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Pope Leo rejects claim he supports nuclear weapons after Trump tirade

Pope Leo has said he has never supported nuclear weapons and that those who criticise him need to speak the truth, in response Donald Trump’s latest tirade accusing him of “endangering a lot of Catholics” with his stance on the Iran war. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday night after leaving the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, the first US-born pontiff said: “The mission of the church is to preach the gospel, to preach peace.” Leo, who is to meet the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in the Vatican on Thursday in an effort to ease tensions sparked by previous Trump broadsides, made a plea for honesty in political debate. “If anyone wants to criticise me for proclaiming the gospel, let them do so with the truth: the church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, there is no doubt about that,” the pope said. “I simply hope to be listened to because of the value of God’s word.” Earlier in the day, Trump told Hugh Hewitt, a prominent conservative radio talkshow host: “The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and I don’t think that’s very good. “I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it’s up to the pope, he thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” In April, the US president lashed out at Leo in response to the pope’s criticisms of the war on Iran, calling Leo “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy” and saying he had only been elected pontiff because Trump himself was in the White House. Trump then shared an AI-generated image of himself depicted as a Christ-like figure before deleting it. Leo, who marks his first year as pope on Friday, often goes to Castel Gandolfo at the start of the week, leaving on a Tuesday night and on some occasions stopping to chat to journalists. But until Trump’s latest tirade against him, he had not been planning to speak this week. “We were told yesterday that there would be no papal chat,” said Andrea Vreede, a Vatican correspondent for the Dutch public radio and TV network NOS. “But there was, because he thought it was necessary and it was necessary.” Vreede added: “Things have become really tense because Trump isn’t talking about the church or Vatican, but Leo; he has made it personal. We’re back to the middle ages when holy Roman emperors and popes did this kind of [thing], used this kind of language.” The Rubio meeting will be the first known private audience Leo has had with a member of Trump’s cabinet since the secretary of state and the US vice-president, JD Vance, met the pope a day after his papal inauguration mass in May last year. A “frank” conversation is expected, the US ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, said, although Rubio has play down the rift between Trump administration and the Vatican, saying “obviously we had some stuff that happened” but there was “a lot to talk about with the Vatican”. On Friday, Rubio will also meet the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, whom Trump berated in April after she criticised his remarks against Leo. The president lambasted the Meloni government for not supporting the strikes on Iran and threatening to withdraw US troops from Italy as a result. But Rubio’s meeting with the pope, which the US secretary of state has been seeking for weeks, could have an ulterior motive, said Vreede. “For Leo, it’s important to have a photo moment with Rubio and then release a short statement saying they are continuing their dialogue and all want world peace,” she said. “Privately, it won’t be a nice talk, it cannot be a nice talk … but Rubio needs to keep the diplomatic channels with the Vatican open as he’s thinking about himself [ahead of the US presidential elections] in 2028.” Trump’s rivalry with Rubio possibly triggered his latest outburst, Vreede added: “He believes in rivalry, in winning … perhaps he’s trying to interfere with Rubio because Rubio is being a bit too diplomatic.”

Three evacuated from hantavirus cruise ship as Canary Islands rejects plans for it to dock there – Europe live

German chancellor Friedrich Merz is marking his first anniversary in the job today (cue cute LinkedIn posts), and the jury is, erm, very much still out on whether he could be the man to save Germany, as many some hoped at the time of his election. Describing Merz’s current position, the chancellor’s biographer Daniel Goffard said somewhat bluntly that “the cart is certainly stuck in the mud.” Our Berlin correspondent Deborah Cole said his words nicely summed up a sense of strategic helplessness by the government in the face of compounding emergencies and intractable conflicts at home and abroad. As she noted, a recent survey for US-based opinion research institute Morning Consult found Merz to have the second-lowest approval rating of 24 democratically elected world leaders, with just 19% of Germans saying they are satisfied with his work. On top of that, he is currently trapped in a bitter spat with the US president, Donald Trump, after Merz said on 27 April that Iran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table. That provoked a series of angry responses from Washington, including Trump’s comments that Merz was doing a “terrible” job as chancellor – and a decision to pull out 5,000 US troops from the country. In an interview with ZDF, released today, Merz was specifically asked about his relations with the US president, Donald Trump. Merz said that he “continues to strive for a good transatlantic relationship, even if we have different opinions” on Iran, stressing he’s not afraid to say when he disagrees with Trump, like on Ukraine. “We speak on the phone regularly, but a good partnership also involves differences of opinion,” he said. Responding to a suggestion that the relationship in which Trump regularly harshly criticises him online is far from good, he said: We have disagreements, but I can live with that. He added that he would “continue to speak my mind in the future,” and “talk it over” with the US president. Merz was keen to highlight that Germany was doing a lot to increase its defence spending, including last year’s change to its constitution - and “take on a leadership responsibility” within Nato. It’s also a great moment to remind you of this brilliant – and hilarious - piece from our European culture editor Philip Oltermann on similarities between the lead character of the German sitcom inspired by “The Office” and Merz (which kind of ruined him for me, I’m afraid, so be warned – you will never look at him in the same way again.)

