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U.S. President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, branding the pontiff “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.” The criticism was posted on Trump’s Truth Social account, where he asserted he does not want a Pope who “criticises the President of the United States.” The outburst appears to be a direct response to recent statements by Pope Leo that condemned the United States’ involvement in the Israel‑Iran conflict. Last week, the Pope issued a rare rebuke of Trump’s threat to eradicate Iranian civilisation, calling the threat “truly unacceptable.” On Sunday, he further urged world leaders to halt ongoing bloodshed, describing the war‑driving mindset as a “delusion of omnipotence.” Trump’s post also referenced the Pope’s earlier questioning of the administration’s hard‑line immigration stance, noting the pontiff’s remark that such policies might not be “pro‑life.” In his response, Trump demanded that Leo “use common sense,” stop “catering to the radical left,” and focus on being a “great Pope, not a politician.” Adding a personal jab, Trump claimed credit for the Vatican’s selection of the first U.S.-born Pope, suggesting the election was intended to curry favour with the White House. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” he wrote, before reiterating that he is “not a big fan” of the pontiff, accusing him of “liking crime” and labeling him “very liberal.” The tension echoes past friction between Trump and the Vatican, notably with Pope Francis, who had previously criticized the president’s immigration proposals and questioned his Christian credentials. Despite the diplomatic spat, Pope Leo is scheduled to commence an 11‑day African tour on Monday, beginning with a historic visit to Muslim‑majority Algeria.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria on Monday, inaugurating the first papal visit to the country and the opening leg of an ambitious 11‑day African tour that includes Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. The trip, the longest since his election in May 2025, signals a strategic shift toward the continent.The choice of Africa sends a clear message, according to scholars, that the continent is now a top priority for the Church. Professor Adriaan van Klinken of the University of Leeds notes that Africa now accounts for roughly 20% of the world’s Catholics, making it one of the fastest‑growing Catholic regions, while western Europe’s Catholic numbers are in decline.In the past year, 14 new dioceses have been established across Africa, and the Catholic population has risen by 7 million, according to John Pontifex of Aid to the Church in Need UK. He describes the continent as “coming of age” in Catholicism.Upon landing at Algiers International Airport, Pope Leo was greeted by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and later visited the Maqam Echahid, a monument honoring those who died in Algeria’s 1954‑62 war for independence.Father Peter Claver Kogh, rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, framed the visit as a bridge‑building effort between Christians and Muslims, emphasizing a “climate of peace and tolerance.” He added that the world “needs a fraternal living and harmony” now more than ever.For biographer Austen Ivereigh, the trip continues Pope Francis’s legacy of interfaith dialogue, recalling the 2019 “human fraternity” accord signed with Muslim leaders in the UAE. John Pontifex also highlighted the visit’s timing amid a decline in religious freedom for Christians and liberal Muslims in Algeria.Lucy Esipila of Caritas Africa expects the journey to bolster Catholic communities facing conflict, debt and inequality, describing it as a vivid expression of “synodality” – the Church walking together with peripheral voices.Algeria holds special significance for Pope Leo, the first pontiff from the Augustinian order, as the birthplace of Saint Augustine. Professor Anna Rowlands of Durham University points out that North Africa was a cradle of early Christianity, underscoring the region’s deep theological heritage.The African focus comes as Pope Leo declined an invitation to the United States, opting instead to visit Lampedusa on July 4, a key entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Historian Dr Miles Pattenden suggests this contrast sends a powerful message to both European leaders and African communities.Father Kogh summed up the atmosphere in Algiers: “It’s a feeling of joy… a message of peace, coexistence and fraternity.”

