King Charles III visit live updates: Charles, Camilla welcomed at White House

KingCharles IIIandQueen Camillaare making their first-everstate visitto the U.S., visiting Washington, D.C., New York City and Virginia.The royals’ visit comes at a heightened time, following ashooting incidentoutside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner and amid newstrainsbetween the U.K. and the U.S. over the war in Iran. It’s also happening under the shadow of Charles' brotherAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor'sconnection to the ongoingEpstein scandal.

During the visit, Charles will deliver a rare joint address to Congress and there will be a state dinner at the White House.

Latest Developments

Apr 28, 10:55 AMKing Charles, Queen Camilla arrive for ceremonial welcome at White House

King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at the South Portico of the White House for a formal state arrival ceremony. They are being greeted by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.Notable officials are gathered on the White House South Lawn in rainy weather for the ceremony that will include a review of the troops, remarks by Trump and more.

Apr 28, 10:09 AMStrained US-UK alliance in spotlight amid state visit

President Trump is hosting King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the White House as the "special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom is under a microscope amid the war with Iran.While Trump has repeatedly praised King Charles as a "friend" whom he's known for years, his relationship with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been another story. The president has repeatedly assailed the U.K. and other NATO allies over the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran.Trump said the visit from the king -- the U.K.'s constitutional and ceremonial head of state -- may help restore any damaged ties between the two allies."Absolutely. He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes," Trump told the BBC in a phone interview when asked if the visit could help repair the relationship.Read morehere.-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

Apr 28, 10:05 AMKing Charles to be welcomed at White House: What to expect

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will welcome Great Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House South Lawn later this morning.Thousands of guests are anticipated to be in attendance, including Cabinet officials, U.S. and U.K. delegations, members of Congress, students from the British International School of Washington and more.The official arrival of the king and queen will begin with a traditional military arrival ceremony by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, a "tradition that dates back to the 18th century," the first lady’s office said. The national anthems of both countries will then be played by the U.S. Marine Band, followed by the Presidential Salute Battery rendering a 21-gun cannon salute."Following an Inspection of the Troops and a Troop in Review, facilitated by the U.S. Army Fife and Drum Corps, the President will deliver remarks from the South Lawn," the first lady's office said in a press release.-ABC News' Emily Chang

Apr 27, 6:41 PMCharles, Camilla view White House beehive

Charles and Camilla were shown the White House beehive by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump during their visit Monday.Videos sharedon social mediaby a top White House aide show the president and first lady and the king and queen inspecting a new White House-shaped beehive that is part of an expansion announced by the first lady last week.Two other beehives have been on the south grounds of the White House since 2009,according toThe Associated Press.

Apr 27, 4:45 PMRoyals arrive at the White House

King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at the White House. The king and queen were greeted by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on a red carpet outside the White House after landing at Joint Base Andrews earlier today.The couples posed for photos briefly.

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Apr 27, 3:30 PMBritish Embassy shares behind-the-scenes garden party prep

The British Embassy shared abehind-the-scenes look onMonday at how it is preparing for a garden party welcoming Charles and Camilla to the U.S.The garden party, hosted at the embassy residence in Washington, D.C., will include 650 guests who will snack on four types of tea sandwiches as well as scones and desserts.The embassy’s head chef said the team is preparing nearly 3,000 tea sandwiches for the party.

Apr 27, 3:06 PMThe king and queen greet UK ambassador

Charles and Camilla were greeted by the U.K. ambassador and two children with posies as they deplaned on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews.

Apr 27, 2:43 PMThe king and queen arrive in the US

Their plane landed at Joint Base Andrews moments ago.

Apr 27, 1:34 PMA look back at King Charles' trips to America

King Charles has visited the United States 19 times before but today will mark his first state visit as a monarch.Charles’ first trip to the U.S. was in 1970 when the 21-year-old Prince of Wales traveled with his sister Princess Anne and were guests of the Nixons.

Charles also traveled to Los Angeles in 1974 where he met and struck up a friendship with Barbra Streisand.

In 1985 Charles, accompanied by Princess Diana, met the Reagans at the White House. It was on this trip that Diana famously danced with John Travolta.In 2005 Charles took Camilla to see the Bushes on their first official overseas trip since their marriage, and in 2015 the couple returned to the White House as guests of the Obamas.This trip will have echoes of previous royal visits when Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, visited the United States in July 1976 for the 200th anniversary of American independence. More recently, in 1991 Elizabeth became the first British monarch to address Congress.

