the trade row between the world's two economic superpowers is playing out. What Steps Have the Two Sides ...

UAE Denies Accusations of Supplying Chinese Weapons to Sudanese Paramilitary Forces
UAE Denies Accusations of Supplying Chinese Weapons to Sudanese Paramilitary Forces

The United Arab Emirates on Friday denied an Amnesty International report accusing it of providing Chinese-made weapons to Sudanese paramilitary forces at war with the regular army. "The UAE strongly rejects the suggestion that it is supplying weaponry to any party involved in the ongoing conflict in Sudan," said Salem Aljaberi, the UAE's ...

Parade on Red Square: Putin Honors Russian Soldiers and Defies the West
Parade on Red Square: Putin Honors Russian Soldiers and Defies the West

Russian President Vladimir Putin evoked the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany to rally his country round the Ukraine offensive at a grand military parade in Moscow in front of his key allies on Friday. The Kremlin is using its annual Victory Day parade -- marking 80 years since the end of World War II – to whip up patriotism ...

Iranian FM to Visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar Before Trump Regional Tour
Iranian FM to Visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar Before Trump Regional Tour

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday, his ministry said, days before US President Donald Trump begins a regional tour. Araghchi is due to hold talks with senior Saudi officials in Riyadh before heading to Doha for a conference on Arab-Iranian dialogue, ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a ...

New Drone Strikes on Port Sudan for Sixth Consecutive Day
New Drone Strikes on Port Sudan for Sixth Consecutive Day

Drone strikes hit Port Sudan for a sixth straight day Friday, an army source said, blaming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, at war with the regular army since April 2023. "Our air defenses intercepted some of the enemy drones that were targeting sites in the city," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Witnesses reported ...

Pakistan and India Accuse Each Other of Waves of Drone Attacks
Pakistan and India Accuse Each Other of Waves of Drone Attacks

India and Pakistan accused each other Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks, as deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm. The fighting comes two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied. On Thursday, ...