Mark Allen will speak at Class of 2025 commencement
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Mark Allen will be the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony for UC San Diego’s graduating Class of 2025. Allen is a triathlete and a six-time Ironman Triathlon world champion. He also completed the Ironman World Championship held in Nice, France, 10 times and won the first International Triathlon Union World Championship at the Olympic distance.
Allen is a UCSD alumnus and graduated as a biology major in 1980. He was a member of the men’s swimming team at UCSD and was given the Distinguished Alumni-Athlete Award by UCSD Athletics for the 1996-97 award season.
According to his website, Allen offers coaching programs for athletes, life coaching, and motivational speaking services. His content and profiles have amassed over 1 million views across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Allen responded to his announcement as commencement speaker in an Instagram post.
“After the initial shock wore off I realized the responsibility I have to every person who has ever stood at the waters edge and pushed off into the unknown to represent us all to another generation,” the post read.
UCSD Hillcrest closing senior inpatient psychiatric unit
HILLCREST, Calif. — UC San Diego Health will close its senior behavioral health inpatient services unit at Hillcrest Medical Center and relocate to East Campus Medical Center by August 2025.
Current seniors receiving inpatient psychiatric services at Hillcrest’s 14-bed unit will be transferred to a 30-bed unit at East Campus Medical Center. The Hillcrest unit will be temporarily converted to a medical and surgical unit to address the pressing demand for inpatient acute beds.
According to a public notice from UCSD Health on May 1, affected Hillcrest employees “will be prioritized for re-deployment within UC San Diego Health where possible.” About 30 jobs will be affected by the change.
The transition is designed to bring together inpatient care, outpatient programs, and home-based services under one roof. It will create a centralized and clinically-integrated environment for older adults in need of behavioral health support in a dedicated medical-psychiatric inpatient unit on a UCSD Health campus.
According to UCSD Health, the relocation will allow for partial hospital programs, expanded outpatient offerings, and home-based care. Officials say the move aims to “improve access, streamline care delivery, and better meet the behavioral health needs of the region.”
UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center will continue to offer inpatient psychiatric services at its main 18-bed mental health unit.
Pope Leo XIV announced as new Pope, following Pope Francis’ death
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV was elected to the papacy on Thursday, May 8, after a papal conclave that lasted one day. A total of four rounds of balloting and 133 cardinals were involved in the election process. This conclave received unique attention from the public due to the process being popularized by 2024 Oscar-nominated film, “Conclave.”
Pope Leo XIV, formerly named Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is the first Pope from the United States. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania. Pope Leo XIV also served as a missionary in Peru and is a Peruvian dual citizen.
In his first speech as Pope, he spoke in Italian and Spanish to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. His speech emphasized the need for global peace. Pope Leo XIV explained that he chose this name to follow in the footsteps of Pope Leo XIII, who advocated for expanded workers’ rights.
India-Pakistan tensions over Kashmir escalate
NEW DELHI — Following the Pahalgam attack on April 22, India launched Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory series of strikes on Pakistan on May 7 that killed over 60 people. The operation targeted nine sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled regions of Kashmir. Targets included armed group training facilities.
The resurgence of cross-border tensions marks one of the most serious escalations between the nuclear-armed powers in recent years.
The Pakistan-based military group The Resistance Front claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack. The Indian government alleges that this organization is a cover for Pakistani militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Pakistan has denied. India claims it took “considerable restraint” during the May 7 attack, while Pakistan has called it an “act of war.”
Since the British partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the countries have had three wars, two of which were over Kashmir. The Kashmir region has been long contested on religious grounds, disputed by the two countries who both fully claim the region, but each govern a part of its territory.
Ceasefire efforts in 2021 and more recently, on May 10, 2025, have so far not resulted in a sustainable solution to the land dispute. Armed conflict continues, contributing to regional instability.
Regional powers and international organizations such as the United Nations. are closely monitoring the situation. AAnalysts warn that escalating tensions “could lead to the use of devastating weaponry” and heighten the risk of wider geopolitical conflicts.
Mark Carney selected new Canadian Prime Minister
OTTAWA, Ontario — The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, secured 170 seats in the House of Commons, two seats short of the 172 needed for a majority government. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party won 143 seats, though Poilievre lost his seat to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, finished third and lost his seat representing Burnaby Central, British Columbia, to Liberal Wade Chang. The NDP only secured seven seats. Following the election results, Singh announced his resignation as party leader. Don Davies is currently the temporary leader.
Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois, secured 22 seats and retained his position. The Green Party, led by Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault, won one seat. May retained her position representing Saanich-Gulf Islands, while Pedneault resigned as co-leader after failing to secure a seat for the second time.
The 2025 federal election saw an increase in seats gained by the Liberal and Conservative Party, while the smaller parties felt this shift with a decrease in their overall performance.