Apr 27, 12:42 PMWill Epstein scandal linger over royals' visit?

The royals' visit to the U.S. comes amid the ongoingJeffrey Epstein scandalthat has rocked both sides of the Atlantic and directly entangled the royal family.Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor wasarrestedin February on suspicion of misconduct in public office following theemergence of documentsfrom the U.S. Department of Justice’s files detailing communication between Mountbatten-Windsor and the late Epstein, a convicted sex offender.Charles, Camilla and other members of the royal family have faced heckling at public events in the U.K. over the family’s handling of Andrew. Following his brother’s arrest,Charles saidauthorities have the palace’s “wholehearted support and cooperation,” adding, "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course."The former prince has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and has not been charged.

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byCreto Bactum

in

April 30, 2026

King Charles III visit live updates: Charles, Camilla welcomed at White House

KingCharles IIIandQueen Camillaare making their first-everstate visitto the U.S., visiting Washington, D.C., New York City and Virginia...

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Queen Camilla Did Not Wear a Tiara at the White House State Dinner

Queen Camilla chose a striking outfit for aWhite House State Dinnerthis evening, complete with aglittering royal heirloom necklace. However, there was one piece of jewelry missing that royal watchers may have been looking out for—a tiara.

Camilla did not wear a tiara tonight, in a move that is a departure from Queen Elizabeth’s choice of dress for her four State Visits to the U.S. There was no explanation offered from Buckingham Palace about the reason for this choice. However, if Camilla had chosen to wear one, unlike at UK State Banquets where all the senior royals wear tiara, she would likely have been the only person there tonight in a tiara.

When Queen Elizabeth made the last State Visit by a British monarch to the U.S in 2007, she wore her favored Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara for a White House dinner in her honor. In 1991 she wore a sapphire Tiara often referred to as the Belgian Sapphire Tiara, in 1976 she wore a Kokoshnik tiara once owned by Queen Alexandra, and in 1957, she wore the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

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While Queen Elizabeth always wore a tiara to White House state dinners, it is worth remembering that while Camilla is also a Queen, her position is different. Camilla is not a sovereign Queen; her husband King Charles is the one who is head of state.

On her arrival in to the U.S. on Monday, Camilla used a piece of her jewelry to pay tribute to her hosts, in a move that is often described as “diplomatic dressing" she chose aCartier brooch with the Union flag and Stars and Stripeson it which was given to Queen Elizabeth on her 1957 State Visit.

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byCreto Bactum

in

April 29, 2026

Queen Camilla Did Not Wear a Tiara at the White House State Dinner

Queen Camilla chose a striking outfit for aWhite House State Dinnerthis evening, complete with aglittering royal heirloom necklace. How...

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Jill Whelan Explains How Late “Love Boat” Producer Pressured Her About Her Weight with Manipulative Wardrobe Move

Jill Whelan played Vicki Stubing on The Love Boat from 1978 to 1987

NEED TO KNOW

• Growing up on the show allowed Whelan to form a special connection with her costars, but it also led her to be targeted by one of the show's producers

• Whelan appeared on the Still Here Hollywood podcast, discussing why she and the late Doug Cramer never meshed

Jill Whelanis opening up about the darker side of her time onThe Love Boat.

The actress, 59, played Vicki Stubing, the captain's daughter, on the ensemble drama, giving her the opportunity to work with many different folks on the set. In an appearance on theStill Here Hollywoodpodcast, Whelan talked about having "fond memories of my cast and our crew and Aaron Spelling."

Whelan says that there was one person on the set, however, whom she found adversarial.

"Not so fond memories of Doug Cramer, however, because Doug was a misogynist and I've never talked about it. But he's passed now and his children are passed as well. So I feel safe in saying, but he was not an advocate of women, at all." Whelan said.

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Cramer, one of the producers onLove Boat, died in June 2021. Whelan maintained, "He was not a good human."

Whelan cited an incident during wardrobe fittings where Cramer manipulated the situation to concern her and costar Lauren Tewes.