Middle East crisis live: Iran says strait of Hormuz could reopen after US pauses operation

France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group is moving into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as part of efforts by France and Britain to prepare for a future mission to help freedom of navigation on the strait of Hormuz, France’s military said on Wednesday. The French Armed Forces ministry said in a statement that the aircraft carrier group had crossed the Suez canal on Wednesday, en route to the south of the Red Sea. This French aircraft carrier strike group was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean shortly after the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, and it can stay at sea between four to five months.

US cancels tourist visas for board members of top Costa Rica newspaper

The US state department has cancelled tourist visas for more than half of the board members of Costa Rica’s leading national newspaper, La Nación, which has been a critical voice against the country’s president, Rodrigo Chaves, an ally of Donald Trump. During Chaves’s 2022 presidential campaign, La Nación published several articles documenting allegations of sexual harassment against him that had forced him out of his job at the World Bank. The paper also reported on allegations of illegal campaign financing, which Chaves denied. Since taking office, Chaves has been extremely critical of La Nación, accusing it of being “despicable press” and “political assassins”. He also targeted the newspaper financially by withdrawing a sanitation permit for an event space run by the organisation’s parent company. At the same time, Chaves has become a close ally of the US president. Last month, he agreed that Costa Rica would receive up to 25 deported migrants a week from the US. Chaves also participated in Trump’s Shield of the Americas summit and closed the Costa Rican embassy in Havana. Now, the ties between the two governments appear to have led to La Nación’s board members being barred from entering the US. “This is completely unprecedented,” Pedro Abreu, the president of the board of La Nación, said via email. “We see it as an indirect attack on press freedom because of the effect it can have on an independent media outlet and on those who have the institutional responsibility to protect it.” Abreu said five of the paper’s seven board members had had their visas revoked, while the other two held passports from countries that do not require a visa to enter the US. Analysts say the move by Washington could have an immediate chilling effect in Costa Rica. “It’s extremely serious,” said Felipe Alpízar, the coordinator of the Observatory of American Politics at the University of Costa Rica. “It’s the United States eroding the foundations of political discussion in Costa Rica, of freedom of expression, of freedom of the press.” The state department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The members of La Nacion’s board are just the latest in a long list of Costa Ricans targeted by Washington. Mauricio Herrera, a former Costa Rican communications minister, said: “This didn’t happen in a vacuum; there’s a persistent pattern. There’ve been a number of individuals whose visas have been revoked because they are political opponents or critics of the government.” Among them is Óscar Arias, twice president of Costa Rica and a Nobel peace prize laureate. Washington also banned Arias’s brother, Rodrigo, the president of the legislative assembly and a supreme court justice. The visa restrictions began not long after the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited Costa Rica last year and praised Chaves for a decree that in effect barred Chinese companies from Costa Rica’s 5G network rollout. Rubio told Chaves: “We’re going to try to work in cooperation with you. To impose costs on those within the country who use their positions of authority to undermine the interests of the people of Costa Rica.” Weeks later, opposition members who had criticised Chaves’s decree found their visas revoked. Chaves will step down later this week and be replaced by his handpicked successor, Laura Fernández. Analysts fear attacks against the opposition will only increase under her presidency. Herrera said: “My fear is that in the near future they will revoke visas of opposition members of parliament and the rectors of public universities. I would like to think that this is going to stop, but nothing indicates that it will.”

