Author: HeraldStar

Pope Francis announced on Sunday his intention to appoint 21 new cardinals from diverse countries worldwide, a significant decision aimed at reshaping the future leadership of the Catholic Church. This announcement was made during his weekly prayer gathering in St. Peter’s Square, where he shared details about the upcoming ceremony, known as a consistory, scheduled for December 8. This will mark the 10th consistory he has called since his election 11 years ago as the first pope from Latin America. The new cardinals come from an impressive range of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Italy, Britain, Serbia, Japan, Indonesia,…

Donald Trump is set to return to Pennsylvania on Saturday for a rally at the venue where he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in July, framing the event as an essential moment in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. During an interview with NewsNation, Trump described the trip to Butler, located an hour north of Pittsburgh, as “unfinished business,” fulfilling a promise he made after the assassination attempt that left one dead and two injured. “I said that day when I was shot, I said, ‘We’re coming back. We’re going to come back,’” he remarked, emphasizing the importance of…

Tunisians began voting on Sunday in a pivotal election that sees President Kais Saied aiming for a second term, amid a backdrop of political turmoil and growing criticism of his administration. Saied, who has been in power since 2019, faces two challengers: his former ally turned critic, Chaab Party leader Zouhair Maghzaoui, and Ayachi Zammel, who had been considered a formidable opponent until his sudden imprisonment last month. Once regarded as a beacon of democratic progress following the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, Tunisia’s political landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years. Rights groups contend that Saied has reversed many of…

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe announced on Saturday that his Congolese counterpart had declined to sign an agreed-upon deal aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict involving the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This conflict has led to the displacement of over 1.7 million people and further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region. The Tutsi-led M23 has been engaged in an insurgency in the DRC’s eastern regions since 2022. The Congolese government, along with the United Nations and various international observers, has accused Rwanda of providing military support, including troops and weaponry, to the…

Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Ibrahim Traore, announced plans on Saturday to withdraw mining permits from certain foreign companies as part of a broader strategy to boost domestic gold production. Speaking during a radio address commemorating the second anniversary of his rise to power following a coup, Traore expressed frustration with the presence of multinationals in the country’s mining sector, stating, “We know how to mine our gold and I don’t understand why we’re going to let multinationals come and mine it.” However, he did not specify which permits would be canceled or provide additional details about the initiative. Gold is…

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo launched their first mpox vaccination campaign on Saturday, marking a significant milestone in the fight against an outbreak that has extended beyond its epicenter in the country to various African nations. The vaccination ceremony took place at a hospital in Goma, with healthcare workers being the first to receive the vaccine doses. However, the Health Ministry cautioned that the scope of the vaccination campaign would be limited due to constrained resources. Currently, there are 265,000 vaccine doses available, with additional doses expected to arrive in the near future. This initial rollout addresses…

The Zimbabwean government has announced plans to allocate an initial $20 million this month to compensate both foreign white farmers and local Black farmers who lost their land during the controversial farm invasions that occurred under former President Robert Mugabe’s regime in the early 2000s. This decision was revealed by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube on Friday and marks a significant step towards reviving the country’s struggling agricultural sector and addressing past injustices. The compensation forms part of a broader series of measures outlined in Zimbabwe’s 2024 budget aimed at restoring the agricultural industry, which was once a cornerstone of the…

Israeli airstrikes early on Sunday morning targeted a mosque and a school housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, killing 26 people and injuring dozens more, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The strikes hit Ibn Rushd school and Al-Aqsa Martyrs mosque in Deir al-Balah, both located within the humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. The Israeli military stated the sites were being used by Hamas militants as “command and control” centres. Footage verified by the BBC showed scenes of devastation, with bodies and blood among the rubble of the mosque, and the school engulfed in flames. Rescue workers could be seen…

Massive Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early on Sunday, sending shockwaves across the Lebanese capital for nearly 30 minutes. The strikes, targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure and weapons storage, have intensified since the Israeli military eliminated the group’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a September 27th attack. His potential successor, Hashem Safieddine, is also missing following a strike near Beirut’s international airport. Israel has confirmed its efforts to minimize civilian casualties by providing advanced warnings before airstrikes. This escalation comes amid Israel’s year-long campaign against Hezbollah and Hamas, which has expanded into Lebanon. Israel has reportedly killed over 440 Hezbollah fighters…

In the war-torn Gaza Strip, 11-year-old Mohammed collects rubble from his ruined home, transforming it into gravel to make tombstones for victims of the conflict. His father, Jihad Shamali, who used to work in construction, now salvages materials from their wrecked house in Khan Younis to bury the dead. This grim scene is part of a larger struggle as Gaza faces the daunting task of clearing over 42 million tonnes of rubble created by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas. The United Nations estimates that this debris exceeds the damage from previous Gaza conflicts by 14 times, enough to fill Egypt’s…