Vilanova i la Geltrú (AFP) – Spanish authorities tell more than 160,000 people near Barcelona to stay indoors after a fire at an industrial property has released a toxic cloud of chlorine over a wide area. The blaze, in the coastal city of Vilanova i la Geltru, just south of Barcelona, took hold of a building storing pool cleaning products, the regional fire service say.
Tirana (AFP) – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s ruling Socialist Party holds its final rally in Tirana ahead of the 11 May parliamentary elections, with its incumbent candidate hoping to secure a fourth term. “Albania’s greatest task is to conclude EU accession negotiations by 2027,” Rama tells his supporters, ahead of a vote seen as crucial for assessing the country’s democratic progress and its widely shared aspiration for a European future.
Port Charlotte (AFP) – “We were teasing him when he was six years old: ‘you’re going to be the Pope'” says the brother of Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Catholic Church. Outside his home in Florida, his brother Louis recounts watching the white smoke rise from the Sistine Chapel: “At the back of my mind, I was like, ‘they’re going to elect Rob. I just know, I have this gut feeling’.” The 73-year-old shares childhood memories, pride, and bittersweet uncertainty about what the papacy will mean for their relationship: “Will we ever get to talk to him like brothers again?”
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer is lit up with the image of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, celebrating his historic election with the words “habemus papam,” echoing the announcement made on the Vatican balcony as the new pope was introduced. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the 267th pope, becoming the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. He succeeds Argentina’s Pope Francis, following a secret conclave held by cardinals in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
Chiclayo (Peru) (AFP) – Newspaper front pages in Chiclayo, in northern Peru, show headlines claiming the new Pope as one of their own, from “The Pope is Peruvian and he misses ceviche” to “From Chiclayo to the Vatican.” Leo XIV first set foot in Peru some four decades ago as a missionary, before becoming bishop of the diocese of Chiclayo in the northwest of the country and gaining citizenship in 2015. IMAGES
Vatican City (AFP) – Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago-born missionary with deep ties to Latin America, has been elected Pope Leo XIV—making history as the first American to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost becoming Pope Leo XIV
Vatican City (AFP) – New Pope Leo XIV uses his first homily to warn against reducing Jesus to “a kind of charismatic leader or superman”, in an apparent message to evangelical Christians. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost on Thursday became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and successor to Argentina’s Pope Francis, after a secret conclave by his fellow cardinals in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
Chiclayo (Peru) (AFP) – Residents of Chiclayo, Peru, celebrate outside the cathedral where Pope Leo XIV delivered homilies and interacted with parishioners when he was a bishop. The 69-year-old Chicago native first set foot in Peru some four decades ago as a missionary, before becoming bishop of the diocese of Chiclayo in the northwest of the country and gaining citizenship in 2015.
Hokitika (New Zealand) (AFP) – Footage captured by a New Zealand ranger shows a rare Mount Augustus snail laying an egg via its neck, the first time the reproduction has been captured on video according to the New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.
Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump says a trade deal with Britain would “dramatically” increase exports of beef and other products to the UK, with American farmers standing to benefit. “The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture,” Trump tells reporters after announcing the deal.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls for allies to unite to fight Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Europe celebrates 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – “Not for three days, not for 30 days. They are not the kind of people you can trust,” says one Kyiv resident, sceptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine to coincide with Moscow’s World War II Victory Day commemorations. Kyiv reported limited strikes on its northeastern region of Sumy, but no missile or drone attacks, on the first morning the truce was supposed to take effect. Ukraine never agreed to the proposal, dismissing it as theatrics and calling instead for a 30-day ceasefire.
