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A fiery crash involving a passenger van near Yellowstone National Park has left seven people dead, US police said Friday.Detectives probing the crash said a pickup truck collided with a van carrying 14 people on Thursday evening by Henry’s Lake in eastern Idaho.”Tragically, six individuals in the van and the driver of the pickup died as a result of the crash,” a statement from Idaho State Police said Friday.Pictures in local media showed a badly crumpled red truck and a van that had been engulfed in flames.Police said an air ambulance had been called in to transport victims to hospitals “due to the severity of the injuries.”There was no information on the identities or nationalities of those caught up in the crash.Locals quoted by media said the road is usually busy because it leads to one of the entrances to Yellowstone.Millions of tourists — domestic and international — travel every year to Yellowstone, the first national park to be established in the United States, which covers portions of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.It is home to thousands of geothermal features — hot springs, mudpots, steam vents and about half the world’s active geysers, including Old Faithful.

An Illinois man was sentenced to 53 years in prison on Friday for the murder of a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy in an attack deemed an anti-Muslim hate crime linked to the Israel-Hamas war.Joseph Czuba, 73, was convicted in February of fatally stabbing WadeaAl-Fayoumi and attacking the boy’s mother, Hanan Shaheen.Czuba was the family’s landlord and the attack took place a week after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.Wadea was stabbed 26 times and a serrated military knife with a 15-cm (six-inch) blade was removed from the child’s abdomen during the autopsy. Shaheen and Czuba’s now ex-wife, Mary, testified that he targeted the Muslim family after becoming agitated about the conflict in Gaza, media reported. A jury deliberated for just over an hour before finding Czuba guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and two counts of a hate crime.Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak sentenced Czuba to 30 years in prison for Wadea’s murder, 20 years for the attack on his mother and three years for the hate crimes, to be served consecutively, the Chicago Sun Times reported.During sentencing, the boy’s great-uncle Mahmoud Yousef asked Czuba why he did it but received no response, the newspaper said.”We want to know what made him do this,” Yousef told the judge.According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, the victims were targeted “due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”Joe Biden, then the US president, condemned the attack as a “horrific act of hate” that “has no place in America.”

President Donald Trump’s proposed NASA budget released Friday puts crewed missions to the Moon and Mars front and center -— slashing science and climate programs as it seeks to shrink the agency’s funding by nearly a quarter.The plan would significantly overhaul flagship programs, phasing out the government-owned Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule, and eliminating the planned lunar space station known as Gateway.It would also cancel the Mars Sample Return mission, a joint project with the European Space Agency to bring back rock samples collected by the Perseverance rover and analyze them for signs of ancient microbial life.The budget argues the effort is unnecessary, since its “goals would be achieved by human missions to Mars.””This proposal includes investments to simultaneously pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars while still prioritizing critical science and technology research,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro in a statement.The White House says it wants to focus on “beating China back to the Moon and putting the first human on Mars.” China is aiming for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030, while the US program, called Artemis, has faced repeated delays.Under the proposal, SLS and Orion would be retired after Artemis 3 -— the first mission intended to land astronauts on the Moon.Critics have long called SLS bloated and inefficient, but its potential replacements —- SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s New Glenn -— have yet to be fully flight certified.SpaceX chief Elon Musk is one of Trump’s closest advisors and oversees his cost-cutting efforts for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, Trump’s pick to lead NASA, has flown to space with SpaceX twice -— raising further concerns about conflicts of interest.The administration is requesting $18.8 billion for NASA, down from $24.8 billion last year —- a 24.3 percent cut. Still, it would boost the agency’s space exploration budget by $647 million compared to 2025, with total spending on crewed lunar exploration topping $7 billion. An additional $1 billion would go toward new “Mars-focused programs.”Meanwhile, NASA’s Earth Science division would be slashed by more than $1.1 billion, cutting what the proposal calls “low-priority climate monitoring satellites.”Often viewed as a political wishlist ahead of fuller negotiations with Congress, the so-called “skinny budget” has already drawn sharp criticism.”The White House has proposed the largest single-year cut to NASA in American history,” said the Planetary Society.”Slashing NASA’s budget by this much, this quickly, without the input of a confirmed NASA Administrator or in response to a considered policy goal, won’t make the agency more efficient — it will cause chaos, waste the taxpayers’ investment, and undermine American leadership in space.”

