ESMA

Pope Leo is taking on an increasingly visible statesman role, with appeals for peace as conflicts flare around the world. The Washington Post reports that the pontiff has leaned into diplomatic advocacy, positioning the papacy as a moral voice amid renewed warfare. The piece highlights how his early pontificate is being defined by calls for dialogue and de-escalation.

Pope Leo is taking on an increasingly visible statesman role, using his platform to press for peace amid what the Washington Post describes as an era of renewed war. The Pope's diplomatic tone is drawing attention as global conflicts intensify, positioning the Vatican once again as a voice for mediation and restraint on the world stage.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell issued a statement announcing the conclusion of the U.S. military mission in Iraq. The announcement marks a formal end to the American military presence and operations conducted in the country. The full details of the transition and future U.S.-Iraq security arrangements remain unclear from the statement alone.

A high-definition action clip featuring Filipino actor Ronald Gan Ledesma, titled roughly 'The person who will kill you has been born' with the tagline 'No retreat in an intense fight!', is pulling heavy viewership and over 355,000 engagements. Audiences are reacting to the hard-hitting fight scenes and Ledesma's tough-guy persona, consistent with the enduring popularity of local action movies among Filipino viewers.

USC has suspended linebacker Desman Stephens II for one game after a vicious hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. Stephens was disqualified from Saturday night's game between USC and Oregon following the play, and the one-game ban confirms the conference's response to the incident.

Coffee Stain's factory-building game Satisfactory is getting its first paid expansion, called Core Values. Instead of building upward, players will dig beneath the surface on the planet MASSAGE-2(A-B)b, constructing underground factory networks with new resources, plants, creatures and production chains. It marks a notable shift for the game, which until now received free updates, and fans are weighing in on the paid model and the subterranean direction.

Sam Esmail, the creator of the acclaimed series 'Mr. Robot', has left the talent agency CAA, according to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter. The move is notable because Esmail is one of television's most prominent writer-directors, and agency changes by high-profile creatives are closely watched in Hollywood as a signal of shifting career strategies or industry dynamics.

Former California Governor Gray Davis, now regarded as an elder statesman, is reviewing his decades in public life as part of a major oral history project at the University of California, Berkeley. The undertaking documents his career, including his time as governor and the 2003 recall that ended it, preserving his account for researchers and the public.

A spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says new weapons will be deployed if the nature of the conflict changes. The statement, carried by Iranian media, signals that Tehran is holding undisclosed capabilities in reserve and conditioning their use on an escalation of the current confrontation.

Eddie Lyle, a prominent advocate for persecuted Christians, has died at the age of 73. He is being remembered within Christian advocacy circles as an 'elder statesman' of the persecuted church movement, with tributes highlighting his decades-long commitment to supporting believers facing persecution worldwide.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, visiting Berlin, said he considers Russian President Vladimir Putin an outstanding statesman and the most acceptable political figure for Central Asia and Europe. The remarks drew attention given Germany's stance on the war in Ukraine and Kazakhstan's careful balancing between Moscow and the West.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has named digital innovation as one of its supervisory priorities, signalling closer regulatory attention to how financial firms adopt new technologies, including areas such as digital finance and potentially crypto-related services. The move indicates EU markets regulators intend to focus scrutiny on innovation-driven risks alongside traditional conduct and disclosure concerns in the period ahead.