ROME -- Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, died Monday at the age of 88, said the Vatican in a statement.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Francis was head of the Roman Catholic Church since 2013. (Vatican-Pope-Death)

- - - -

GENEVA -- Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has announced his resignation as chair of the WEF Board of Trustees, the WEF said in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, Schwab has informed the board: "Following my recent announcement, and as I enter my 88th year, I have decided to step down from the position of Chair and as a member of the Board of Trustees, with immediate effect." (World Economic Forum-Schwab)

- - - -

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday sent a ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of the country's past brutal militarism, on the occasion of its spring festival.

Ishiba sent the ritual tree, called "masakaki," on the first day of the three-day ceremony at the war-linked shrine located in central Tokyo's Chiyoda district. (Japan-PM-Shrine)

- - - -

KAMPALA -- The cumulative number of confirmed mpox cases in Uganda has hit 5,431, with 40 deaths reported since the outbreak was declared in the East African country nine months ago, the Ministry of Health said Monday.

A total of 44 new infections were recorded in the previous 24 hours, the ministry said in a situation report, noting an increased severity among patients admitted to hospital with mpox. (Uganda-Mpox)

- - - -

JERUSALEM -- Israel's military said on Monday that it carried out more than 200 airstrikes across the Gaza Strip over the past three days, killing a member of the Islamic Jihad movement.

The military said the strikes targeted militant infrastructure, militant cells, rocket launch and sniper positions, weapons depots and command centers. (Israel-Gaza-Strikes) Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)