US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron reported lower profits Friday, reflecting the hit from falling crude prices amid global economic uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump’s tariffs.The results showed the companies remained highly profitable in the first quarter despite about a 20 percent decline in crude prices since Trump’s January return to the White House, a drop also spurred by the moves of Saudi Arabia and other crude exporters to boost output.But the environment marks a change from the surge in profits after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil prices skyrocketing. Both ExxonMobil and Chevron also cited weak refining margins as a negative factor in the first quarter.ExxonMobil reported profits of $7.7 billion, down 6.2 percent from the year-ago level. Revenues were essentially flat at $83.1 billion.The 2024 purchase of Pioneer Natural Resources for around $60 billion lifted ExxonMobil’s volumes from the Permian Basin, a fast-growing petroleum region in the southwestern United States.ExxonMobil also saw petroleum production growth in Guyana, which helped to compensate for headwinds in the first quarter, including “significantly weaker” refining margins, the company said in a press release.ExxonMobil said it is on track to start up 10 “advantaged projects” across its businesses in 2025.From this group, the company has already started and is ramping production at an “enormous” chemical complex in China that will serve the domestic market and will be “protected from tariff impacts,” according to prepared remarks for the company’s earnings conference call.ExxonMobil has also launched an advanced recycling unit in Baytown, Texas. Chief Executive Darren Woods said ExxonMobil’s progress in weeding out inefficient, high-cost projects means the company can “excel in any environment,” according to the earnings press release.During Friday’s conference call with analysts, Woods confirmed that ExxonMobil plans to continue to repurchase shares at a fast clip after buying back $4.8 billion last quarter.Such repurchases reduce the dividend burden after ExxonMobil’s all-stock purchase of Pioneer.”Our stock price is heavily correlated with crude and crude prices… and so it moves down with crude prices,” Woods said. “In my mind, that’s a great buying opportunity.”- Chevron tempers buybacks -At Chevron, profits dropped 36 percent to $3.5 billion, while revenues dipped 2.3 percent to $47.6 billion.The company pointed to recent production increases in Kazakhstan, the Permian Basin and in the Gulf of Mexico.Chevron plans to temper its share repurchases in the second quarter to between $2.5 billion and $3 billion after spending $3.9 billion in the first quarter.Chief Executive Mike Wirth said the moderation comes off an extremely robust pace of buybacks in 2023 and 2024.”The rate at which we’re buying shares back now is higher than at any point in our history,” Wirth said on a conference call, noting that slowing those purchases makes sense now the crude was moving to the “lower part” of the expected trading range.The oil giant could make other adjustments if the business conditions worsen, executives said.”The trade and tariff situation has been dynamic and we need to see how that manifests itself over time,” said Wirth, who pointed to the shift in oil exporters as another watch item, while adding “We’re very well prepared.” Shares of ExxonMobil dipped 0.1 percent in early-afternoon trading, while Chevron gained 1.3 percent.

Google on Friday faced a demand by the US government to break up its hugely profitable ad technology business after a judge found the tech giant was commanding an illegal monopoly.”We have a defendant who has found ways to defy” the law, US government lawyer Julia Tarver Wood told a federal court in Virginia, as she urged the judge to dismiss Google’s assurance that it would change its behavior.”Leaving a recidivist monopolist” intact is not appropriate to solve the issue, she added.The demand is the second such request by the US government, which is also calling for the divestment of the company’s Chrome browser in a separate case over Google’s world-leading search engine business.The US government specifically alleged that Google controls the market for publishing banner ads on websites, including those of many creators and small news providers.The hearing in a Virginia courtroom was set to plan out the second phase of the trial, set for September 22, in which the parties will argue over how to fix the ad market to satisfy the judge’s ruling.The plaintiffs argued in the first phase of the trial last year that the vast majority of websites use Google ad software products which, combined, leave no way for publishers to escape Google’s advertising technology and pricing.District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed with most of that reasoning, ruling last month that Google built an illegal monopoly over ad software and tools used by publishers, but partially dismissed the argument related to tools used by advertisers.- ‘Not sufficient’ -The US government said it would use the trial to recommend that Google should spin off its ad publisher and exchange operations, as Google could not be trusted to change its ways.”Behavioral remedies are not sufficient because you can’t prevent Google from finding a new way to dominate,” Tarver Wood said.Google countered that it would recommend that it agree to a binding commitment that it would share information with advertisers and publishers on its ad tech platforms.Google lawyer Karen Dunn did acknowledge the “trust issues” raised in the case and said the company would accept monitoring to guarantee any pledges made to satisfy the judge.Google is also arguing that calls for divestment are not appropriate in this case, which Brinkema swiftly refused as an argument.The company also said breaking up Google’s control of the ad platforms would pose a data security risk for publishers and advertisers.The judge urged both sides to mediate, stressing that coming to a compromise solution would be cost-effective and more efficient than running a weeks-long trial.The business in question at the trial is just a portion of Google’s colossal online advertising revenue, which is the driving engine of its fortune and pays for its free-to-use online services such as Maps, Gmail, and search.Money pouring into Google’s coffers also allows the Silicon Valley company to spend billions of dollars on its artificial intelligence efforts.

