Author: Prima News

The secret conclave that elected Pope Leo head of the Catholic Church last May was interrupted when one of the 133 cardinals involved was found carrying a cellphone, a massive security breach, a book released on Sunday revealed. As the clerics were preparing to take their first vote inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, which was fitted with jamming equipment to prevent outside communications, security officials picked up the signal of an active mobile connection. The cardinals stared at each other incredulously, then one of the older clerics discovered he had a phone in his pocket and handed it over, according to “The Election of Pope Leo XIV”,…

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday that the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was “a defining moment in Iran’s history”. “What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape,” Kallas said on social media platform X. “I’m in contact with partners, including those in the region that bear the brunt of Iran’s military actions, to find practical steps for de-escalation.” Khamenei was killed on Saturday, Iranian state media announced, in Israeli and U.S. air strikes that pulverised…

Loud blasts were heard in Dubai and Qatari capital Doha for a second day on Sunday and Oman was hit for the first time as retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Gulf states in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic widened. Iran had said it would target U.S. bases in the region but it has hit a range of other targets across Gulf cities. Two people were injured in Dubai after shrapnel from drones fell over two houses when they were intercepted, a Dubai media office statement said. Thick black plumes of smoke continued to rise from the…

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes, state media confirmed as another wave of attacks hit the country on Sunday. Below is international reaction to his death. EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER URSULA VON DER LEYEN “With Khamenei gone, there is renewed hope for the people of Iran. We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape. At the same time, this moment carries a real risk of instability that could push the region into a spiral of violence.” ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ANTONIO TAJANI “For the moment, Iran is in a transitional phase, and it remains…

A helicopter crash in western Kenya on Saturday killed six people, including a member of parliament, police and government officials said. The helicopter crashed in Nandi County, in the North Rift region. The cause was not immediately clear. County police commander Samuel Mukusi told Kenyan television station Citizen TV that the MP, the pilot, and four other people had died. President William Ruto identified the lawmaker as Johana Ng’eno, of Emurua Dikirr constituency, in a post on X. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, the people of Emurua Dikirr, and all the victims and families affected…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday condemned the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “cynical” murder but he offered little in public to Moscow’s ally beyond condolences. Khamenei is the third Russian ally to be toppled in the past 15 months, following the falls of Moscow‑backed leaders in Syria and Venezuela. His death leaves the Kremlin facing a strategic setback in a region where it has long sought greater influence. Russia says this weekend’s U.S. and Israeli attacks have thrust the entire Middle East into the abyss, although some Iranian sources have said that they have had little…

North Korea’s foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement that Israel’s attacks on Iranand the U.S. military operation were “illegal aggression” and a violation of national sovereignty, state media Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday. The U.S. military operation against Iran was “within the range of expectations,” the spokesperson said, calling it an inevitable outcome given the “hegemonic and gangster-like” nature of the United States. The “war of aggression” by the United States and Israel is unacceptable under any circumstances, the statement said. Regional countries and others with shared interests should take responsibility for restoring peace and stability in the…

Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey on Sunday declined to explicitly back strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, saying it was for the U.S. to “set out the legal basis of the action it took”. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the air strikes on Saturday, Iran’s state media has confirmed. Healey told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Britain played no part in the strikes, but it did share the aim of the United States and other allies in the region that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon. Asked if he believed the strikes were within…

Francisco Pichón cited growing risks to healthcare, water services and food distribution as the country’s energy reserves continue to fall. The UN’s top official in Cuba told a press briefing in New York via video link from Havana, there was “concern that the crisis could deepen”, with shortages creating “acute humanitarian risks” for vulnerable communities. ‘Multiple shocks’ The strain follows “multiple shocks”, including Hurricane Melissa in October, which affected more than 2.2 million people. Cuban authorities have rolled out a month-long contingency plan to help deal with the challenges created by the fuel shortage; however, next steps are unclear, with…

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has declared that Nigeria is now better positioned to decisively confront the longstanding challenge of Almajiri and out-of-school children across the country. Alausa made the assertion on Sunday while addressing the Committee of States Commissioners of Education in Nigeria during a peer-learning webinar aimed at advancing coordinated education reforms nationwide. The minister described the initiative as timely and aligned with national education priorities, stressing that stronger collaboration between the Federal Government and sub-national governments remains critical to sustainably reducing the number of out-of-school children. “Reducing out-of-school children requires shared accountability, harmonised implementation frameworks, and…