Pope Leo issued a clear message to the international community, calling on all world leaders to reject war and focus on peaceful negotiations. In his appeal, the pontiff emphasized the moral and practical necessity of resolving disputes through dialogue rather than violence, urging governments to pursue diplomatic pathways for lasting stability.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has granted the Trump administration a brief reprieve, extending the pause on the White House ballroom construction until April 17. The move allows officials to pursue a potential Supreme Court review of a lower‑court injunction that barred further work. In a split decision, Judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia formed the majority, while Trump‑appointed Judge Neomi Rao dissented. The majority questioned the administration’s repeated claim that the construction pause creates a national‑security risk, noting that the original order already exempts work necessary for the White House’s safety. Judge Richard Leon, appointed by former President George W. Bush, had issued the March 31 injunction, stating that a project of this magnitude requires explicit Congressional authorization. Leon’s order included a 14‑day stay to let the administration appeal, a stay that was set to expire this week before the appeals court’s extension. The court highlighted that the administration has not demonstrated how the injunction interferes with any existing security plans. As the majority wrote, “Defendants have not, on this record, explained how, if at all, the injunction interferes with their existing plans for safety and security.” Furthermore, the judges pointed out that the ballroom—spanning roughly 90,000 sq ft (8,360 m²)—was always projected to be a multi‑year undertaking. Planning documents estimate completion nearly three years after groundbreaking, raising doubts about the claim that a short‑term delay poses additional harm. In her dissent, Judge Rao argued that the majority’s demand for further fact‑finding would cause “irreparable injury” by halting construction, asserting that the aesthetic concerns raised by critics are outweighed by the administration’s interests. The controversy stems from the decision to demolish the historic East Wing, a structure dating back to 1902, to make room for the new ballroom. Critics, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, contend the demolition was executed without notice and exceeds presidential authority, prompting a lawsuit that led to Leon’s injunction. While the appeals court has sent the case back to the district court for clarification on factual disputes and the scope of the security exemption, the extension effectively keeps the construction site active for another week, maintaining the political flashpoint surrounding one of the most transformative building projects on the nation’s capital in recent memory.

Bayern Munich crushed hosts St Pauli 5-0 in the Bundesliga, setting an all-time season scoring record while extending their lead at the top to 12 points with five games left to play. The Bavarian club now has 76 points, with second-placed Borussia Dortmund stuck on 64 after their 1-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen.A ninth-minute header from Jamal Musiala put the visitors equal with the record of 101 goals in one season, set by Bayern in the 1971-72 campaign. But they added two more in quick succession, with Leon Goretzka in the 53rd and Michael Olise a minute later, to beat the previous best mark and make sure of the three points.In Spain, Barcelona took a major step towards the La Liga title with a 4-1 victory over their city rivals Espanyol, moving nine points clear of Real Madrid. Ferran Torres struck twice, assisted by Lamine Yamal both times, in the first half as the hosts dominated possession.In Italy, Milan suffered a shock 3-0 loss at home to Udinese, jeering off the field after their third defeat in four matches. The Rossoneri are not only nine points below the league leaders, Inter, but just six points above Roma, in sixth, in the fight for the four Champions League qualifying places.

Egypt and Al-Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy has been banned for four games and fined 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($942) for assaulting a referee during a recent match.The incident occurred after Al-Ahly's appeal for a penalty was denied in a 1-1 draw with Ceramica Cleopatra. El-Shenawy, who was on the bench, was incensed and struck the referee on the head.The Egyptian Pro League announced the ban, which will sideline El-Shenawy until the final week of the league playoffs. This is significant as El-Shenawy is expected to be Egypt's starting goalkeeper at the upcoming World Cup in North America.Al-Ahly currently sits third in the league with 41 points, five points behind leaders Zamalek.

Amazon's highly anticipated satellite internet service, Leo, is expected to go live in mid-2026, according to CEO Andy Jassy. The company has been working on the project, originally conceived as Project Kuiper in 2019, and has secured revenue commitments from enterprises and governments for the scheme.Leo currently has 200 low-orbit satellites in space, with plans to launch a few thousand more in the coming years. While this puts Amazon on track to become the second commercial satellite presence in space, it still lags behind SpaceX's Starlink, which has nearly 10,000 satellites in space and aims to have as many as 42,000 operational in the future.Jassy emphasized that Leo will seamlessly integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enable enterprises and governments to move data back and forth for storage, analytics, and AI. Additionally, Delta Air Lines has partnered with Leo to provide onboard WiFi for its planes, starting with 500 planes in 2028.Despite being behind rivals such as Starlink and OneWeb, Amazon's efforts have been hindered by relying on competitors' rockets for launches. However, plans have been announced for Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, to take primary responsibility for launching Leo satellites from 2027 onwards.The rivalry between Amazon and SpaceX is expected to shape the commercial space industry in the coming decades, with both companies interested in setting up datacentres in orbit and normalizing commercial space travel.

