Author: Press Room

VATICAN CITY (AP) – The Vatican opened St. Peter’s Basilica to the general public Wednesday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, with thousands of people filling the central aisle and Swiss Guards standing at attention. Francis’ body will lie in state in the basilica until Saturday’s funeral and burial. Francis died on Monday at age 88. Earlier, the bells of St. Peter’s tolled as his body was transferred from the Vatican hotel where he lived into the basilica, escorted by a procession of solemn cardinals and Swiss Guards through the same piazza where the pontiff had greeted the…

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday called for sweeping reforms at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, urging the institutions to abandon what he described as “mission creep” and return to their founding charters focused on macroeconomic stability, trade, and development. Speaking at the Institute of International Finance during the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank, Bessent said that “America First does not mean America alone.” He argued that the Trump administration is not looking to abandon international institutions or the global financial system built with American leadership, but rather is making a renewed commitment to U.S.…

As a Hongkonger with a British national (overseas) – BNO – passport who is now living in Britain, I read your editorial about the UK’s evolving position on China with both personal and political weight (The Guardian view on UK-China relations: a dilemma made sharper by Brexit, 16 April). For many of us who left Hong Kong following the imposition of the national security law, the threat from the ruling regime was not abstract – it was immediate, personal and existential.Our migration was not simply a search for better opportunities but a necessary departure from a city whose freedoms were…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish King Frederik X will visit Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, next week to meet with the new prime minister and his government, the royal house said Wednesday.The trip comes weeks after U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited a remote U.S. military base in Greenland and accused Denmark of underinvesting in the strategic Arctic island. President Donald Trump seeks control of mineral-rich Greenland, saying it’s crucial for U.S. security. Trump has not ruled out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the United States.King Frederik X will visit…

The latest earnings report for Tesla was widely expected to show awful results. As it turns out, even the pessimists were too optimistic: Company profits fell a whopping 71% in the first quarter of the year, compared to the same three-month period a year ago. Making matters worse, Tesla has lost roughly 50% of its value from its mid-December peak.In fact, the closer one looks, the worse the details appeared. A New York Times report noted that Tesla actually would have lost money in the first quarter “had it not earned $400 million in interest on cash and investments and…

Nearly 700 koalas have been killed from helicopters in a national park in Victoria in a wildlife cull Australian authorities are under fire following the culling of hundreds of koalas in the state of Victoria.Around 700 koalas have been shot by snipers from helicopters flying over Victoria’s Budj Bim National Park, in an act of euthanasia following a devastating bushfire that scorched over 2,000 hectares of habitat.The fire left many koalas injured, dehydrated, and without food, prompting authorities to initiate the cull in early April as a means to prevent further suffering.Animal welfare organizations have voiced alarm over the wellbeing…

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi over the administration’s threat to withhold federal funding due to the state refusing to bar male athletes from women’s and girls’ sports. Trump signed an executive order to protect women’s and girls’ sports on February 4. On Tuesday, Bondi sent out a letter warning states that were not in compliance that they were at risk of losing funding. “This Department of Justice will hold accountable states and state entities that violate federal law,” Bondi wrote Tuesday in letters addressed to Maine Gov.…

The Jordan Brand Air Rev features a moveable Air Zoom unit, a first for both Nike and Jordan Brand.Jordan Brand Like Michael Jordan’s infamous fax during the 1994-95 NBA season announcing his triumphant return to the Chicago Bulls, Jordan Brand proclaimed “I’m back” with its return to golf, highlighted by the innovative Air Rev shoe. Unveiled at Jordan’s private Florida golf course, The Grove XXIII, on April 14, the Air Rev harnesses Nike’s Air technology in a new and innovative way for both Nike and Jordan Brand. The golf shoe features a moveable Air Zoom unit inserted into a pouch…

The UK government is poised to approve experiments that seek ways to dim sunlight and deflect it away to fight “runaway climate change,” a report Wednesday claims. According to the Daily Telegraph, a host of possible options for climate control are being considered by scientists with government approval alongside £50 million in taxpayer funds: Outdoor field trials which could include injecting aerosols into the atmosphere, or brightening clouds to reflect sunshine, are being considered by scientists as a way to prevent runaway climate change. Aria, the Government’s advanced research and invention funding agency, has set aside £50 million for projects, which…

Sales of new single-family homes surged in March, exceeding all economist forecasts and adding to a string of upside surprises in recent economic data. New home sales rose 7.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 724,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. That figure not only beat the consensus estimate of 682,000 but also topped the entire range of economist forecasts, which ran from 650,000 to 700,000. February’s sales figure was also revised slightly higher, from 676,000 to 674,000. The jump in sales, driven largely by activity in the South,…