
Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in symbolically rich blessing on Mother's Day
Pope Leo XIV waives from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica overlooking St. Peter's Square where tens of thousands of faithful gathered at noon to receive the first traditional Sunday blessing after his election on Thursday and to pray the Regina Caeli, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

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National Post
4 days ago
- National Post
Irish MMA fighter says 'Free Palestine' after defeating Israeli opponent
Irish mixed martial artist Paddy McCorry's victory over Israel's Shuki Farage on Saturday may not have been personal, but it was certainly political. Article content After securing a unanimous decision at Cage Warriors 189 in Rome, McCorry draped himself in a Palestinian flag and said 'Free Palestine' before screaming and flexing in celebration. Article content Article content 'Street justice,' followed by an Irish and Palestinian flag, he posted to social media after, along with a clip showing him appearing to yell into Farage's face as he pummeled the Israeli with the bout's finishing blows. Article content Article content Article content In the video, several people in the crowd can be heard chanting 'Free, free Palestine.' Article content Article content According to Cage Warriors, the 27-year-old from West Belfast in Northern Ireland, a more experienced fighter heavily favoured by pundits and bettors, was dominant 'from bell to bell.' It improved his pro record to 6-1, all since 2021. Article content Article content For Farage, it was his fifth professional bout since 2017, but his first since a 2022 win over Turkey's Bugra Alparslan, a more experienced fighter. Article content His only other win occurred in 2017 when he got Russian Sabit Nasive to tap out. His pro record is now 2-2. Article content


CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
What made Mount Etna's latest eruption so rare
MILAN — Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky. But the defining event of Monday's eruption was the more rare pyroclastic flow from the southwestern crater not visible from a distance. The volcano is Europe's most active, and the continent's largest. Etna attracts hikers and backpackers to its slopes while less adventurous tourists can take it in from a distance, most stunningly from the Ionian Sea. Etna's latest eruption caused neither injuries nor evacuations, but sent a group of tourists on its flanks running, as captured by video posted on social media with smoke towering in the background. Authorities emphasized there was no danger to the population, and the pyroclastic flow — a fast-moving mixture of rock fragments, gas and ash — was limited to about two kilometres (more than a mile) and didn't go beyond the Valle del Leone, or Lion Valley, which forms a natural containment area. Etna has been active recently, and this was the 14th episode since mid-March. The most recent pyroclastic flows with significant reach were recorded on Feb. 10, 2022, Oct. 23, 2021, Dec. 13, 2020 and Feb. 11, 2014, Marco Viccaro, president of Italy's national volcanology association, said Tuesday. What's happening now? After a 19-day lull, Etna began to erupt with lively explosive bursts of gas and ash followed by a mild lava flow on the eastern slope followed by a smaller flow to the south. At around 10 a.m. on Monday, Etna exploded with its first major, violent eruption of the year: lava fountains and a column of ash and gas rose several kilometres, or miles, in the air. The event climaxed around 11:23 a.m. when the pyroclastic flow, triggered when magma mixed with snow, travelled two kilometres (more than a mile) to the Valle del Leone within a minute. By late afternoon, scientists said the event had subsided. Imposing figure Etna towers around 3,350 metres (around 11,050 feet) above sea level and is 35 kilometres (22 miles) in diameter, although the volcanic activity has changed the mountain's height over time. Occasionally, the airport at Catania, eastern Sicily's largest city, has to close down for hours or days, when ash in the air makes flying in the area dangerous. An aviation warning was put in place during the latest event, but the airport wasn't closed. With Etna's lava flows largely contained to its uninhabited slopes, life goes in towns and villages elsewhere on the mountain. Among the benefits of the volcano: fertile farmland and tourism. Deadly past Inspiring ancient Greek legends, Etna has had scores of known eruptions in its history. An eruption in 396 B.C., has been credited with keeping the army of Carthage at bay. In 1669, in what has been considered the volcano's worst known eruption, lava buried a swath of Catania, about 23 kilometres (15 miles) away and devastated dozens of villages. An eruption in 1928 cut off a rail route circling the mountain's base. Colleen Barry, The Associated Press


CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
A falling tree in Venice injures a dozen people, including foreign tourists
Firefighters work at the scene where a 50-year-old tree fell, injuring foreign tourists and others who were standing in its shade, next to a bus stop in Venice, Italy, Monday, June 2, 2025. (Filippo Attili/Vigili Del Fuoco via AP) MILAN — Foreign tourists were among a dozen people injured when a 50-year-old tree fell next to a bus stop in the Italian lagoon city of Venice on Monday, authorities said. The oak tree fell on a group of people waiting in a shaded area at Piazzale Roma, the last stop for buses and taxis ferrying visitors to and from the lagoon city from the mainland, city officials said. It wasn't immediately clear why the tree fell. The most seriously injured was a 30-year-old Italian woman, who was sitting on a wall near the tree with her two small children when the tree fell, Italian media reported. The woman was in critical condition with abdominal injuries, while her children weren't seriously injured and placed under psychological care, according to hospital officials. Another Italian woman in her 50s also was in critical condition after suffering chest injuries. A video from the scene showed the tree had snapped at the trunk, just above the roots. 'The tree was apparently healthy,' Francesca Zaccariotto, the city's top public works official, told the news agency ANSA. She added that the tree was monitored along with others in the city, and there had been no signs indicating a possible collapse. A 60-year-old American was under observation for a head injury, a 70-year-old American suffered facial injuries, and two tourists from Eastern Europe suffered multiple bruises. Four other Italians were slightly injured. The Associated Press