News
Copy by Craig Foster
Donald Trump was quick to celebrate the election of the first U.S.-born pope. But if Leo XIV’s expressed political views are any indication, he may, like his predecessor, clash with the U.S. President over the latter’s signature policy of mass-deporting migrants. Shortly after Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the new pontiff, the White House posted photos of him overlooking St. Peter’s Square with the text “The First American Pope” and a congratulatory message from Mr. Trump saying he looked forward to meeting. In the most recent activity on his verified X account, Leo, who was then a cardinal, amplified a post from Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo criticizing Mr. Trump over the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man deported to his native El Salvador against a court order.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s major Victory Day parade began in Moscow on Friday, marking 80 years since Nazi Germany’s defeat. With more than 20 foreign leaders attending, including China’s Xi Jinping, the Kremlin aims to showcase strength amid its war in Ukraine. Putin announced a “humanitarian” truce over the holiday. Putin’s lavish World War II Victory Day parade began in Moscow on Friday, an event the Kremlin hopes will rally patriotism at home and project strength abroad as its troops fight in Ukraine.
Ukraine says it has uncovered a spy network being run by the Hungarian state to obtain intelligence about its defences near their shared border.
Ukraine’s security service said it had detained two alleged Hungarian spies who it accused of gathering intelligence. Hungary is a member of the European Union and Nato – both firm allies of Ukraine – but President Viktor Orban has repeatedly sided with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. The Hungarian government has not responded to the claims.
Onex Corp is selling a 25-per-cent stake in WestJet Airlines to two of the world’s largest carriers for US$550-million, cashing in on an investment made just before the COVID-19 pandemic wrought havoc in the aviation industry.
In a deal that positions WestJet for further international expansion, Toronto-based asset manager Onex will sell a 15-per-cent stake in WestJet to Delta Air Lines Inc. Delta then plans to sell 2.3 per cent of the Calgary-based carrier to Air France–KLM S.A. for US$50-million. Federal regulations put a 25-per-cent cap on a foreign airline’s ownership of a domestic carrier.
Bill Gates pledged on Thursday to give away $200 billion US via his charitable foundation by 2045 and lashed out at Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of “killing the world’s poorest children” through huge cuts to the U.S. foreign aid budget. The 69-year-old billionaire co-founder of Microsoft said he was speeding up his plans to divest almost all of his fortune and would close the foundation on Dec. 31, 2045, years earlier than previously planned. Gates said he believed the money would help achieve several of his goals, such as eradicating diseases like polio and malaria, ending preventable deaths among women and children, and reducing global poverty. His announcement follows moves by governments, including the Trump administration, to slash international aid budgets used to prevent deadly disease and famine.
Sports
Leon Draisaitl took a pass from Connor McDavid and scored off the rush at 15:20 of overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night and a 2-0 lead in the second-round series.
the Washington Capitals flipped the script from the opener in a big way in Game 2. Tom Wilson had a monster performance with a couple of blocked shots, an assist on the winning goal and the empty-netter that sealed a 3-1 victory Tuesday night
Captain Brianne Jenner opened the scoring and Shiann Darkangelo buried the winner to lift the Charge past the Victoire 3-2 on the road in Game 1 of their best-of-five PWHL matchup.
Anthony Santander hit a go-ahead, two-run single during Toronto’s four-run sixth inning, and the Blue Jays snapped their four-game losing streak with an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
