Trump

Pope Leo XIV moved to tamp down talk of a clash with President Donald Trump, saying he regretted that recent remarks had been taken as a rebuttal to the US leader and stressing that he had no desire to engage in a public dispute. Speaking to journalists while travelling to Angola, the Pope pointed to a speech he delivered on Thursday in Cameroon — during the second leg of his African tour — in which he spoke of "tyrants" ransacking the world. He said the text had been prepared well before Mr Trump's "comment on myself and on…

A ten-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel has taken effect, while President Donald Trump said the next round of US-Iran talks could happen as soon as this weekend, fueling hopes that the war with Iran may be approaching its end. Mr Trump said Iran had proposed not possessing nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Tehran's nuclear ambitions remained a central obstacle during talks in Islamabad last weekend. "We're going to see what happens. But I think we're very close to making a deal with Iran," he told reporters…

An apparently AI-generated image of Jesus embracing US President Donald Trump has reignited controversy around the Republican leader, coming just two days after he removed another post that drew backlash for seeming to liken himself to Christ. Reposted on Mr Trump's Truth Social account, the image depicts Mr Trump with his eyes shut, leaning temple-to-temple with Jesus, who is shown in the same pose. Mr Trump appears behind a microphone, with an American flag visible in the background. The original post carried the caption:…

A possible diplomatic opening has emerged in one of the region’s longest-running fault lines, with US President Donald Trump saying leaders of Israel and Lebanon are expected to speak after a high-level face-to-face meeting in Washington on Tuesday — the first such negotiation since 1993. "Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow," Mr Trump wrote, offering no further details and not specifying who would…

A widening feud between US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV has erupted into a deeply unusual political and spiritual clash, one that could carry real consequences for the Republican leader as November’s pivotal US mid-term elections draw closer. Mr Trump has come under fire, including from some of his own allies, after lashing out at the US-born pontiff, who has condemned the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, its intervention in Venezuela and the Iran war. The dispute threatens to unsettle the religious…

A prolonged US blockade of one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints threatens to send fresh shocks through energy markets and supply chains, raising new risks and costs for economies far beyond the Gulf. By Sanjoy Paul, University of Technology Sydney For weeks, the global economy has been fixated on a single question: when will the Strait of Hormuz fully reopen? Following Iran’s war with Israel and the United States, Tehran has in effect shut the narrow passage, a route that normally carries about one-fifth of…

Donald Trump has declined to apologise for attacking Pope Leo XIV, escalating an extraordinary public clash after the pontiff renewed his call for an end to the violence in the Iran war. "There's nothing to apologise for. He's wrong," Mr Trump told reporters, doubling down a day after a social media post and public remarks aimed at the US-born pope. "Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran," said Trump, who also argued that Leo was…

Monday April 13, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — President Donald Trump has prolonged the U.S. national emergency over Somalia for another year, renewing a policy first put in place in 2010 to confront terrorism, piracy and the chronic instability that has long unsettled the Horn of Africa nation. In a notice dated April 8, 2026, the White House said the emergency, which was due to lapse on April 12, will now stay in force through April 12, 2027. The extension preserves U.S. sanctions and other legal tools intended to curb threats…

As strains inside NATO deepen over the Iran war, alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte has told several capitals that US President Donald Trump is seeking firm commitments within days to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, according to two European diplomats who spoke to Reuters. Mr Rutte held talks with Mr Trump in Washington on Wednesday as unease spread across the alliance over the conflict with Iran. "We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war," said one…

A tense Middle East standoff deepened as US President Donald Trump said American military forces would stay in the region until a peace agreement with Iran is secured, while warning that any failure to comply could trigger a dramatic widening of the conflict. The prospect of further turmoil pushed oil prices higher as markets fretted over supply risks and continuing restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media post, Mr Trump said US ships, aircraft and personnel — backed by extra ammunition and weapons — would…