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Much of Cuba is without power after its third islandwide blackout in four months.
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Pope Leo XIV has urged a ceasefire in the Middle East and called on leaders in the Iran war to reopen talks. On Sunday, he spoke in his noon blessing and condemned attacks on schools, hospitals and homes. He pointed to a strike that hit a school in Iran and killed children. U.S. officials say an investigation is underway and flawed intelligence may have played a role. Leo also highlighted rising humanitarian risks in Lebanon and worried about vulnerable Christian communities. He kept his language indirect and avoided naming countries. Some U.S. cardinals and Vatican officials have spoken more bluntly and criticized the war.
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Iran has warned people to evacuate three major ports in the United Arab Emirates, including the busiest in the Middle East, as its war with the U.S. and Israel enters its third week. Tehran's warning Saturday was its first open threat to a neighboring country's non-U.S. assets. It said the U.S. had attacked a Kharg Island, crucial to Iran's oil sector, from the UAE. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. destroyed military sites on Kharg Island and warned that its oil infrastructure could be next. Trump said he hopes other countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe."
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Pope Leo XIV is moving into the newly renovated papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace. The Vatican said Leo would be joined in the papal apartment by his closest aides. While previous popes lived there, Pope Francis famously chose not to live in the flat, preferring instead to live in the Vatican hotel. After he was elected last May, Leo had continued living in his small apartment in the Vatican’s Sant’Uffizi palace. Over the ensuing 10 months, the Vatican undertook extensive renovations to the papal apartment. It was in dire need of an update because it hadn’t been used during Francis’ 12-year papacy.
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China says it hopes this year will be a “landmark year” in relations with the United States, as the two sides prepare for an expected leaders’ summit later this month. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells reporters in Beijing that the two leaders have had “good exchanges” at the highest levels. U.S. President Donald Trump is due in Beijing near the end of March. While China did not confirm the summit, Wang says both sides have a ready agenda for discussions. The U.S. and China have tensions over issues from trade to national security.
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U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to rule out talks with Iran absent its “unconditional surrender.” Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut and Tehran on Friday as Iran launched another wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries on the seventh day of the war. The strikes in Lebanon were the heaviest since a 2024 ceasefire ended the last war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, who fired rockets at Israel in the opening days of the latest conflict. More than 95,000 people have fled Beirut’s suburbs and southern Lebanon after sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings. The U.S. and Israel have battered Iran with strikes, targeting their military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. The stated goals and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted.
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The United Nations chief is condemning the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran and calling for an immediate return to negotiations “to pull the region, and our world, back from the brink.” Secretary-General António Guterres told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday that everything must be done to prevent further escalation. “The alternative,” he warned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.” Guterres also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said it was “hypocrisy” to condemn the airstrikes.
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There’s little that Donald Trump has cherished more in his second term than tariffs, a symbol of his imperious approach to the presidency. He has raised and lowered them at will, rewriting the rules of global commerce and daring anyone to stop him. Now that may be over, the victim of a stunning rebuke from the Supreme Court on Friday. Trump called the ruling “ridiculous” and said he is looking for other laws to keep tariffs in place. Democrats say the decision proves Trump broke the law. Polling from AP-NORC finds that most adults oppose tariffs and expect higher prices because of them.
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With the Winter Olympics drawing visitors to Milan, volunteers organized by the archdiocese’s youth ministry office are offering free visits to some of the city’s lesser-known churches. The initiative — called “La Via della Bellezza,” or “The Path of Beauty” — runs through March 15 and includes stops at the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore and others. During the Olympic weeks, volunteers say they have welcomed visitors from the United States, France, Germany and Spain, some drawn to the city for the Games and others simply curious to explore beyond its best-known landmarks.
Pope Francis has died at age 88. The first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor. But he ali…