The Vatican announced Wednesday the first appointment of a Chinese bishop under Leo XIV, signalling the new pope’s support for a controversial accord on nominations struck by his predecessor with Beijing. The Holy See expressed “satisfaction” at the recognition by China of the appointment of Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou, capital of the southeastern Fujian province. The pope made the nomination on June 5. “This event represents…

Protests against Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies spread Wednesday across the United States despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles and threats by the hard-right Republican president to use “heavy force.” In Los Angeles, where the unrest began last Friday, an overnight curfew intended to keep people out of the downtown area was largely effective, with police arresting around 25 people who had refused to leave. Officers patrolled near government…

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has admitted that some of his recent social media posts attacking U.S. President Donald Trump “went too far,” in what appears to be an attempt to de-escalate tensions between the two men. The statement, shared on Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, comes after a week of public hostility that saw both figures exchanging personal insults over Trump’s controversial tax and spending bill. “I regret…

Meta has announced the launch of the Llama Impact Accelerator, an eight-month artificial intelligence (AI) programme designed to support Nigerian startups leveraging AI to address local challenges. The initiative is being rolled out in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). According to Meta, the programme is aimed…

The American multinational tyre manufacturer Goodyear has announced plans to close its manufacturing operations in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, marking the end of a facility that has been in operation since 1947. According to a report by BusinessTech South Africa, Goodyear will maintain its presence in the country through sales and distribution channels, including its Hi-Q Retail network, but will cease all local manufacturing activities. The Nelson Mandela Bay…

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to revive enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a decades-old law banning bribery of foreign officials by companies operating in the U.S., though with a more focused and less burdensome approach for businesses. This shift was outlined in a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and further explained by top DOJ official Matthew Galeotti during an anti-corruption conference in…

Hundreds of U.S. Marines have arrived in Los Angeles under orders from President Donald Trump, escalating a federal response to recent protests sparked by sweeping immigration raids. Despite largely peaceful demonstrations on Monday, Trump authorized the deployment of roughly 700 Marines and activated 4,000 National Guard troops, drawing sharp criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders. According to a U.S. official, around half of the Marines arrived…

Majority of Rivers Residents Oppose Federal Intervention in State Governance, Survey Reveals Almost three months after a political crisis led to the disruption of governance in Rivers State, a new survey has revealed that more than 65% of residents view the federal government’s actions as illegal. The survey, conducted by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), also shows that 92.7% of residents are aware of and oppose the…

President Donald Trump has officially placed Ireland on the White House’s trade ‘blacklist’, as transatlantic tensions mount ahead of a critical tariff deadline. Ireland now joins Switzerland and other long-standing US targets such as China, Japan, Germany, Vietnam, and South Korea on the US Treasury’s Monitoring List of major trading partners with large trade surpluses. The designation increases the risk that Ireland, whose economy is dominated by pharmaceutical and technology…

U.S. authorities have arrested a Chinese doctoral student accused of illegally smuggling biological material into the United States, marking the second such case involving Chinese nationals in less than a week. The FBI filed a criminal complaint against Chengxuan Han, a researcher from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. Han, who planned to spend a year at the University of Michigan for a research project, was arrested…

Tensions flared in Ballymena on Monday evening as public disorder broke out near the scene of an alleged sexual assault, leading to property damage and attacks on police officers. According to a statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), crowds gathered on Clonavon Road following a protest connected to the recent charging of two teenage boys in relation to a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl. The…

A deadly school shooting at BORG Dreierschützengasse in Graz has left at least 10 people dead and 28 others injured, sending shockwaves through Austria and prompting a national outpouring of grief and disbelief. According to local media and statements from police, the gunman, believed to be the sole perpetrator, is among the dead. The shooting occurred Tuesday morning at the secondary school located in the northwest part of the city.…