Jackson biopic shows franchise thriving despite abuse claims

US President Donald Trump has feuded with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war -- setting off an unholy row that could have serious political implications for the Republican leader at home.

Trump has drawn barbs even from some allies over the attacks on the US-born pontiff, who has criticized the Trump administration over its immigration crackdown, the intervention in Venezuela and the Iran war. The president risks alienating the religious right in November's crucial US midterm elections.

So far the unprecedented clash between the leader of the most powerful military on Earth and the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics shows no signs of abating.

"There's nothing to apologize for. He's wrong," the 79-year-old Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

In the post on Sunday, Trump called the pontiff "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," suggesting that Leo was elected pope in May 2025 only because he was American and a possible bridge to the Trump administration.

Trump then posted an AI-generated image seemingly depicting himself as a figure like Jesus Christ, which he later deleted. He insisted on Monday that he believed the image showed himself as a doctor.

For his part, Pope Leo told reporters on the papal plane en route to Africa earlier Monday that he has "no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel."

Leo had earlier this month branded Trump's threat to destroy a "whole civilization" in Iran as "truly unacceptable." He has also previously criticized Trump's mass deportation campaign as "inhuman."

Three-times married billionaire Trump has long reached out to America's evangelical Christians with his conservative, nativist vision.

They backed him in his election wins in 2016 and 2024 despite a series of scandals and an ambiguous personal relationship with religion.

But Trump, who has previously hawked $60 Bibles branded with his name, appeared to have had something of an awakening during his second term.

At his inauguration last year he said he had been "saved by God" after a 2024 assassination attempt on the campaign trail and has taken a more explicitly religious tone.

- 'Evil tirade' -

Yet over the recent Easter period, which is sacred to Christians, Trump has made a series of eye-opening posts when it comes to religion.

On the morning of Easter Sunday, as Christians were celebrating around the world, Trump posted a profanity-laced warning to the "crazy bastards" of Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or else -- bizarrely signing off: "Praise be to Allah."

Then, amid what appeared to be increasing frustration after talks with Iran produced no breakthrough, came Sunday's attacks on Pope Leo. 

"I am disheartened that the president chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father," the head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, said in a statement.

At least one prominent Catholic in Trump's administration backed the US president over the pontiff. 

US Vice President JD Vance, a recent convert, told Fox News on Monday, "in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality... and let the President United States stick to dictating American public policy." 

There was no immediate reaction from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic.

Perhaps more worrying for the White House is the ire on the religious right, particularly among former allies.

Any slackening of support for Trump will add to concerns among Republicans that they could lose control of Congress in November's mid-term elections, with the economy already a worry amid high oil prices caused by the Iran war.

"On Orthodox Easter, President Trump attacked the Pope because the Pope is rightly against Trump’s war in Iran and then he posted this picture of himself as if he is replacing Jesus," one time ally and former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene said.

"This comes after last week's post of his evil tirade on Easter and then threatening to kill an entire civilization. I completely denounce this and I’m praying against it!!!"

Conservative commentator Riley Gaines also railed against the apparent Jesus image. 

"Seriously, I cannot understand why he'd post this," Gaines said on X, urging Trump to show humility and adding: "God shall not be mocked."

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NEW YORK -- Flau'jae Johnson became the third player in a row for LSU to be selected in the first round of the WNBA draft.

But as is the case sometimes in the NBA, that's not the team she's going to play for.

Within a matter of minutes of being selected eighth overall by the Golden State Valkyries, Johnson's draft rights were traded to the Seattle Storm.

Golden State receives Marta Suarez out of TCU, who was the number 16 overall pick.

They also receive Seattle's 2028 second round pick.

Johnson becomes the 25th player in LSU women's basketball history be selected in the WNBA draft.

Seattle also selected Spain's Awa Fam Thiam third overall in the 2026 draft.

Peruvians waited Monday to see who will face conservative Keiko Fujimori in a presidential runoff, after a chaotic first round of voting that sparked criminal proceedings against top election officials. 

With more than half the votes counted, Fujimori -- the daughter of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori -- led with about 17 percent of the vote, according to electoral authorities. 

