Latest news with #VaticanNews'
Herald Malaysia
13-07-2025
- Business
- Herald Malaysia
World Bank mobilises $80 billion to reconstruct Ukraine
Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, speaks to Vatican News about the organisation's support for war-torn Ukraine – from financing repairs to energy infrastructure to helping farmers increase their yields. Jul 13, 2025 Anna Bjerde, World Bank Managing Director of Operations, at Vatican News' offices in Rome By Joseph TullochThe Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in Rome on July 10-11, brought together government officials, international organizations, and financial institutions to strategize about ways to support the war-torn country. One of the attendees was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, fresh from a visit to Pope Leo XIV at Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday. Another was Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, who spoke to Vatican News. Q: More than three years have passed since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. What have been the World Bank's main contributions so far to the reconstruction of the country? Anna Bjerde: The World Bank Group, like so many others, has really stepped up to make sure that we could support Ukraine during this very difficult time, providing significant amounts of financing, both our own and also mobilizing resources from Ukraine's main development partners by setting up various platforms and trust funds and ways of channeling funds to Ukraine. Our focus has been threefold. One focus is to help the government provide essential services like paying for teachers, paying for medical support, paying for a social safety net. The second has been to support the quick recovery and repair of infrastructure that's being damaged on an ongoing basis, particularly in areas like energy and housing. And the third area has been to start planning for tomorrow. So that's involved quite a bit of diagnostics and economic modeling to see what might be areas of major growth. In total, we've mobilized about $81 billion for Ukraine, both public and private. Q: Zooming in on four key sectors—energy, trade, industry, and agriculture— what progress have you made so far, and what still needs to be done? Energy is key. In February, we released our fourth damage and needs assessment for Ukraine. That shows that for the coming ten years, based on where we are as of February, Ukraine will need $524 billion for a recovery and reconstruction. Between the fourth damage and needs assessment and the one we did about a year earlier, the damage to the energy sector has gone up by 70%. So what have we focused on? We have focussed on helping Ukraine receive essential equipment for ongoing repair, which they need to do. But we have also, through our private sector arm, the IFC, focussed on helping to put in place renewable energy. So there's been a series of rounds of private projects, particularly on wind, which Ukraine can benefit from. A second area you asked about was trade. Trade has been highly disrupted in Ukraine for a variety of different reasons. Of course, the war in and of itself, but also the various on-and-off blockades of the Black Sea, which have required reinforcement of railways and roads. We have helped both in terms of infrastructure in the railways, and we have also helped simplify the processes for trade, which has increased the outflow of exports from Ukraine and the inflow of direct investment, which has been helpful. And then on the agriculture side, so important for Ukraine. We have directly supported farmers in Ukraine, which has actually helped them increase their production and yield of agricultural product, which is important for exports, for livelihoods, for food security in Ukraine. And the fourth area, industrial activity, has of course been highly affected by the war. We have been mostly focused on supporting energy transport connectivity along with other partners and direct investments in infrastructure. But we have also tried to help on what we call access to finance, business, environment, and de-risking investments so that industry can keep going. We have found the domestic private sector in Ukraine, as well as the state-owned enterprises, to be very resilient during the war. We also have been working a lot to sensitize international companies about the needs in Ukraine and the opportunities, as well as providing support for those companies that are interested in supporting Ukraine through either trade finance, through IFC or the private sector, or looking at various ways of providing blended finance so that we can attract finance and investments. Q: Over the past three years of war in Ukraine, we've seen some stories of incredible resilience. I'm wondering if, through your contacts there, you have any stories like that which you'd like to share? Absolutely. I've travelled to Ukraine quite a few times since the war started, and the resilience you see and the bravery of the people of Ukraine is amazing. Some of my favourite people are the people who work on the railway system, because we all travel by rail, and these people work through the night to make sure we get safely from the border up to Kyiv. They're just amazing people, and they take pride in being able to bring people into Ukraine even at the risk of their own lives. Also, meeting with beneficiaries of our projects, whether it's teachers or healthcare workers or utility workers, or governmental officials working through the night in bomb shelters. I think the sense of identity and the cause of fighting for Ukraine and being able to call Ukraine home has been so important for the Ukrainians. That's what's also inspired our team to keep going there. We have a big team working out of Kyiv, and we will continue to be there for Ukraine.--Vatican News
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
What does black smoke at the Vatican mean? Papal conclave day 1 ends without a new pope
May 08, 2025 01:25 AM IST The Papal Conclave saw the end of the first day and black smoke was seen emerging from the Sistine Chapel. This happened at 21.00 local time, after the doors of the Sistine Chapel were closed with the words, "Extra omnes" or "Everyone out." Papal conclave glimpse(AP) According to a Vatican News' post, black smoke indicates that no new pope has been decided upon yet. This means the proceedings around choosing a new Pope will again continue tomorrow when the Cardinal electors assemble together. This electoral process comes soon after the death of Pope Francis, who passed away April 21. (This is a developing story. Please come back for more updates)
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pope Francis' funeral to stream on YouTube
The funeral of Pope Francis will be livestreamed on YouTube on Saturday. Pope Francis passed away earlier this week at age 88 due to a stroke and cardiac arrest. Vatican News' YouTube channel will begin coverage of the funeral at 10 a.m. CET/4 a.m. ET, with availability in English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German. The livestream will allow people from around the world to see the ceremony, which will take place in Vatican City's St. Peter's Square. Vatican News began streaming the Pope's daily Mass on YouTube in March 2020 due to the risk of the coronavirus. The channel has grown to almost a million followers. Sign in to access your portfolio
Perth Now
21-04-2025
- General
- Perth Now
IN PICTURES: A look at Pope Francis' life
Pope Francis' death on Easter Monday at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, was confirmed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber. Picture: AP Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, remembered as a humble man who lived his faith and was a champion for the poor. The Pontiff's death comes after suffering bouts of ill health in the past two years. He was last admitted to hospital on February 14 after experiencing difficulty breathing for several days. Pope Francis' death on Easter Monday at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, was confirmed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber. 'Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,' he said on the Vatican News' X account. 'At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. 'His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. 'He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalised. 'With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.' See below for a look at Pope Francis' life in pictures.
West Australian
21-04-2025
- General
- West Australian
Pope Francis death: Religious leader dies aged 88
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. The Pontiff's death comes after suffering bouts of ill health in the past two years. He was last admitted to hospital on February 14 after experiencing difficulty breathing for several days. Pope Francis' death on Easter Monday at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, was confirmed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber. 'Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,' he said on the Vatican News' X account. 'At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. 'His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. 'He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalised. 'With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.' Elected Pope in 2013 after the shock resignation of his predecessor Benedict XVI, Francis was a progressive leader of the Catholic Church, taking a more open approach to women and the LGBTQI+ community. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 1936 as Jorge Bergoglio, he first began work as a laboratory assistant and a bouncer, before becoming a Jesuit novice in 1958. After four years as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope John Paul II made Bergoglio a Cardinal, and was considered a frontrunner to replace the former pontiff after his death in 2005. He was the first Latin American pope, and the first non-European pontiff in more than a millennia. He chose the name 'Francis' after Francis of Assisi.