"When we would come, Lauren Tewes, who played Julie McCoy, we would come to a wardrobe fitting at a new season, to get new uniforms and new evening gowns and new loungewear, and he would call the wardrobe department and tell them to buy everything one or two sizes smaller than we are so that we would come in and be embarrassed in fittings about things not fitting," she shared.

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Moments like that impacted Whelan's feelings about her body and prompted her to take action.

"I remember one time, and at that particular time, I was going through puberty, and it's, you know, things happen in puberty. I had gone to a fat farm, or I guess you would say today a spa. I went to a spa in Ojai and I had lost some weight and I was also working with some crazy doctor who had me on 400 calories a day."

Host Steve Kmetko remarked that was "too drastic," and Whelan agreed, adding, "It screws with your metabolism and everything."

Whelan said that she found herself also punished for losing the weight, explaining, "I just learned this information from a dear friend of mine, who was his executive assistant."

"She said we were in dailies one day, and for people who need to know what that is, once you shoot a day, at least in film, on the set the next day, the editor prepares everything, all the takes and everything, that the director has said print to. And the producers and the director and everybody that needs to, watches it on the big screen," she explained.

"There's a scene where I come out of an elevator and the doors open into a purser's lobby, and I'm in an evening gown with a sweetheart neckline and she said, 'You looked great.' It was a full-body shot, and Doug said, 'Oh, no, I don't want that shot. I don't want to see her looking thin. I'm pissed off she was fat in the first place. Neck up only."

Despite those difficult times, Whelan still loves her castmates and looks back fondly on her time on the show. Whelan has reunited with costarsFred Grandy,Bernie KopellandTed Langeon Princess'TheLove BoatCelebration for reunions in recent years, telling PEOPLE in 2025 the events are "super fun."

“It's really special because I'm working with them as an adult now rather than as a kid,” the actress says. “We enjoy each other's company and we enjoy each other's intellect — whether we have it or we don't — but we all love each other's sense of humor and we know each other so well. When we work together, there is a shorthand that is super satisfying.”

Read the original article onPeople

byCreto Bactum

in

April 29, 2026

Jill Whelan Explains How Late “Love Boat” Producer Pressured Her About Her Weight with Manipulative Wardrobe Move

Jill Whelan played Vicki Stubing on The Love Boat from 1978 to 1987 NEED TO KNOW Growing up on the show allowed W...

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David Attenborough centenary celebrations start with closer look at 'Life on Earth'

By Sarah Young and Francesca Halliwell

FILE PHOTO: Mural of David Attenborough, in Dublin

LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Celebrations to mark the 100th birthday of renowned British naturalist David Attenborough start next week with a show delving deeper ‌into his milestone 1979 TV series "Life on Earth".

That programme - with its famous face-to-face encounters with ‌mountain gorillas in Rwanda - set the pattern for natural history documentaries in the decades that followed and helped establish him as ​one of the world's most authoritative voices on conservation.

The new show, "Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure", goes into the stories behind the series and includes more footage of a baby gorilla climbing on the presenter and of a lioness hunting.

Reading from the diary he kept during filming, Attenborough recalls how he and the ‌crew were detained by the Rwandan army ⁠and threatened in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

His team talk about the challenge of setting up shoots abroad when letters took weeks to arrive, and worrying about getting precious ⁠film rolls back to Britain in metal cans.

There are also more details on their hunt for an Indian Ocean fish often called a "living fossil".

They finally got footage of the coelacanth after a fisherman caught it by accident ​and ​then tipped off the crew after releasing it. "It was ​the first time it was filmed alive, but ‌only just," Attenborough jokes in the new programme.

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The series was game-changing, said Mike Gunton, creative director of the Natural History Unit at the BBC, who worked with Attenborough on later shows.

"All we really have done is remake 'Life on Earth'," Gunton told Reuters.

Attenborough was born on May 8, 1926, in London. His BBC career started in 1952 and two years later he got his big break with "Zoo Quest", which he ‌ended up presenting after the original candidate fell ill on ​their first shoot.

He moved into BBC management. Then, in his ​late 40s, he decided he wanted to ​return to making nature programmes and pitched the idea for "Life on Earth", a series ‌which would track the story of evolution.

Before ​three years of filming started ​he wrote all the scripts for the 13 hours of the show.

"He has, without doubt, defined natural history and how we see the world," the new show's producer/director, Victoria Bobin, said.

