Top World News

Apr 9, 2026 - World

Brazil's Supreme Court postponed on Thursday a decision on who will be governor of Rio de Janeiro state, extending a three-week crisis in the country's postcard region. Matters of policing, urban mobility and even gas prices are piling up on the desk of a local judge operating as caretaker.

Apr 9, 2026 - World

Vice President JD Vance was under fire on Thursday after a number of voices called for his excommunication from the Catholic Church. Vance has described himself as a devout Catholic and has a new book coming out about his faith journey. But critics of the vice president have demanded Pope Leo punish Vance and take a stand after the Church leader called President Donald Trump's threat to wipe out the Iranian civilization "truly unacceptable."The internet shared their thoughts on what they believe the pope should do. "The Chicago pope must excommunicate the heretic JD Vance," Elizabeth Lopatto, editor at The Verge, wrote on Bluesky. "Excommunicate JD Vance. Place Washington D.C. under interdict. The whole diocese of Arlington, too, for good measure - that’s where half the Supreme Court goes to mass," Molly Conger, host of the "Weird Little Guys" podcast on Cool Zone Media, wrote on Bluesky."Petition for the Pope to personally excommunicate JD Vance over this nonsense," writer Kathryn Brightbill wrote via Bluesky."Pope Leo I'm gonna level with you it's time to either excommunicate JD Vance or shut up," Jack Kennedy, Ph.D. candidate at Hertie School in Berlin, Germany, and editorial fellow at The Bulletin, wrote on Bluesky."Excommunicate JD Vance," Aparna Nair, writer, teacher and disability advocate, wrote on Bluesky, adding a vulgar acronym to emphasize her point."Come on Pope Leo, excommunicate his a--!" astrophysicist Alfredo Carpineti posted on Bluesky. "I want him to have to beg for forgiveness like Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV in the snow for three days."

Apr 9, 2026 - World

New study describes what may be the first case of a unified community of chimps, in Uganda, turning on itselfOn a June day in 2015, primatologist Aaron Sandel was quietly observing a small cluster of the Ngogo chimpanzee group in Uganda’s Kibale national park when he noticed something strange. As other members of the chimpanzees’ wider group moved closer through the forest, the chimpanzees in front of him began to display nervous behaviour. They grimaced and touched each other for reassurance, acting more like they were about to meet strangers than close companions.In hindsight, Sandel said, that moment was the first sign of what would become a years-long bloody conflict between a once close-knit group of chimps. Continue reading...

Apr 9, 2026 - World

Cuba accuses US of ‘extorting’ countries in pushing them to axe deals with Havana to send doctors on medical missionsCuba’s foreign minister has accused the United States of “extorting” Latin American countries by putting pressure on them to cancel decades-old deals with Havana for the supply of doctors.Bruno Rodríguez said the United States was trying to “strangle” the economy of the communist island, which earns billions from its foreign medical missions, after several countries stopped deploying Cuban doctors. Continue reading...

Apr 9, 2026 - World

MAGA influencers were raging at each other over a supposed Department of Justice investigation examining whether foreign money plays a role in their social media content, according to a report published on Thursday. The growing divide over Iran and President Donald Trump's decisions has pitted conservative influencers against each other, The Bulwark's Will Sommer reported. "But so far, those influencers largely aren’t blaming the president for their divisions," Sommer wrote. "Instead, they are pointing to a new culprit: The reason conservatives are at each other’s throats, they argue, is that they’re being paid by foreign sources to, essentially, bicker," Sommer explained. "But the enthusiasm for a Justice Department probe is notable not just because it suggests influencers believe the MAGA civil war now requires federal intervention. It sticks out because many of these influencers calling for a DOJ probe have taken foreign money themselves."It turns out plenty of MAGA influencers have already had "pay-to-post arrangements" involving foreign entities. "Just a few weeks ago, country music sensation Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI director Kash Patel, claimed she had uncovered a wide-ranging foreign influence network to make people think she’s a Mossad operative," Sommer reported. "And who could forget Laura Loomer’s nickname for Carlson: 'Tucker Qatarlson'?"It's unlikely there was an actual probe happening, despite hopeful wishes from several conservative social media personalities, including Catturd and Rob Smith. "Of course, the idea of a Trump Justice Department investigating foreign influence is laughable, given the foreign financial entanglements and conflicts already rife in the administration," Sommer wrote. "Recently booted Attorney General Pam Bondi scaled back Foreign Agents Registration Act enforcement early in her tenure at DOJ, signaling the administration’s stance on policing foreign influence in our politics."