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Why Illinois treasurer gifted Pope Leo a certificate worth $8.65
Vatican City has become a popular destination for Illinois dignitaries since Chicago native Robert Prevost ascended to the papacy last year, now known as Pope Leo XIV. While many have arrived bearing gifts, Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs presented the pontiff with a unique offering: a certificate to reclaim $8.65 of his own money.
Leaders from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to Governor JB Pritzker have visited, bringing tokens like Chicago-brewed “Da Pope” beer, city-sourced giardiniera, an Illini No. 14 jersey and Chicago White Sox gear.
Frerichs' gift, however, was perhaps the most on-brand. He delivered the certificate for Pope Leo XIV to recover $8.65 from a now-closed PayPal account.
This sum had been held in Illinois’ unclaimed property account, which Frerichs administers, and he has been working to return it.
Pope Leo XIV has also received a Chicago Red Bull jersey bearing the number 14 (Filippo Monteforte / AFP via Getty Images)“We found this money last year after ..
Iran imposes ‘toll booth regime’ to allow Strait of Hormuz passage
Iran imposed a “de facto toll booth regime” in the Strait of Hormuz even before its parliament unveiled plans to formally charge ships transiting the critical maritime route, Lloyd's List said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) already required ships to submit full documentation, obtain clearance codes, and accept escorted passage through a controlled corridor of the strait, it said.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints as a fifth of the global oil supply typically passes through it.
Iran’s parliament is pursuing legislation to “formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees”, lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi said, according to Fars and Tasnim news agencies. The arrangement was “entirely natural”, he said.
“We provide its security and it is natural that ships and oil tankers should pay such fees,” Mr Kouchi added.
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Orbán era swept away by Péter Magyar’s Hungary election landslide
Orbán era swept away by Péter Magyar's Hungary election landslide4 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePaul KirbyEurope digital editor in BudapestWatch: BBC reports from Hungary as Viktor Orbán concedes defeatViktor Orbán's 16 years in power is over and a system condemned as an “electoral autocracy” lies in tatters, defeated by a 45-year-old former party insider who convinced a majority of Hungarians to bring it to an end.
“We did it,” Péter Magyar told a crowd of cheering supporters beside the River Danube, overlooking Budapest's magnificent parliament on the other side. “Together we overthrew the Hungarian regime.”
Preliminary election results, based on more than 98% of counted votes, put his Tisza party on course for an extraordinary 138 seats, with Orbán's Fidesz on 55 and the far-right Our Homeland on six.
The landslide will not only allow Magyar to overturn Orbán's increasingly unpopular domestic policies, but reset Hungary's global relations..