"Making ​Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure" ‌premieres on the BBC on Sunday.

There will also be a new series "Secret Garden", a concert ​in London and events at museums across Britain to celebrate the naturalist's birthday.

(Reporting by ​Sarah Young and Francesca Halliwell; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

byCreto Bactum

in

April 28, 2026

David Attenborough centenary celebrations start with closer look at 'Life on Earth'

By Sarah Young and Francesca Halliwell FILE PHOTO: Mural of David Attenborough, in Dublin LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Celebra...

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Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith Are Friendly Exes as They Leave L.A. Restaurant Arm-in-Arm

Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith were spotted arm-in-arm after dining with their children in Beverly Hills on Saturday, April 25

NEED TO KNOW

• The former couple, married for 18 years, have maintained a close friendship since their 2015 divorce

• Banderas has called Griffith his "best friend" and praised their shared experiences, including raising their daughter Stella

Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith may have divorced in 2015, but the pair are still clearly on good terms.

On Saturday, April 25, Banderes, 65, and Griffiths, 68, were spotted leaving Beverly Hills sushi restaurant Matsushia arm-in-arm after emnjoying dinner together. They were also joined by their daughter,Stella Banderas, 29, as well as Griffith’s son, Alexander Bauer, 40, who she shares with her first ex-husband, actor Steven Bauer.

The actress’ other daughter, actress Dakota Johnson, who she shares with her second ex-husband Don Johnson, appeared to have missed the family outing.

The pair, who were married for 18 years before theirdivorceover a decade ago, wore complementary outfits for their dinner date, both opting for cropped jackets and jeans while theMask of Zorrostar held his baseball cap in his hands.

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The actors — who firstbonded while filmingtheir 1995 rom-com,Two Much— have maintained a famously close relationship despite no longer being married.

When they met, Griffith and Banderas were both still married to their former partners —Don Johnsonand Ana Leza — but by 1996, they were both divorced and they married in London that May.

In October 2019, Banderas was full of praise for his ex-wife. “Melanie is not my wife anymore, but I thinkshe is my best friend," he told PEOPLE. "I love her and will love her until the day I die. She’s my family.”

Meanwhile, in June 2020, Banderas once again reflected on their relationship toEl Break de las 7. He shared that there were “wonderful moments” in their marriage that he won’t forget, per Spanish outletHola!. The actor noted, “We had a wonderful daughter that we both love and that is the end result of our relationship, the most beautiful thing we have ever done together.”

In addition, in April 2023, Griffith reminisced about their relationship while celebrating Holy Week. Aftersharing photosof the festivities on Instagram, she looked back on attending Holy Week with her ex-husband. “During the 19 years I was married to Antonio, one of the many extraordinary experiences he gave to me and the kids was our introduction to and subsequent love for Semana Santa (Holy Week),” she wrote on social media.

Read the original article onPeople

byCreto Bactum

in

April 28, 2026

Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith Are Friendly Exes as They Leave L.A. Restaurant Arm-in-Arm

Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith were spotted arm-in-arm after dining with their children in Beverly Hills on Saturday, April 25 ...

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Price hikes due to Iran war will be felt for at least eight months, minister warns

Price hikesas a result of theIran warwill be felt for at least eight months after the conflict ends, a government minister has warned.

Chief Secretary to the prime minister,Darren Jones,warned people will see higher energy, food and flight prices “as a consequence of what Donald Trump has done in the Middle East” and said there will be a “long tail from this”.

The government has stepped up planning for how tooffset potential shortagessparked by the conflict, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane crucial for the supply of a fifth of global oil and gas, which sent oil prices soaring.

Meanwhile, peace talks planned for this weekend have stalled, with Iran insisting no direct talks would take place andDonald Trump calling off a trip for US negotiatorsto visit mediators in Pakistan.

The prime minister will chair another meeting of the Cabinet committee set up to deal with the fallout on Tuesday, after the so-called Middle East Response Committee met last week.

Meanwhile, a contingency planning group of ministers led by Mr Jones is meeting twice a week. They are focusing on live monitoring of stock levels and seeing what plans are in place to address supply chain disruption.

But Mr Jones told the BBC that consumers are more likely to see prices go up rather than gaps on supermarket shelves as a consequence of the conflict.

