Nation
Reform UK’s Farage says he’ll quit as lawmaker and seek re-election amid donation allegations
LONDON | Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced Tuesday that he will quit his Parliament seat and seek re-election in an effort to clear his name over financial allegations linked to millions of dollars’ worth of donations. “I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have […]
Philippine Senate opens the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines | The Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, opened the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday in a politically volatile event that will unfold against the backdrop of her bitter feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. More than 6,000 police officers, including anti-riot squads, were deployed to secure the Senate, […]
Vatican excommunicates schismatic bishops and priests, and warns their followers
VATICAN CITY | The Vatican responded aggressively Thursday to a traditionalist group that consecrated bishops without the pope’s consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church. It also excommunicated its bishops and priests, and warned its faithful that they too face the harshest sanctions in the church. By […]
Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a ‘forceful response’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies. The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as […]
New Jersey is set to charge companies with workers on Medicaid. Other states may follow
New Jersey is launching a new fee on companies whose workers have Medicaid health coverage instead of being covered by their employers. Other states are considering it, too. Democratic lawmakers and governors see it as a way to help pay for the joint federal and state insurance program that covers low-income residents as federal policy […]
Defying Pope Leo XIV, traditionalists go ahead with bishop consecrations in Switzerland
ECONE, Switzerland | A group of traditionalist Catholics directly defied Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday by consecrating four bishops without his consent, dismissing the resulting excommunications and saying the break with the church was necessary to defend the Catholic faith. The Society of St. Pius X, which opposes modernizing reforms in the Catholic Church, went […]
House GOP deadlocks over Trump’s demands, sending lawmakers home early
WASHINGTON | Whither the U.S. House? As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, the legislative branch has momentarily called it quits. The House leadership on Tuesday abruptly canceled votes and sent lawmakers home early for the holiday recess, Speaker Mike Johnson ‘s majority once again ground to a standstill by a Republican revolt […]
The Supreme Court nears the end of its term with momentous cases about Trump’s power to be decided
WASHINGTON | The Supreme Court is wrapping up a term that has focused on President Donald Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power. Trump’s efforts to restrict birthright citizenship, fire the heads of most independent agencies at will and remove a sitting Federal Reserve governor are among the remaining eight cases the justices are expected to […]
Grief and optimism clash in scramble to locate survivors 4 days after Venezuela earthquakes
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela | Local and international rescue teams raced against the clock to pull survivors from the rubble in Venezuela on Sunday, four days after two powerful earthquakes shook the northern state of La Guaira. The government reported 1,450 dead from the quakes Sunday afternoon as it faced growing criticism from Venezuelans that its […]
Thousands of immigrants got scammed by an attorney exploiting humanitarian visas, lawsuits say
Associated Press | An attorney in Washington state promised “miracles” to tens of thousands of immigrants seeking legal status in the United States. Instead, Alexandra Lozano created fake stories of domestic abuse and human trafficking to apply for humanitarian visas without her clients’ knowledge, according to several lawsuits and a legal ethics investigation. They say […]