Cut borrowing costs for poorer countries to free up $900bn for development – report

Cutting debt servicing costs for the world’s poorest countries could free up $900bn (£660bn) a year for development, a new report to the UN secretary general has claimed. Prepared by advocacy group Development Finance International (DFI) with the support of the Norwegian government and launched in Oslo today, the analysis warned that the world is facing “the worst ever debt-provoked development crisis”. The G77 developing countries spend a total of $8tn a year servicing their debts, the report showed – equating to an average of 35% of government spending. Six billion people are living in countries where spending on debt service is higher than the annual health budget. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has previously called for global action on debt relief to free up resources to spend on meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Specifically, he suggested debt restructuring for the hardest-hit countries; and halving borrowing costs for countries that need to borrow from financial markets. In the new report, based on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), DFI modelled, country-by-country, the benefits of implementing such a plan. In total, it found that halving borrowing costs for the 33 countries paying the highest interest rates, plus reducing repayments to 10% of government revenue for others – including those regularly hit by climate crises – could free up as much as $3tn a year to be spent on development. What it suggested may be a more realistic plan, which excludes wealthier developing countries such as China, could still free up $917bn a year – allowing countries to more than double their social spending. On average, the savings would be worth 9% of annual GDP for beneficiary countries. “If the international community can deliver comprehensive debt relief to countries which need it, and reduce the debt service burdens of many more, it will provide the fiscal space needed to fund the current SDGs,” the report said, adding, “the question is whether the world will find the political will to achieve these objectives, and relieve the suffering of billions of the world’s citizens.” The UK is chairing the G20 group of nations next year, and development campaigners are calling on Labour to seize the opportunity to try to make progress on reducing debt. The report showed that the burden on developing countries is now greater than in the run-up to the Make Poverty History campaign in 2005, when Tony Blair’s government used its leadership of the G8 summit in Gleneagles to secure pledges of debt relief. Today’s situation is more complex, with less direct bilateral lending from governments, and more private sector lending. The IMF warned recently that the growing significance of private sector investors such as hedge funds as lenders puts developing countries at greater risk of higher interest rates and currency shocks – including as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. These inflows of finance, “tend to be more volatile than bank flows and are increasingly sensitive to global risk conditions”, the IMF warned. Higher borrowing costs as a result of the Iran war, which has restricted oil supplies and pushed up inflation, are expected to increase the burden on developing countries in the coming months. Max Lawson, head of inequality policy at Oxfam, said: “Why should paying debts to rich bankers in London or New York be more important than feeding hungry people or getting kids in school? Global south governments were already on their knees, and are now facing a huge new food crisis caused by the [Iran] war. They need massive debt relief and they need it now.”