“Quite frankly, that's probably going to come online, not just in the next few weeks, but the next few months. There's going to be a long tail from this”, he said.

Pressed on how long people will see economic disruption, Mr Jones said: "I think our best guess is eight plus months from the point of resolution that you'll see economic impacts coming through the system.

"So people will see higher energy prices, food prices and those types of issues, flight ticket prices as a consequence of what Donald Trump has done in the Middle East.

“The government here in the UK, the work that I'm doing with the prime minister is looking at all of those things and saying, ‘what can we do within our power to help people to get through those difficult times?’”

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Oil and gas prices have increased sharply since the conflict began at the end of February.

And earlier this month, the Bank of England warned that around 1.3 million more UK households are facing a jump in theirmortgage costsfollowing the economic shock caused by the conflict.

The Bank’s latest financial stability report (FSR) said the UK economic outlook has “deteriorated”, increasing pressure on UK households and businesses.

The government has been seeking to calm the public, urging drivers to keep filling up with petrol and not to change their travel plans amid fears over potential jet fuel shortages.

It comes after leaked government documents last week revealed the UK could seeshortagesof key supermarket goods this summer if theIran warcontinues.

Officials have put together contingency plans for a “reasonable worst-case scenario”, highlighting that the closure of the crucialStrait of Hormuzshipping route could lead to carbon dioxide shortages.

The secret analysis – firstreported byThe Times– was codenamed “Exercise Turnstone” and was run by the government’s emergency committee, Cobra.

The “reasonable worst-case scenario” was based on the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz had not been reopened and nopeace deal had been reached.

It warned supplies of CO2 could fall to just 18 per cent of current levels – a warning based on a key UK plant suffering a mechanical error, and high gas costs leading to a fall in production across Europe of ammonia and fertiliser, which make CO2 as a by-product.

Farming and hospitality would be the two worst-hit industries, because CO2 is used to prolong the shelf life of foods, including salad, packaged meats, and baked goods.

Supermarkets have since said they are working with the government to plan for a worst-case scenario where food producers would be impacted.

byCreto Bactum

in

April 27, 2026

Price hikes due to Iran war will be felt for at least eight months, minister warns

Price hikesas a result of theIran warwill be felt for at least eight months after the conflict ends, a government minister has warned. ...

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Kate Jackson Says She Never Doubted “Charlie’s Angels” Was ‘Going to Be a Hit’ (Exclusive)

Kate Jackson revealed she pitched the original concept for Charlie's Angels to Spelling-Goldberg Productions

NEED TO KNOW

• The actress said credited the TV series’ success to its unique premise and the chemistry of the cast

• Jackson also said her friendships with costars Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd remain strong 50 years after the show’s debut

Fifty years afterCharlie's Angelspremieredin 1976,Kate Jacksonrevealed she always knew the TV show would be a success.

The actress reunited withcostarsJaclyn SmithandCheryl Laddduring PaleyFest LA 2026 for theCharlie's Angels50th Anniversary Celebration on April 6. She opened up her role in pitching the show's premise to production company Spelling-Goldberg Productions.

Jackson, 77, told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview at the event that she sat down with executives, who had pitched a different concept that she had doubts about. “I was looking down, listening, thinking, ‘This is the worst thing I ever heard in my life,’ ” she recalled.

She had previously brainstormed ideas for the subject of the new show and used her previous role as a rookie cop onThe Rookiesas inspiration for similar idea to pitch the executives.

"It was really easy becauseThe Rookieswas about three young rookie cops. So just flip that and have three young women who go to the police academy, meet each other, become close friends [and] work their way up to plainclothes detectives,” Jackson said.

She shared her idea for the new show with executive producer Aaron Spelling, and the show debuted just one year later. The star is credited with givingCharlie's Angelsits name, after producers had originally pitchedAlley Cats.

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"We started shooting the pilot, and I never doubted. I don't know why, but I never doubted that it was going to be a big hit. It was unique," the actress said.

Part of the reason she had such confidence in the show's success, Jackson said, is the chemistry she instantly shared with her costars.

"It was unusual. The three of us had chemistry that was ... I mean, we're still sisters today and you people are all so crazy that you're still around after 50 years. I can't believe it," she continued.

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Jackson said her friendships with Smith, 80, and Ladd, 74, remain strong as ever, even after the show's debut five decades ago. She said that "there's a real genuine care" between the actresses.