The battle for second and a place in a June runoff was on a knife-edge, with millions of votes still to be tallied and the count advancing painfully slowly. 

The full results may not be known for days.

Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a wealthy former Lima mayor who has vowed to "hunt" down migrants, was on 14 percent of the vote. His hardline policies and blunt style have sparked comparisons to US President Donald Trump. 

At least two other candidates joined him in a statistical tie for second place including leftist Roberto Sanchez, a 57-year-old former trade minister.

On Monday he said he was ready "to begin the refounding of the country" and that meant "a new constitution."

- Irregularities -

Sunday's vote saw a series of logistical foul-ups in delivering election materials that caused polling centers to open hours late, while some remained shuttered all day. 

Some 13 polling places in Lima were exceptionally ordered to open on Monday so that tens of thousands of voters could make their voice heard. 

"The authorities are so incompetent," said Nancy Gomez, a 56‑year‑old domestic worker who queued for hours at a polling station in the capital on Monday. 

Police raided the headquarters of the National Office of Electoral Processes and later detained an election official over the delays. 

Authorities said they also raided a private contractor blamed for failing to deliver election materials on time. 

The Public Prosecutor's Office on Monday filed a criminal complaint accusing several senior election officials of obstructing the electoral process and voters' rights. 

The complaint seeks the opening of a formal criminal investigation. 

Among those named are election chief Piero Corvetto and several senior managers responsible for logistics and electoral technology. 

Lopez Aliaga initially alleged "grave electoral fraud" and urged supporters to protest outside election offices.

Those claims eased as partial results placed him among the leading contenders for second place. Corvetto earlier acknowledged a "logistical problem" but rejected any suggestion of fraud. 

"There is full assurance that the results will faithfully reflect the popular will," he said. 

The disorder overshadowed a vote many Peruvians had hoped would bring stability after years of political turmoil. 

Peru has had eight presidents in a decade, alongside a sharp rise in violent crime.

- Father's shadow -

On the eve of Sunday's election, Fujimori told AFP she would "restore order" in her first 100 days if elected. 

She has pledged to deploy the military to prisons, strengthen borders, and deport undocumented migrants. 

The daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, she has leaned into nostalgia for her father's strongman rule, despite his conviction for corruption and crimes against humanity. 

He died in 2024 after serving 16 years in prison. 

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Dad rocker Phil Collins and reformed Britpop princes Oasis led the 2026 class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who were announced on live US television on Monday.

Billy Idol, chanteuse Sade, metal legends Iron Maiden and Manchester outfits Joy Division and New Order were also honored, along with hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan and velvet-voiced crooner Luther Vandross.

The announcements of the honorees came in a live episode of the "American Idol" competition, helmed by rockers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. 

"Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music's highest honor," said the organization's chairman John Sykes.

"We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year's ceremony -– it's going to be an unforgettable night."

The induction ceremony -- which doubles as a star-studded concert gala rife with tributes to the honorees -- will be held November 14 in Los Angeles.

Eligible nominees into the Rock Hall must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to being nominated.

Phil Collins, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan are first-time nominees. Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division, New Order, Oasis, and Sade have all been nominated in the past, but were not selected for induction.

The 2025 class of inductees included Outkast, White Stripes and Cyndi Lauper.

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Australia will boost spending on drones by up to Au$5 billion ($3.6 billion) in response to shifts in warfare seen in the Middle East, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Tuesday.

Australia's vast coastline and small population have spurred a focus on developing large autonomous submarines and fighter jets, dubbed the Ghost Shark and Ghost Bat.

The use of cheaper drones mass produced by Iran in the Middle East and Ukraine conflicts has prompted the decision to also boost spending on smaller drones and counter-drone systems, Marles said in an ABC radio interview.

"We look at what's happening in the Middle East right now -- you need counter-drone technology as well," he said.

Australia will spend Au$12 billion to Au$15 billion over the next decade on autonomous capabilities, Marles said ahead of an update to the national defence strategy to be released Thursday.

"Clearly, autonomous systems now are really central to how contest happens, how war happens," he said.