The creative team behind the popular Grand Theft Auto video game series postponed the launch of the latest installment by several months to May 2026, hitting shares of parent Take-Two Interactive.Grand Theft Auto VI was originally due to be released later this year, with a trailer having shown that it would be set in Miami-like Vice City and would feature a playable female protagonist for the first time.”We are very sorry that this is later than you expected,” publisher Rockstar Games said in a statement.”With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception,” it said.”We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”Its predecessor, GTA V, was released in 2013 and sold more than 200 million copies.Beyond just Rockstar Games, the whole industry is laser focused on the GTA launch at a time when the sector has been experiencing stalled growth after riding high on the covid-related confinements to break sales records.Strauss Zelnick, chief executive of Take-Two, supported the move in a statement released by the parent company.”While we take the movement of our titles seriously and appreciate the vast and deep global anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI, we remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence,” Zelnick said.The first trailer for GTA VI appeared in December 2023 and has been seen more than 250 million times on Rockstar’s YouTube channel.Analysts mostly agreed that the delay was not a surprise and welcomed that an actual release date was now on the books.”While some investors may view this as a delay from the previously suggested ‘fall 2025’ window, the announcement aligns closely with our expectations and should not come as a surprise,” said analyst Mike Hickey of Benchmark.”Consistent with Rockstar’s track record, this timing reinforces their commitment to product quality over deadline adherence,” he added.Set to the Tom Petty song “Love Is A Long Road,” it opens with a female character named Lucia being released from prison in what appears to be a fictionalized version of Florida.Near the close of the one-minute-and-30-second clip, she tells her male partner in crime: “The only way we are going to get through this is by sticking together, being a team.”The pair go on to burst into a store with pistols drawn and bandanas covering the lower halves of their faces.Fans saw the scene as confirmation that rumors of a “Bonnie and Clyde” type crime couple are coming true.Along with its wild success, the GTA series has faced criticism over its violent content.Critics have from the beginning accused Grand Theft Auto of glorifying violence and encouraging players to engage in criminal behavior –- allegations rejected by New York-based Take-Two Interactive.GTA players sell drugs, fight, rob, go on car rampages and more. Gameplay options also included assaulting sex workers and going to strip clubs, raising the ire of activists.Near 1630 GMT, Take-Two shares were down 6.0 percent.”The stock shouldn’t be down much on that, but people remain uncertain about whether there will be further delays,” said Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush Securities.