"It is a real love. It doesn't go away. You might not think about it every day, but you don't question it. It's just there," Jackson said.

Read the original article onPeople

byCreto Bactum

in

April 27, 2026

Kate Jackson Says She Never Doubted “Charlie’s Angels” Was ‘Going to Be a Hit’ (Exclusive)

Kate Jackson revealed she pitched the original concept for Charlie's Angels to Spelling-Goldberg Productions NEED TO KNOW ...

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Syria’s first public trial of Assad-era officials opens in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The first public trial in Syria of officials linked to the rule of former President Bashar Assad opened in Damascus Sunday.

Syria Trial

Atef Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general who was head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria's Daraa province under Assad, appeared in the courtroom to face charges related to “crimes against the Syrian people,” state-run news agency SANA reported.

Najib was in that position in 2011 when teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured. The case became a catalyst for mass protests against the repressive policies of Assad's government security forces.

The protests were met by a brutal government crackdown and spiraled into a 14-year civil war that ended with Assad's ouster in December 2024 in a lightning rebel offensive. Assad fled to Russia, while most members of his inner circle also escaped Syria.

Assad himself and his brother, Maher, former commander of the Syrian military's 4th Armored Division — which Syrian opposition activists have accused of killings, torture, extortion and drug trafficking, in addition to running its own detention centers — were charged in absentia, along with a number of other former high-ranking security officials.

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Najib was the only one of the defendants who was arrested and present in person in court Sunday for a preparatory session in the trial, which will continue next month.

Crowds gathered outside the courthouse to celebrate.

The government of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has faced criticism over delays in launching a promised transitional justice process. Syria is struggling to heal following 14 years of civil war that left an estimated half a million people dead, millions more displaced, and the country battered and divided.

Authorities now appear to be moving more aggressively to prosecute officials linked to Assad.

Syrian authorities on Friday arrested Amjad Yousef, a former intelligence officer who appeared ina video leakedfour years ago that purportedly showed him and his comrades executing dozens of blindfolded and shackled prisoners in the Damascus suburb of Tadamon during the country’s civil war.

byCreto Bactum

in

April 27, 2026

Syria’s first public trial of Assad-era officials opens in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The first public trial in Syria of officials linked to the rule of former President Bashar Assad opened in Damas...

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Pope Leo signals shift away from Catholic Church's focus on sex

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY, April 27 (Reuters) - Pope Leo's four-nation Africa tour featured firm denunciations by the pontiff of despotism and war and also unprecedented attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump that grabbed headlines.

But a smaller moment, in which the pope said the ‌Catholic Church should prioritise questions of inequality and justice over those of sexual ethics, may prove to be of longer-lasting importance for ‌the Church's 1.4 billion members, said experts.

"The unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters," Leo, the first U.S. pope, said in a press conference on his ​flight home on Thursday.

"I believe there are much greater and more important issues such as justice, equality... that would all take priority before that particular issue," he said.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of Dignity USA, a group that supports LGBTQ Catholics, called the pope's remarks "a very significant and overdue reorientation of priorities".

Priests and bishops in the global Church have long emphasised as high priorities its teachings on sexual issues, including its bans on abortion, birth control and same-sex marriage.

On his first trip ‌to Africa in 2009, the late Pope Benedict XVI ⁠sparked an international outcry when he said the Church could not relax its ban on Catholics using condoms, even to help fight the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Benedict said allowing condoms would only "increase the problem" ethically.

POPE'S APPROACH SEEN AS NEW FOR GLOBAL ⁠CHURCH

Leo made his comments on Thursday in response to a question about the Church offering blessings for same-sex couples.

He said he supported a landmark 2023 decision by the late Pope Francis allowing pastors to give blessings to same-sex couples informally, outside of a ritual service, and on a case-by-case basis.

But Leo said he wanted to prioritise ​other ​ethical questions and did not want the blessings to be formalised further.

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"To go beyond that ​today, I think that the topic can cause more disunity ‌than unity," said the 70-year-old pontiff.

Rev. James Keenan, an academic at Boston College, called Leo's approach new for the global Church.

The pope is "stating that the Vatican has a hierarchy of concerns and the perception that matters of sexuality have singular priority of place is not the case," said Keenan, a Jesuit priest who founded a global network of Catholic academics focused on ethical issues.