Australia needed the full spectrum of drone capabilities for its defence because of its geography, Marles said.

"What you get at the smaller end is mass -- you know, lots of units -- and that's what we are seeing play out in Ukraine," he added.

Wary of China's navy build-up, US ally Australia has reshaped its defence force in recent years to focus on its missile strike capability and deterring an adversary from its northern approaches.

Its AUKUS defence partnership with the United States and Britain aims to transfer nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia next decade.

Germany said last month it is considering Boeing's Australian-developed Ghost Bat, designed to fly alongside a fighter jet and return to base, as it modernises its air force.

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The Geneva watch fair opens on Tuesday and will be taken as a barometer of how the Middle East war is affecting the luxury goods sector.

The Watches and Wonders salon -- the industry's biggest annual event -- sees 65 major watch brands, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier and Bulgari, display their latest creations until April 20.

Despite uncertainties surrounding travel from the Middle East and Asia, organisers are expecting around 60,000 visitors during the week, compared to 55,000 last year.

"The war is going to be a big talking point," said Jon Cox, an industry analyst with Kepler Cheuvreux financial services.

Before the conflict erupted on February 28 with the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Cox was forecasting a rebound in Swiss watch exports in 2026, expecting "mid-single-digit growth" of around five percent, he told AFP.

But the uncertainties triggered by the conflict are now likely to leave the Swiss watch industry facing "weak growth" in exports, he said.

Jean-Philippe Bertschy, an analyst at Swiss investment managers Vontobel, was forecasting four-percent growth at the start of the year, but is now leaning "more towards stagnation", adding that he would revise his estimates for 2026 after gauging the mood at Watches and Wonders.

The Middle East accounts for just under 10 percent of the watch market.

That "is not insignificant", Bertschy told AFP, especially since the region has witnessed "strong growth in recent years", with particular enthusiasm for complex watches at the top end of the industry.

But the war's impact on consumer spending and tourism remains unclear.

It is "extremely difficult" to make forecasts in the current climate, Bertschy said, adding that the watch fair was a way to "take the temperature" of the sector.

- Attracting younger buyers -

With the demise of the Baselworld salon following the Covid-19 pandemic, Watches and Wonders in Geneva has established itself as the pinnacle showcase for watchmaking in Switzerland.

Within less than five years, the number of exhibitors has almost doubled, organisers said, with the 2026 edition welcoming 11 new brands, including Audemars Piguet, one of the most sought-after among collectors. 

Once reserved exclusively for industry professionals, the Geneva salon has gradually opened its doors to the public, turning into a platform for showcasing watchmaking expertise.

While the first four days are for the industry only, the weekend and Monday are open to the public, with organisers seeking to seduce a new generation of younger buyers.

Organisers noted that a quarter of tickets last year were sold to under-25s.

Watchmaking is Switzerland's third-largest export sector, after pharmaceuticals and industry.

In 2025, the sector's workforce in Switzerland shrank for the first time since the Covid crisis, falling by 1.3 percent to 64,807 people, according to the Swiss Watch Industry Employers' Association.

The sector had suffered a blow during the pandemic, but bounced back quickly afterwards, breaking records for three consecutive years thanks to so-called "revenge purchases", with some consumers using the savings made during lockdowns to stock up on luxury watches.

But with a drop in demand in China, followed by the US tariffs blitz, the last two years have been tough for the sector.

Swiss watch exports first fell by 2.8 percent in 2024 and then by 1.7 percent in 2025, to 25.6 billion Swiss francs ($32.5 billion).

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From his small shop in Beirut, facing a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, Qassem Saad said he was exhausted by repeated Israeli wars on Lebanon, and hoped negotiations could end decades of suffering.

"We know that Israel will remain an enemy to us, but we are tired," 49-year-old Saad, who suffered a minor injury in the strike, told AFP.

A meeting is scheduled to be held Tuesday in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors there to discuss the possibility of direct negotiations between the two countries, which have technically been at war for decades.

Lebanese authorities have stressed that Beirut first wants to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, but Israel has dismissed that prospect for the time being, insisting on the Iran-backed group's disarmament and saying it prefers instead to focus on formal peace talks with Lebanon itself. 