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised Friday to oversee the biggest transformation of Canada’s economy since the end of the Second World War to enable it to “stand up” to Donald Trump.Carney led the Liberal Party to a dramatic fourth mandate in elections on Monday after a campaign focused on the US president’s threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty.Liberals fell just short of the 172 seats needed for majority control of parliament, but with 168 confirmed wins they will be in a strong position to pass legislation.At his first press conference since his victory, Carney struck a determined note.Known for weighing his words carefully, he said that he was “in politics to do great things, not to be something.””And now that Canadians have honored me with a mandate to bring about big changes quickly, I will work relentlessly to fulfill that trust.”Canada’s strained relations with the United States — its historically close ally and biggest trading partner — were his “immediate priorities,” he said, announcing a trip to Washington next Tuesday to meet with Trump on trade and security issues.Canadians, he noted, elected him “to stand up to President Trump,” adding that he will act “with focus and determination.””Our focus will be on both immediate trade pressures and the broader future economic and security relationship between our two sovereign nations,” said Carney.But he warned also not to expect any “white smoke” from their first meeting signaling a sudden breakthrough.Carney reiterated his message from throughout the campaign that he believes the old relationship between the two North American neighbors “based on steadily increasing integration is over.””The questions now are how our nations will cooperate in the future,” he said.Trump “respects strength,” he added, explaining that this was why he was preparing the country for major changes.The Conservatives, the main opposition party, as well as the Bloc Quebecois (the third-largest party in Parliament), both called for unity after the elections.Carney, who previously headed the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, promised to maintain tariffs on American products as long as Washington’s measures were in place.- ‘Economic destiny’ -“This will be an incredibly exciting time as we take control of our economic destiny to create a new Canadian economy,” Carney said.To this end, he promised to abolish existing trade barriers between provinces in Canada by July 1, and to strengthen trade with “reliable allies.””Canada has what the world needs, and we uphold the values the world respects,” he said.He announced also that he would unveil his new minority Liberal government in the week of May 12 and that parliament would return on May 26.King Charles III — Canada’s head of state, as it is a British Commonwealth country — will deliver the opening speech, Carney said.”This is a historic honor which matches the weigh of our times,” he emphasized.”It clearly demonstrates the sovereignty of our country,” he said in a pointed reference  to Trump’s ambitions to make Canada the 51st American state.The ceremonial speech, which marks the opening of a new session of the Canadian Parliament, is usually delivered by the governor general, who is the King’s representative in the country.

Prince Harry wants “reconciliation” with his estranged family, but “can’t see” himself bringing “his wife and children back to the UK” after losing a security court case, he told the BBC Friday.”Some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book … but I would love for reconciliation,” Harry told the BBC. The interview aired hours after London’s Court of Appeal rejected Harry’s appeal to restore his full UK police protection when visiting Britain, a decision that left him “devastated”.”I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK,” the visibly upset prince told the broadcaster. Harry, who quit the British royal family in 2020, revealed that his father King Charles III “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.” As a result, he doesn’t know how long his father, who is receiving treatment for cancer, has left to live, said the prince.Charles’ youngest son, also known as the Duke of Sussex, has been embroiled in the years-long legal saga since the UK government downgraded his security when he left to live abroad with his wife, Meghan.Speaking from California, Harry called the court decision a “good old fashioned establishment stitch up” and accused the Royal Household of influencing the ruling.He alleged the security issue had been “used as leverage” to control him and urged his father and the government to help.”There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him, not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.”Harry added the original decision to downgrade his protection was “initiated under a previous government, and there is now a new government,” urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer and interior minister Yvette Cooper to intervene.The prince, who will not escalate the case to the Supreme Court, said “I miss the UK” and that “it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show… my children my homeland.”

The United States on Friday ended a tariff exemption for goods shipped from China worth less than $800, dealing a major blow to popular e-commerce sites such as Shein and Temu, whose cheap items consumers have come to rely on.The decision was announced last month, with the White House calling it a “critical step in countering the ongoing health emergency posed by the illicit flow of synthetic opioids” from China to the United States.Starting on Friday, goods shipped commercially will now be subject to new tariffs of 145 percent — the current level of levies imposed on goods coming from China.Items sent through the US Postal Service will be hit with duties of 120 percent of their value, or a $100, which will increase to $200 next month. The elimination of the ‘de minimis’ exemption now subjects even low-value imports to tariffs,” EY chief economist Gregory Daco wrote in a recent note to clients, adding it would squeeze “already-thin margins and driving up end prices.”The measures mark the latest salvo in a burgeoning trade war between the United States and China — the world’s two largest economies.The White House has also slapped additional levies of 25 percent on several sectors including automobiles, steel and aluminum from China.Beijing retaliated with sweeping 125 percent levies on US imports. Most other US trading partners face a baseline tariff of 10 percent, except for Mexico and Canada which face a higher 25 percent tariff on goods not covered by a current North America free-trade deal. The move threatens to hammer the business model of several large firms that ship cheap goods from China — including fast-fashion titans Shein and Temu.However, Chinese e-commerce sites listed on the New York Stock Exchange were largely in the green on Friday, most likely reflecting optimism about trade negotiations between Beijing and Washington, and the fact that many of these changes were already priced into the financial markets.At around 14:40 GMT, PDD, owner of Temu, was up 3.7 percent, while Alibaba was up around 4.0 percent.The Financial Times reported earlier this week that Shein was postponing a long-standing plan to list on public stock markets in London due to the looming de minimis changes.Trump first floated cancelling the exemption in February before backtracking after the move caused logistical disruptions.At the time, Beijing accused the United States of “politicizing trade and economic issues and using them as tools.”burs-da/des

