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Robert Prevost, Chicago-born missionary, elected Pope Leo XIV

Robert Prevost, Chicago-born missionary, elected Pope Leo XIV

Robert Francis Prevost became the first pope from the United States on Thursday, picking the papal name Leo XIV after cardinals from around the world elected him leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Tens of thousands of people packed in St Peter's Square cheered as Prevost appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, waving with both hands, smiling and bowing. "Peace by with you," he told the crowds, before beginning his first address, where he called for "building bridges".
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Azerbaijan and China sign Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Azerbaijan and China sign Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

China and Azerbaijan have announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Beijing on 23 April. During the talks, President Xi said that both sides should continuously enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and strengthen international collaboration to open a new chapter of all-round cooperation. President Aliyev was in China for  a state visit between 22 and 24 April.

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Opinion
Opinion: The future of the China-US-Russia triangle after Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

Opinion: The future of the China-US-Russia triangle after Pelosi's visit to Taiwan

Since February 24, 2022, the international community's focus was concentrated entirely on the war in Ukraine and the growing Russia – West confrontation. It seemed that nothing could change the situation until the end of hostilities in Ukraine. However, on August 2 and 3, almost everyone’s attention shifted from Ukraine to Taiwan. As the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, stated her intention to visit Taiwan, up to half a million people were watching the trajectory of her plane on air flight tracking sites. The negative reaction of China, including the warning of President Xi during his conversation with President Biden that those who played with fire would be perished by it, created hype around this visit. Many were discussing the possibility of Chinese military jets closing the airspace over Taiwan and preventing Pelosi’s plane from landing in Taiwan, while some enthusiasts were even contemplating the possibility of a US-China direct military clash. As Pelosi landed in Taiwan and met with the Taiwanese President, the global social media was full of amateur assessments about the strategic victory of the US and the confirmation of the US global hegemony. However, as the dust settles down, and information noise and manipulation eventually decreases, a more serious assessment is needed to understand the real consequences of this visit.
Editor's choice
News
Robert Prevost, Chicago-born missionary, elected Pope Leo XIV

Robert Prevost, Chicago-born missionary, elected Pope Leo XIV

Robert Francis Prevost became the first pope from the United States on Thursday, picking the papal name Leo XIV after cardinals from around the world elected him leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. Tens of thousands of people packed in St Peter's Square cheered as Prevost appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, waving with both hands, smiling and bowing. "Peace by with you," he told the crowds, before beginning his first address, where he called for "building bridges".
Editor's choice
News
Azerbaijan and China sign Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Azerbaijan and China sign Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

China and Azerbaijan have announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Beijing on 23 April. During the talks, President Xi said that both sides should continuously enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and strengthen international collaboration to open a new chapter of all-round cooperation. President Aliyev was in China for  a state visit between 22 and 24 April.
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News
Kremlin taking urgent measures to protect May 9 parade from Ukrainian attacks

Kremlin taking urgent measures to protect May 9 parade from Ukrainian attacks

The Kremlin was forced Wednesday to say it was taking "all necessary measures" to ensure the safety of foreign leaders set to attend its flagship May 9 parade after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across the country, disrupting hundreds of flights. Moscow and Kyiv traded a barrage of drone attacks ahead of the parade, which has become a key event during Vladimir Putin's 25 years in power, as US talks pushing for an end to the conflict appeared to have stalled. Moscow will hold the Victory Day event on Red Square to mark 80 years of the defeat of Nazi Germany, an anniversary that comes more than three years into its Ukraine offensive.
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Israel approves plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip

Israel approves plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip

Israel approved plans on Monday to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time, two Israeli officials said, in a move that if implemented would vastly expand Israel’s operations in the Palestinian territory and likely bring fierce international opposition. Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan in an early morning vote, hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. 
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Monday Commentary
For Trump the problem is not Ukraine, it is China

For Trump the problem is not Ukraine, it is China

Many of us have watched with incredulity as US President Donald Trump sailed through his first one hundred days in office. Domestically, the period has been characterised by the biggest shake-up of the American Government in history based on an old Trumpian maxim, that Washington was a “swamp”, and one suspects also a wish to settle scores with an establishment that in the past had not hesitated in challenging the Trumpian reading of America and the world. On the international level, Trump focused in his first hundred days on Ukraine and tariffs. Certainly, there were plenty of other statements to fill the world headlines: Greenland, Panama Canal, Canada becoming the US 51st state, renaming the Gulf of Mexico, to name a few.
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US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth

The United States and Ukraine have signed a minerals deal after a two-month delay, in what President Donald Trump's administration called a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after the end of military aid. Ukraine said it secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are vital for new technologies and largely untapped. Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine's mineral wealth as compensation for US weapons sent under former president Joe Biden after Russia invaded just over three years ago.
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US threatens to give up mediation efforts unless Russia and Ukraine put forward "concrete proposals”

US threatens to give up mediation efforts unless Russia and Ukraine put forward "concrete proposals”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Tuesday that the United States would give up on mediation unless Russia and Ukraine put forward "concrete proposals," as US patience wanes on an early priority for Donald Trump. The US president had vowed to end the war in his first 24 hours back in the White House but, as Trump celebrates 100 days in office, Rubio has suggested the administration could soon turn attention to other issues.
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News
Mark Carney’s Liberal Party wins Election in Canada: World Leaders React

Mark Carney’s Liberal Party wins Election in Canada: World Leaders React

Prime Minister Mark Carney won Canada's election held on Monday, leading his Liberal Party to a new term in power after convincing voters his experience managing crises had prepared him to confront US President Donald Trump. The public broadcaster CBC and other outlets projected the Liberals would form Canada's next government, but it was not yet clear if they would hold a majority in parliament.