"This is clearly a prudential judgment by the pontiff... that issues of blessing gay marriage ought not eclipse more immediate challenges of dictatorships and war," said Keenan.

The Catholic Church teaches that sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are sinful. It says ‌people with same-sex attractions should try to be chaste.

LEO'S 'WHO AM I TO JUDGE' MOMENT

Francis, ​who led the Church for 12 years until his death last April, largely also sought ​to emphasise the Church's teachings on justice issues.

Asked in 2013 about rumours ​surrounding a priest working at the Vatican being gay, Francis famously responded: "If a person is gay and is seeking the ‌Lord and has good will, who am I to judge ​them?"

Those remarks, signalling unprecedented openness from a ​pope toward LGBTQ Catholics, became a seminal moment in Francis' tenure, quoted widely and printed on merchandise and T-shirts.

"This seems like Leo's 'Who am I to judge?' moment," said David Gibson, a Vatican expert and academic at Fordham University, about Leo's Thursday remarks.

"(Leo) is about peace and ​justice and sees those moral teachings as equally important ‌as sexual ethics," said Gibson.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, another group that supports LGBTQ Catholics, praised Leo's response.

"He listed ​other matters, more social matters -- justice, equality, freedom -- as being of greater moral concern," said DeBernardo. "For years, Catholic advocates for LGBTQ+ ​people have been saying the same thing."

(Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Gareth Jones)

byCreto Bactum

in

April 27, 2026

Pope Leo signals shift away from Catholic Church's focus on sex

By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY, April 27 (Reuters) - Pope Leo's four-nation Africa tour featured firm denunciations by the po...

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Jamie Lynn Spears Reflects on Being a Mom to Daughter Maddie Ahead of Her High School Graduation

Jamie Lynn Spears’daughterMaddieis all grown up!

Taking to Instagramon Friday, April 24, Jamie Lynn, 35, got emotional as she reflected on motherhood ahead of Maddie’s high school graduation.

“Welp….the grad invites are sent, the cap and gown arrived, and the last regular day of school is here….I guess the lovely state of denial that I forced myself to be in has to end, bc the reality of time is coming at me like a freight train,” Jamie Lynn wrote of Maddie, 17.

“I know the saying ‘the days are long, but the years are short’ is one of the most cliche sayings, bc it’s said so much, but I now know that cliches are only said so much bc they continue to ring true in every lifetime throughout the test of time.”

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Jamie Lynn, who isthe younger sister ofBritney Spears, went on to describe how much it meant to her to watch her daughter grow up.

“Having the privilege of watchingyour children grow upis one of the most beautiful & fulfilling things we can experience as humans, and I am so grateful for each every up & down moment throughoutthe journey of motherhoodthis far,” she wrote. “It’s bittersweet, bc you’re so proud of everything they have accomplished this far, and so excited to watch everything that their future will bring, while also longing for them to stay your baby forever.”

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She added, “I know I’m one of luckiest mamas in the world, so I’ll stop my rambling now, until I completely lose it on graduation day.”

In 2007, Jamie Lynn found out that she was pregnant with her first baby when she was still a teenager and starring on Nickelodeon seriesZoey 101.

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Jamie Lynn and ex-boyfriendCasey Aldridgewelcomed Maddie in June 2008. (Jamie Lynn also shares daughter Ivey Joan, 8, with husbandJamie Watson,who she married in March 2014.)

TheSweet Magnoliasstar opened up toDopplein 2019 about what it was like being a young mom and how her outlook on parenting evolved over time.

“I don’t feel like a young mom at all now, but I guess that’s because I had my first daughter so very young. I used to be insecure at times, because I was always the youngest mom in the room,” she told the outlet.

She added, “I quickly learned that being a good and competent mother has nothing to do with age. I have met some of the most wonderful amazing moms who are anywhere from 20 years old to 50 years old, so young or old, love is all it’s really about.”

byCreto Bactum

in

April 27, 2026

Jamie Lynn Spears Reflects on Being a Mom to Daughter Maddie Ahead of Her High School Graduation

Jamie Lynn Spears’daughterMaddieis all grown up! Taking to Instagramon Friday, April 24, Jamie Lynn, 35, got emotional as she ref...

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