Firefighters installed the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Friday which will emit white smoke to signal the election of a new pope as preparations proceed just five days before cardinals gather for the conclave.Some 133 Catholic cardinals will gather below Michelangelo’s famed frescoes in the 15th-century chapel, situated inside the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, to elect a successor to Pope Francis.Held behind locked doors, the conclave will signal to the world the outcome by burning ballots in a special stove, with the chimney emitting black smoke if no one has been elected, or white smoke if there is a new pope.Cardinals from around the world have been called back to Rome following the death on April 21 of Francis, an energetic reformer from Argentina who led the Catholic Church for 12 years.All but four of the cardinal electors — those aged under 80 — who can vote in the conclave are already in Rome, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.Ahead of the election, cardinals of all ages have been meeting daily at the Vatican to discuss the challenges facing the next head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.Friday’s meeting emphasised spreading the Catholic faith, the need for unity and the risk of “counter-witness” — problems such as sexual abuse and financial scandals — among other issues, Bruni told reporters.Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, Italy’s Pietro Parolin — who served as secretary of state under Francis — and Ghana’s Peter Turkson are among the favourites to be the next pope.But there is an old Roman saying that he who enters the conclave a pope, leaves a cardinal — a warning that the favourite rarely emerges as the winner.”I think the Church is in prayer mode, but it must also put itself in surprise mode,” Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez, 82, told reporters as he headed into Friday morning’s meeting.”Remember what happened with Pope Francis — what a surprise!”- ‘Once in a lifetime’ -Among the crowds of tourists and pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on Friday, the installation of the chimney on the Sistine Chapel — a thin metal tube with a capped top — went largely unnoticed.But many were aware that history was in the making.”It definitely is a historic moment and it definitely feels special to be in Rome,” said Glenn Atherton, a Briton visiting from London.”It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” he told AFP.There are 135 cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave, but two have withdrawn for health reasons.These were Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, Archbishop emeritus of Valencia in Spain, and Cardinal John Njue, Archbishop emeritus of Nairobi in Kenya, the Vatican confirmed.The conclave is due to begin at 4:30 pm (1430 GMT) on Wednesday, where the cardinals will take an oath to maintain the secrecy of the election, on pain of excommunication.That first day they will hold one ballot, with the winner — technically any baptised male, but in reality always one of their own — needing a two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, to win.During the following days they will hold two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon.If a winner is elected, the ballots will be burned in the special stove with the addition of chemicals to emit a white smoke to alert the waiting world to the decision.If no candidate has enough votes during the first morning vote, the cardinals will proceed to a second vote, and only after that point will the ballots be burned.The afternoon session follows the same procedure — if a pope is elected, there will be white smoke, but if not, the cardinals will proceed to a second vote and only after that will the ballots be burned.If no pope is elected, the smoke emitted by the chimney is black.The ancient signalling system — which still remains the only way the public learns whether a pope has been elected — used to involve mixing wet straw with the ballots to produce white smoke, and tarry pitch to create black smoke.But after several episodes in which greyish smoke caused confusion, the Vatican introduced a new system in 2005.At the last conclave, in 2013, the Vatican said it used a mixture of potassium perchlorate, anthracene and sulphur to produce black smoke, and potassium chlorate, lactose and rosin for white.Two stoves stand in a corner of the chapel, one for burning the ballots and the other for the chemicals, with the smoke from both stoves going up a common flue, it said then.Details for the procedure of next week’s conclave have not yet been confirmed.