WORLD

Hype has been building on social media around the Catholic Church's secretive, centuries-old tradition of conclaves to elect a new pope, animating users from the White House on down.

Renee Guette, 98, laughed as she looked at her computer screen in Texas.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Monday ordered at least a 20 percent reduction in the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals in the US military, a memo from the defense secretary said.

The cinema industry is reeling after US President Donald Trump announced 100-percent tariffs on foreign films, casting uncertainty over the future of international productions.

Pro-EU Romania is facing a possible foreign policy shift, with a far-right leader -- and fan of US President Donald Trump -- topping the first round of a tense election rerun and now up against a centrist mayor for president.

The Druze are a prominent religious community of more than a million people spread mainly across Syria, Lebanon and Israel, who for centuries have sought to preserve a distinct identity.

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen took aim at Donald Trump's policies on science on Monday, as the European Union seeks to encourage disgruntled US researchers to relocate to Europe.

Kids dressed as real and fantasy heroes, drummers pounding a beat and sweet treats offered to powerful gods -- thousands of visitors poured onto a small island in Hong Kong for its annual Bun Festival on Monday.

For decades, one Rome tailor has been making the white cassock new popes don immediately after election -- but this conclave it has competition.

A military parade and planned balcony appearance by the royal family on Monday kicked off four days of UK celebrations marking 80 years since the end of World War II. King Charles III, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and thousands of spectators watched as NATO personnel from the US, France and Germany, along with a small number of Ukrainian troops, joined a military procession that began with Winston Churchill's 1945 victory speech, voiced by actor Timothy Spall.

Catholic cardinals will enter into conclave this week to choose a new pope, with the Church's 1.4 billion members holding their breath over an uncertain outcome.

Israel's security cabinet approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza including the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory, an official said Monday, after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists for the offensive.

The Pakistan military said on Monday it had conducted a missile test with a range of 120 kilometres (75 miles), the second launch in two days as tensions with India have soared over disputed Kashmir.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he had directed officials to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz prison, the notorious federal jail based on a small island in California that closed six decades ago.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he was ordering new tariffs on all films made outside the United States, claiming Hollywood was being "devastated" by a trend of US filmmakers and studios working abroad.

Australia's prime minister said Monday he held a "warm" conversation with Donald Trump, days after storming to an election victory partly shaped by voters' distrust of the US president.

Bayern Munich were crowned German champions for the 34th time on Sunday, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer Leverkusen drew 2-2 at Freiburg.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he did "not believe" Russia would adhere to a coming three-day truce to coincide with Moscow's Victory Day celebrations.

US President Donald Trump said in remarks airing Sunday that he does not know whether he must uphold the US Constitution, the nation's founding legal document.

Brazilian police said Sunday they had arrested two people in connection with a foiled plot to attack Lady Gaga's packed mega-concert in Rio de Janeiro.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia on May 7-10 and join his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at commemorations of the Allied victory against Nazi Germany, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

Rabia Bibi, a glittering red dupatta pulled over her eyes, wasn't about to let the threat of war with India stop her wedding in a remote valley in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

A federal official said a mayor in western Mexico was arrested as part of a probe into a suspected drug cartel training camp, where forced recruits were allegedly tortured or killed if they refused to cooperate.

For 10 nights straight, gunfire between Indian and Pakistani soldiers has echoed from the mountains and deep valleys that form the heavily defended de facto border between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Nuns sexually assaulted by priests are one of the last Catholic taboos, but with reports of abuse rising, it is a scandal that will be difficult for the future pope to ignore.

Australia's left-leaning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese basked Sunday in his landslide election win, promising a "disciplined, orderly" government to confront cost-of-living pain and tariff turmoil.

As dusk falls, some 500 Indigenous people stand in formation in Lauca Ene, a hamlet in central Bolivia, and raise their spears to the cry of "Long live Evo Morales!"

Israel was issuing orders to call up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of an expanded offensive in Gaza, Israeli media reported Saturday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked truce mediator Qatar.

Arsenal suffered a blow ahead of their Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain as Evanilson fired Bournemouth to a historic 2-1 victory, while Aston Villa boosted their top five bid with a 1-0 win against Fulham on Saturday.