US AND CANADA

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Pope Leo XIV issued a poignant condemnation on Sunday, April 26, describing those who wage war and exploit the earth's resources as "thieves" who rob humanity of a peaceful and serene future.

The Pontiff's remarks were delivered during his weekly Angelus address, coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

Referencing the anniversary of the 1986 reactor accident, the Pope warned that the tragedy serves as a permanent mark on the collective conscience of humankind.

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Iran's Revolutionary Guard seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, intensifying pressure on one of the world's most critical shipping routes as a fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington showed signs of strain.

Iranian authorities said the ships were detained over alleged maritime violations and escorted toward Iranian waters. The move marked the first such seizures in weeks and came amid reports that at least three commercial vessels had been fired upon in the same ships.

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A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday night, charging toward the ballroom in a chaotic encounter with Secret Service agents as guests dived under tables at the sound of shots being fired.

The president was uninjured and was rushed off the stage. The armed man, who officials said was a guest at the Washington Hilton where the dinner was being held, was taken into custody and was expected in court Monday. Police believe he opened fire and acted alone but did not say who was his intended target or describe a motive.

“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump, safe and uninjured and still in his tuxedo, said at the White House two hours later. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”

The shooting unfolded just outside the vast subterranean ballroom holding thousands of dinner guests, disrupting minutes after it began an annual event meant to honor journalism and the First Amendment that was being especially scrutinized this year because it was the first time since Trump became president that he had attended. Trump told reporters later that he hoped the event would be rescheduled within 30 days, though the fact that an armed man was able to rush toward the ballroom raised instant questions about security precautions at an event attended each year by senior government officials.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he is in "excellent physical condition" following the successful removal of an early-stage malignant tumor. According to a post on X on Friday, the issue was discovered during routine medical monitoring following a previous surgery for an enlarged benign prostate. Netanyahu stated that the treatment effectively "removed the problem," leaving no trace of the illness.

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A federal jury in North Carolina has found rideshare company Uber liable for the actions of a driver who allegedly grabbed a passenger’s inner thigh and made inappropriate remarks during a trip. The jury in Charlotte awarded the plaintiff $5,000 in damages, according to her legal team, in a case that forms part of a wider wave of sexual assault lawsuits against the company across the United States.

The incident involved a passenger who said the driver touched her as she was exiting the front seat of his vehicle and asked if he could “keep her” with him.

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Donald Trump has dismissed comments made by Prince Harry on the Ukraine war, saying the Duke of Sussex "is not speaking for the UK" and claiming he himself represents British interests more than the royal.

The remarks followed Prince Harry's surprise appearance at the Kyiv Security Forum, where he called for continued international support for Ukraine.

Without mentioning Trump directly, Harry urged the US to "show that it can honour its international treaty obligations, not out of charity but out of its enduring role in global security and strategic stability."

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A man killed eight children, including seven of his own, and shot two women in an attack in a Shreveport, Louisiana, neighborhood that was the nation’s deadliest shooting in more than two years, authorities said.

At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred early Sunday, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community.

“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana.

Mourners laid flowers outside the single-story house on 79th Street, and people lit candles for the victims at an evening prayer vigil in a nearby parking lot.

“It just makes you take your children and hug them and hold them and tell them how much you love them,” said Kimberlin Jackson, who was at the vigil.