Andy Jassy used his 2026 shareholder letter as a platform to signal a multi‑front offensive against the likes of Nvidia, Intel and SpaceX’s Starlink, while laying out a $200 billion capital‑expenditure roadmap that could reshape Amazon’s hardware ambitions.Jassy’s Letter Paints a Bold AI Chip VisionThe CEO framed the narrative as a “new shift” in AI compute, positioning Amazon’s home‑grown Trainium chips as the price‑performance alternative to Nvidia’s dominance. He also highlighted the Graviton CPU’s penetration among the top cloud customers and hinted at future ventures in robotics and satellite broadband (Amazon Leo).Revenue Projections and Chip Capacity NumbersTrainium3 capacity: nearly sold out ahead of launch.Trainium4 capacity: nearly sold out despite being 18 months away.Current Trainium ARR: $20 billion annually.Potential ARR if sold externally: $50 billion.Nvidia 2023 revenue: $215.9 billion.Graviton usage: 98% of the top 1,000 EC2 customers run on it.Two customers requested “all” Graviton capacity for 2026.2026 capex pledge: $200 billion, primarily AWS data centers.Strategic Ripples Across Cloud, CPU, and Satellite MarketsAWS can leverage Trainium to negotiate better pricing with AI‑heavy workloads, challenging Nvidia’s pricing power.Graviton’s market share pressures Intel’s x86 dominance in enterprise cloud environments.Amazon Leo’s early contracts with Delta, AT&T;, Vodafone, NBN and NASA signal a credible challenge to Starlink in the broadband‑satellite arena.Potential robotics spin‑off could monetize data from >1 million warehouse robots, opening a new industrial‑solutions revenue stream.What’s Next for Amazon’s Hardware Ambitions?Expect accelerated rollout of Trainium4 in late 2027, with Amazon courting external chip customers to close the $50 billion ARR gap.Graviton’s dominance may prompt Intel to accelerate its own custom silicon roadmap or pursue strategic partnerships.Amazon Leo’s mid‑2026 launch could force Starlink to lower prices or expand coverage to retain enterprise contracts.Robotics offerings may emerge as a niche SaaS product by 2028, leveraging the massive data lake from warehouse operations.Continued $200 billion capex spending will likely keep AWS as the world’s largest cloud infrastructure provider, but execution risk remains amid a volatile AI‑chip market.

The horror market has finally recognised women as a core audience, a shift reflected in the latest teen‑focused feature The Cure. Directed by Nancy Leopardi and penned by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer (known for Unsane), the film blends gothic dread with a biting commentary on wealth and longevity. The story follows Ally Braun (Samantha Cochran), a lupus‑stricken teenager confined to a Malibu mansion owned by her billionaire parents, Jeff (David Dastmalchian) and Georgia (Ashley Greene). When the couple hosts a gathering for investors interested in a private island designed as an apocalypse refuge, Ally slips away to the beach and befriends a mysterious newcomer, Brooke (Sydney Taylor). Their uneasy friendship triggers a series of dark revelations that expose helicopter parenting, clandestine life‑extension research, and society’s obsession with youth and beauty. While the premise brims with clever ideas, the execution falters in its final act. Narrative threads are hurried, and the climax resolves with a brief burst of violence that feels more like a budget‑driven shortcut than a satisfying payoff. The film’s limited locations and dim lighting betray a modest production budget, even as it depicts extravagant wealth. Nevertheless, the youthful ensemble injects the story with genuine charisma. Their performances provide the film’s most compelling moments, keeping the audience engaged despite the structural shortcomings. The Cure becomes available on digital platforms from 13 April.