"What matters to us is to reach a stage where we can raise our children and live in peace. If there is a comprehensive solution for peace, we are for it, on the condition that no one encroaches on the other," Saad said.

"If Israel withdraws from all of the south... hands over our prisoners, gives us our rights and guarantees no more attacks... I am certainly in favour of the negotiations."

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, for his part, has already rejected the talks out of hand, demanding the meeting be cancelled and vowing to fight "until our last breath".

- 'We want rest' -

In the working-class Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood, one of several Beirut districts Israel bombed Wednesday in a nationwide wave of strikes that killed more than 350 people, residents like Saad are trying to gather what they can from the rubble of their homes and businesses.

Kamal Ayad, 49, paused to rest under a building where he was working to repair the damage as people cleared away debris.

"We are in favour of (negotiations) if they serve Lebanon's interest, if they will resolve matters, end the war, and let us live in peace," he said.

"We want peace... and we hope Iran won't obstruct it," he added. "We are extremely tired... We have lived through many wars and we want rest." 

Lebanon is launching talks with Israel days after the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end the broader Middle East war. The two sides have declared a two-week truce that Iran and mediator Pakistan insist includes Lebanon, but which Israel and Washington have said does not.

Beirut says 2,089 people have been killed, including 166 children and 88 healthcare workers, since the war spread to Lebanon on March 2.

Mohammad Al-Khatib, 57, owns an electronics company next to the site of the airstrike in Corniche al-Mazraa, where the smell of smoke still dominated and buildings were blackened with soot. He said he did not believe Israel would honour any agreement.

"You don't hold negotiations under bombardment, shelling and humiliation. Where is the justice?" he told AFP.

"They (the Israelis) have never stuck to peace in their lives. Their ambition is expansion and control over Lebanon... throughout its history Israel hasn't been credible." 

- 'Internal wars' -

For many Lebanese, negotiations with Israel -- officially classed as an enemy state -- have long been taboo, but Tuesday's meeting is not the first attempt. 

In December, Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades, as part of a mechanism to monitor a 2024 ceasefire that sought to end an earlier round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. 

After Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the two countries held negotiations that resulted in an agreement to end the war between them, but it was subsequently annulled.

"There has to be a solution between the US and Iran" -- the main backers of Israel and Hezbollah, respectively -- "otherwise negotiations are useless," said Joe Ghafari, 61, in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district.

"The decision isn't in our hands. If it were, I would support negotiations." 

Ghafari said he feared renewed internal conflict in a country that went through a bloody civil war between 1975 and 1990.

Hezbollah supporters marched on Saturday to voice their disapproval of the negotiations, before the party and its ally the Amal Movement urged their partisans to refrain from demonstrating in the name of civil peace.

"How can we make peace with Israel if part (of the population) doesn't want it?" Ghafari asked.

"If these negotiations advance while the other side does not want them, there will of course be internal conflict.

"And Lebanon cannot bear internal wars."

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Diego Maradona would be happy, his fans say. 

The childhood home of the late Argentine football legend has been transformed into a soup kitchen for people squeezed by President Javier Milei's austerity policies.

The needy can also ask for clothing at 523 Amazor street in the Buenos Aires suburb of Fiorito, where the player dubbed Argentina's "Golden Boy" grew up in grinding poverty.

In this neighborhood of around 50,000 people living in modest brick homes, dozens of murals depict key moments in the career of the illustrious number 10, who died in 2020 at the age of 60.

On Tuesday, a new trial for criminal negligence will begin of the seven-strong medical team that was caring for Maradona in his final days, as he was recovering from brain surgery.

In Fiorito, neighbors come and go to "Diego's house," as they call it, lugging containers which volunteers fill with chicken stew or other meals cooked in giant cauldrons in the yard.

Cumbia music -- Maradona's favorite genre -- blares from speakers.

If he were alive "Diego would say there is a lot of hunger and we have to help, because the need is so great," Diego Gavilan, one of the kitchen's beneficiaries, told AFP. 

- 'Can't make ends meet' -

Gavilan collects cardboard and scrap metal for a living but it no longer puts food on the table.

