15 h. ago How Pope Francis changed the Catholic church, and what happens next – podcast

Just hours after wishing the world a happy Easter, the 267th head of the Roman Catholic church passed away. What was his legacy and who will take his place? Catherine Pepinster reportsPope Francis was working until the end. On Easter Sunday, the 88-year-old head of the Catholic church offered an Easter greeting to the crowds in St Peter’s Square who had gathered for mass. By the next morning, after months battling pneumonia and bronchitis, he had passed away.From the beginning, the first Latin American pope wanted his papacy to be different. Catherine Pepinster, the former editor of the Tablet, says one of his first notable actions was to go to a prison, rather than a church, to wash people’s feet in the traditional Maundy Thursday rite. It was typical of a pontiff who refused many of the luxuries of his predecessors – from giving up an apartment in the papal palace to only wearing simple leather shoes. Continue reading...

Politics

19 h. ago Pope Francis’ approach did not win him friends within the church bureaucracy. But he lit the path for us all | Francis Sullivan

While his legacy in confronting the sex abuse scandal is still incomplete, Francis demonstrated that change is possible and mercy can be realPope Francis, groundbreaking Jesuit pontiff, diesPotential candidates to succeed Pope FrancisEarly in his papacy Pope Francis said the name for God is mercy. He understood the church had become too doctrinaire, divisive and judgmental for too many people. The drift of Catholics from conventional practice in the west said as much. He knew the church had alienated the LGBTQ community, discriminated against women and resisted full participation for divorced and remarried Catholics. He acknowledged that previous popes had not confronted the clerical sex abuse scandal. He wanted to do better and the Catholic world was with him, the institution was not.The Catholic church by its nature is a conservative institution. It uses inertia as a management tool. Change is a slow and drawn-out affair. Francis regularly railed against clericalism because of its...

Politics

27 h. ago Archbishop of York: Saying Lord’s Prayer with Pope Francis changed me

Stephen Cottrell paid tribute to the Pope after his death aged 88.

Politics

27 h. ago Snooker fans furious as the BBC pull World Championship off their TV schedule for the Pope's death

The BBC were forced into a late change of their schedule following the announcement that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88.

Sport

28 h. ago GMB host forced into hasty outfit change as mark of respect to Pope

Good Morning Britain Ranvir Singh was forced into a very hasty outfit change as a mark of respect to Pope Francis after his death on Monday. 

Politics

29 h. ago Pope Francis dies aged 88: His biggest controversies and changes to Church explained

Francis, who served as the Pope for over a decade, was a transformative figure in the Catholic Church, known as much for his progressive reforms as for the controversies they stirred within its ranks

Events

29 h. ago Good Morning Britain viewers seriously distracted by host's 'unprofessional and ill

Today's instalment of Lorraine, hosted by Christine Lampard , was cut short for ITV to report on the breaking news that Pope Francis had passed away aged 88.

Politics

31 h. ago Snooker fans all saying the same thing as Pope's death sees World Championship coverage REMOVED from BBC

The BBC were forced into a late change of their schedule following the announcement that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88.

Sport

32 h. ago Francis changed church policy on the death penalty and nuclear weapons but upheld it on abortion

Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church’s teaching in areas such as the death penalty and nuclear weapons

Events

36 h. ago Texas court hearing on Walmart mass shooting sets stage for plea to avoid the death penalty

The gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at a Texas Walmart in 2019 is expected to accept a plea deal to avoid the death penalty

Events

41 h. ago China's new 'blowtorch' bomb which causes 1,000C fireball and melts metal

Chinese State researchers have developed this new non-nuclear hyrdogen weapon, that has been likened to napalm, which has the power to create a "whitehot" fireball to decimate whole areas

Events

53 h. ago Moscow may gain key role in Iran nuclear deal as US talks progress

Russia touted as possible destination for Iran’s uranium stockpile and could also act as arbiter of deal breachesRussia could play a key role in a deal on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, with Moscow being touted not only as a possible destination for Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, but also as a possible arbiter of deal breaches.Donald Trump, who abandoned a 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and world powers in 2018 during his first term, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly that would prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. Continue reading...

Economics

68 h. ago Israel has ‘no choice’ but to continue fighting in Gaza, says Netanyahu

PM vows not to end war before destroying Hamas, as Israeli strikes kill more than 90 people in 48 hoursBenjamin Netanyahu said again Saturday that Israel had “no choice” but to continue fighting in Gaza and will not end the war before destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages.The Israeli prime minister also repeated his vow to make sure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Death row inmates sue to stop Trump from sending them to prison that housed Timothy McVeigh and the Unabomber

Attorney says Trump administration is ‘just assuming they are the worst of the worst by virtue of their death sentences’

Events

4 d. ago Luigi Mangione is indicted on federal charges over UnitedHealthcare CEO's murder

Luigi Mangione was indicted Thursday on a federal murder charge in the killing of CEO Brian Thompson, a necessary step for prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

Events

4 d. ago UnitedHealthcare killing suspect Luigi Mangione indicted as prosecutors push for death penalty

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December, has been indicted in a New York court on four charges including a count eligible for the death penalty

Events

5 d. ago Who are the death row executioners? Disgraced doctors, suspended nurses and drunk drivers

These are just the US executioners we know. But they are a chilling indication of the executioners we don’t knowBeing an executioner is not the sort of job that gets posted in a local wanted ad. Kids don’t dream about being an executioner when they grow up, and people don’t go to school for it. So how does one become a death row executioner in the US, and who are the people doing it?This was the question I couldn’t help but ask when I began a book project on lethal injection back in 2018. I’m a death penalty researcher, and I was trying to figure out why states are so breathtakingly bad at a procedure that we use on cats and dogs every day. Part of the riddle was who is performing these executions. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Iran is 'not far' from having a nuclear bomb, UN warns after Trump told Tehran to abandon nuke dream or face harsh response

Western countries have long suspected Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

Events

7 d. ago Foreign Office tells Brits 'don't get involved' or face death penalty in stark warning

Travel advice has been updated for tourists travelling out of the European Union to Bali.

Events

7 d. ago The return of the firing squad is a defeat for death penalty supporters | Austin Sarat

The method is a vivid reminder of the brutality of state killing. That undermines the pro-capital-punishment narrativeOn 11 April, South Carolina executed Mikal Mahdi by firing squad. Mahdi had been convicted and sentenced for the 2004 killing of an off-duty law enforcement officer.One month before his execution, South Carolina put Brad Sigmon to death using the same method. He was the first person since 2010 to be killed by the firing squad. Both Mahdi and Sigmon chose the firing squad from a menu of three ways to die, the others being lethal injection and the electric chair. Continue reading...

Events