Roald Amundsen crosses the north pole in an airship – archive, 1926

On 12 May 1926, the Norge, an Italian-built airship, made the first undisputed visit to the north pole. The crew on board included Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth, his American financial backer, and Italian aviator and navigator Umberto Nobile. After starting from Spitzbergen in Norway, and passing the pole, the Norge flew another 3,000 miles before landing at Teller in Alaska. At the pole national flags were dropped but Amundsen later claimed the Italian ones were larger than the others – a sign of the strained relations between the explorer and the navigator. Safe arrival of Amundsen: no polar land discovered 17 May 1926 Captain Amundsen and his airship have arrived safely at Alaska, having fulfilled his plan, according to his own wireless messages, of passing over the Pole in his flight from King’s Bay, Spitsbergen. He sailed last Tuesday, and made a forced landing at Teller, on the Alaskan coast, 73 miles north-east of Nome, at two o’clock on Saturday morning. Amundsen and Commander Ellsworth and two companions reached Nome yesterday. The airship has been deflated at Teller and will be shipped to the United States. On the arrival at Nome one of the party is reported to have stated that no Polar land was discovered. The landing On the arrival of the Amundsen party at Nome, Mr Omdahl said: “No land was discovered, but the Norge acted wonderfully under trying conditions, though it was impossible to reach Nome, and we had to make a forced landing at Teller. The weather was foggy and snowy, and we were very fortunate to sight Teller. Tho Norge landed on the ice at Teller, and the gas was immediately released from the airship, which was practically dismantled. Riiser Larsen, the second in command, was left in charge.” Reception of the news in Norway The news of the Norge’s arrival at Teller spread like wildfire in the capital and throughout the country. The papers immediately published special editions, while the streets were decked with flags and thronged with enthusiastic crowds. There was great excitement in the Storting when the announcement was made, and the government and many corporations have sent their hearty congratulations to the expedition, paying tribute to the great achievement. The Norwegian prime minister has instructed the Norwegian Legations in Washington and Rome to tender congratulations to the American and Italian governments Rejoicing in Rome The news of the arrival in Alaska of the Norge gave rise to delirious demonstrations of joy and relief here after the anxious period of waiting. The streets and public buildings were immediately adorned with flags, and the bell in the Capitol rang for a long time. A crowd assembled in front of the house where Colonel Nobile’s family lives and held an enthusiastic demonstration. Mme Nobile appeared on the balcony and thanked the crowd. A deputation composed of managers and workmen of the aircraft factory then visited Mme Nobile who was weeping with joy, and congratulated her warmly. Editorial: Amundsen 17 May 1926 Amundsen certainly has a way with him. He is the shrewdest and by far the luckiest of Polar explorers. His shrewdness took him successfully to the south pole and back, but his safe return in his seaplanes from the neighbourhood of the north pole last year was due to unprecedented luck, and he showed his recognition of the fact by changing to an airship for this year’s expedition. The venture of the Norge was exposed to the risks of blizzard and intense cold, but, considering the shorter distance, it was probably not more dangerous than that of the R34 when it crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic. After this there will probably be a slump in Poles. Polar exploration derives its interest, apart from contributions to knowledge, from the experiences and sufferings of the exploring parties. The wireless messages sent out by Amundsen suggest that the first half of his journey at least was uneventful and even dull; nothing was seen but pack-ice, and fog sometimes prevented even a good sight of that. There are two points to be cleared up: the next few days should tell us whether Amundsen sighted any land between the north pole and Alaska and what the conditions are like for the airship service “over the top” of which some people dream. But what is Captain Amundsen to do now for adventures? Has he thought of Everest? It is a little out of his usual beat, but a man must have a job. The Norge’s polar flight: gasbag cut by flying ice 18 May 1926 Mr Riisar Larsen, describing the epoch-making voyage of the Norge, said in an interview last night that thin ice and open water had been found at the Pole, but that no land was discovered in the Arctic wastes. The Norge was in the air for 72 hours, and a considerable time was spent at the Pole making observations, for which the airship descended to within 630ft, of the ice. Over Point Barrow occurred an accident which might have led to a disaster. Owing to the intense cold ice formed on the whirling propellers and then suddenly flew off like a stone from a sling, tearing a rent in the gas-bag. The helium within began to escape, and the airship became extremely heavy, but fortunately Teller reached before the loss of gas could become fatal. Open water and rocky islands Commander Lincoln Ellsworth stated to-day that he saw a large quantity of open water at the north pole when the party sailed over there on Tuesday night in the Norge. This statement has provided the answer to the question which has puzzled geographers and explorers for many years past, and which had not been completely settled by the visits of Captain Peary or Lieutenant Byrd because of the limited area which they were able to see. Commander Ellsworth added that he also saw some rock islands, but these could not be considered properly as land. The party dropped an American flag at the Pole, it being the third with the American colours which had been placed there, including those dropped by Captain Peary and Lieutenant Byrd.