He started coming to the soup kitchen after Milei was elected in December 2023 and embarked on a radical free-market agenda of deregulation and steep cuts to public spending.

"You can’t make ends meet," Gavilan said.

Although statistics show a decrease in poverty under Milei, mainly due to a sharp drop in inflation, family finances are in crisis, according to Central Bank reports. 

A surge in imports and a collapse in consumption have resulted in the closure of over 20,000 businesses, according to official reports. 

Gavilan said he was glad to accept help from Maradona's old home.

"He suffered so much hunger here as a child. For the people of the neighborhood to receive a plate of food is special," he said.

- Full stomachs -

There are no tables or chairs for diners at this establishment.

The food prepared by volunteers over open fires in the yard is handed out in bags to people queueing at the door.

Maradona often spoke of his humble beginnings in a community that lacked running water and paved streets.

Sixty-six years after his birth, hardship is etched in the faces of those queueing for food.

"People are going hungry," Maria Torres, one of the center's cooks, told AFP, adding she was convinced Maradona would be very happy at the sight of his old home being used for a charitable cause.

Father Leonardo Torres is one of the driving forces behind the soup kitchen.

He recalls Maradona recounting how his mother, Dalma "Tota" Franco, would go without food so he could eat his fill.

"Diego said that his mother would pretend her stomach hurt so he could eat," he said.

"We want many 'Totas' and many 'Diegos' to leave here with a full stomach," he added.

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A new trial over the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona begins Tuesday a year after a scandal involving a judge caused the first trial to collapse.

Maradona, considered one of the world's greatest players ever, died in November 2020 at the age of 60 while recovering from brain surgery at a private residence.

He died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema -- a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs -- two weeks after going under the knife.

His seven-person medical team were indicted over the conditions of his convalescence in the northern Buenos Aires suburb of Tigre, described by prosecutors as grossly negligent.

But two and a half months into their trial, after hours of sometimes tearful testimony from witnesses, including Maradona's children, the proceedings came to a halt.

The trial was annulled in May 2025 after it emerged that one of the judges overseeing the trial was involved in a documentary about the case, potentially breaking ethics rules.

The judge, Julieta Makintach, was later impeached.

The new trial, which will hear from some 120 witnesses, will again seek to determine if Maradona's medical team is responsible for his death.

Seven health care professionals —- doctors, psychologists, and nurses -- who were treating him at the time of his death are accused of homicide with possible intent -- pursuing a course of action despite knowing it could lead to death.

They risk prison terms of between eight and 25 years if convicted.

The defense maintains the larger-than-life Maradona, who battled cocaine and alcohol addictions, died of natural causes. 

"If there's one thing that has been ruled out, it's a malicious criminal plan to kill Maradona. Anyone who continues to maintain that is cruel to the family and the accused," Vadim Mischanchuk, lawyer for psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, told Radio Con Vos on Sunday. 

News of the death of the 1986 World Cup champion brought hundreds of thousands of Argentines onto the streets in mourning in the midst of the Covid pandemic.

The trial is expected to last until July. 

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Iran slammed a US blockade around its ports on Monday as a "grave violation" of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran's belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce.

"The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iran's ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a letter seen by AFP.

The "unlawful" blockade also "constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea," Iravani added.

US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Gulf Sunday, following the failure of peace talks over the weekend, warning that any Iranian attack boats that challenged the blockade would be destroyed.

The blockade came into force at 1400 GMT Monday, despite the United States and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire days earlier, with mediator Pakistan and Gulf state Qatar continuing calls for it to be respected as diplomatic efforts continue.

Guterres on Monday called on "all parties" to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and subsequently the United States blocked passage through the critical waterway.

The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flows, has become a key flashpoint as the US and Iran attempt to gain leverage over each other during ceasefire negotiations.

Iravani said the "unlawful" blockade "poses a grave threat to international peace and security and obviously exacerbates the risk of escalation in an already highly volatile region."

In a second letter, the UN envoy called on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases to "cease their internationally wrongful acts."

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan should pay "compensation for all material and moral damage sustained," he said.

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