Mexico nightclub’s $300 cover charge for US citizens captures popular mood

A Mexico City nightclub has gone viral for charging Americans a nearly $300 cover charge, while citizens from any other country pay just $20 for access, and Mexicans and other Latin Americans pay only $14. The Instagram announcement from the nightclub Japan in the Roma Norte neighborhood has been liked over 26,000 times and received more than 200 comments, mostly supporting the policy as part of a broader revolt in the capital against what many see as a US takeover. “It’s not that ‘we charge gringos more’ it’s that we offer discounts to people that need it,” the club said in its cheeky Instagram post. “The cover charge is $5,000 [pesos]. Citizens of the USA don’t get a discount.” The post goes on to say that citizens from any other country get a 93% discount, Mexicans and Latin Americans get 95% off, and students and teachers get a 97% discount, paying just 150 pesos for access to the nightclub. The club’s owner, Federico Crespo, said the tiered pricing was a reflection of deteriorating Mexico-US relations under Donald Trump. “This is a response to a year of insults directed at us – as a country – by the United States,” he said. “It’s very much a response to the many attacks against Mexico from Trump.” However, Crespo said the cover charge system was also a response to the “gentrification and touristification” of the city. The nightclub’s post is part of a general backlash in Mexico City against what many see as an invasion of Americans and other foreigners in trendy neighborhoods such as Roma and Condesa, driving up prices and displacing locals. Last year, protesters took to the streets in a furious march that at points turned violent, with marchers dressed in black smashing windows of local businesses. Afterwards, the streets were littered with broken glass, the walls covered with furious graffiti: “Get out of Mexico.” While Mexico City has long been a popular spot for American visitors, there was a noticeable increase during the coronavirus pandemic, when many from the US took advantage of “work from home” policies to flock to the Mexican capital where rents were far more affordable. The result of this rise in so-called “digital nomads” has been a proliferation of Airbnbs, soaring rents in desirable neighborhoods and a general shift in the urban environment: in some areas of Mexico City, English is heard as much as Spanish. The trend reflects similar tendencies around the world, in cities such as Barcelona, Genoa and Lisbon which are also popular with digital nomads. Local people complain that new arrivals are taking advantage of cheaper living conditions, often not paying local taxes and eroding their communities. Crespo said the extra money from the cover charges was distributed among workers at Japan. “It’s a way to give that money to the people most affected by this issue: rising rents, the soaring cost of living and the need to commute longer distances to get to work. By giving the workers the money collected from cover charges, we help them out a little bit.”

‘Putin only cares about parades’: fury as Russia rains missiles on Ukraine during 24-hour truce

Kyiv has criticised Russia for attacking several Ukrainian cities overnight with more than 100 combat drones and three missiles, in spite of a unilateral 24-hour ceasefire called by Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s president had announced the truce after the Kremlin said it wanted a ceasefire on Saturday during its annual military parade in Red Square – but he said he would reciprocate if Vladimir Putin broke Ukraine’s ceasefire, which ends at midnight on Wednesday. Instead of pausing operations, Moscow has intensified them, with a series of devastating bombings on busy urban areas. On Tuesday, 28 civilians were killed in bomb and missile strikes in the Donetsk, Poltava and Dnipro regions and dozens were injured. The latest strikes on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia showed that Russia rejected peace, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, said. “This shows fake calls for a ceasefire on May 9th have nothing to do with diplomacy. Putin only cares about military parades, not human lives,” he wrote on social media. Sybiga added: “Such attitude necessitates strong and increased pressure on the Russian regime, including new rounds of sanctions, isolation, accountability for Russian crimes, and enhanced support for Ukraine in all areas.” Moscow’s drone and bomb attacks on Tuesday were the most deadly in Ukraine for weeks. They came at a time when Russia’s advances on the battlefield have practically stopped, with its armed forces losing more territory in April that they gained – for the first time since 2024. The Kremlin has taken widespread measures to protect Saturday’s parade – which celebrates the allies’ victory over Nazi Germany in the second world war – after recent long-range Ukrainian drone strikes on a range of targets. For the first time in nearly 20 years the event will take place without a display of tanks and ballistic missiles. Air defence systems have been transferred to the Russian capital from other areas, and the mobile internet network has been shut down, apparently as a security precaution. It is unclear if Ukraine will seek to disrupt the event, or instead target Russia’s oil infrastructure and military-industrial sites. Moscow’s defence ministry said it downed 53 Ukrainian drones between 21.00 and 07.00 (1800-0400 GMT) – far fewer than in previous days. It did not say whether any of the drones attacked after Kyiv’s unilateral truce was supposed to come into effect at midnight. Talks on ending Europe’s worst conflict since the second world war have shown little progress. Putin has refused to moderate demands first made during his 2022 full-scale invasion, including the handover of swathes of Ukrainian territory and the removal of its pro-western government.