'Project Hail Mary' rockets to top of N. America box office

Lionel Messi scored his 901st career goal and Inter Miami delivered New York City's first loss of the Major League Soccer season on Sunday with a 3-2 triumph.

Argentine superstar Messi netted the equalizer off a free kick in the 61st minute and Brazilian defender Micael headed home the game winner in the 74th.

Visiting Miami was still smarting after being ousted from the CONCACAF Champions Cup following a draw with Nashville on Wednesday, the same night Messi scored the 900th goal of his legendary career.

Argentine defender Gonzalo Lujan opened the scoring for Inter Miami in the fourth minute on a right-foot shot into the lower right corner.

Nicolas Fernandez answered for NYCFC in the 17th minute off a free kick, smashing a left-foot blast into the upper left corner.

Messi had his chances in the first half, missing right in the 27th minute on a fast break and being denied in the 36th minute by New York goalkeeper Matt Freese.

A Messi blast struck the crossbar in the 42nd minute and he was off target left from the heart of the box in the 44th.

New York's Agustín Ojeda took a through ball from Maxi Moralez and fired a shot into the bottom right corner to put the hosts ahead in the 59th minute.

Messi, however, lifted Miami level by smashing in a left-footed free kick goal. Messi was fouled by New York's Aiden O'Neill to set up the blast.

Inter Miami got the decider 13 minutes later on Micael's header from the right side of the box into the lower left corner off a crossing pass from Noah Allen.

Miami improved to 3-1-1 while City fell to 3-1.

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell and Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie were each suspended for one game by the NBA on Sunday for fighting to spark an in-game melee.

Their scuffle came with 27 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Oklahoma City's 132-111 victory at Washington on Saturday.

It led to teammates from both sides rushing to help in an altercation that spread into the seating area behind a basket before cooler heads prevailed.

Both players were ejected as were Oklahoma City forward Jaylin Williams and Thunder guard Cason Wallace for escalating the incident.

Williams was fined $50,000 while Wallace and Wizards forward Anthony Gill were each fined $35,000 by the league for their roles in the melee.

Mitchell, a 23-year-old Belgian, will serve his ban on Monday when the Thunder visit the Philadelphia 76ers.

American Champagnie's suspension will be served Sunday when the Wizards visit the New York Knicks.

The reigning champion Thunder, on an 11-game win streak, own the NBA's best record at 56-15 while the Wizards, on a 15-game losing skid, are 16-54 with the league's second-worst record.

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Amazon MGM's sci-fi adventure flick "Project Hail Mary" debuted at the top of the North American box office this week with an astronomical $80.5 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Ryan Gosling stars in the film as a teacher-turned-astronaut who awakes on a spaceship with a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming phenomenon.

It is adapted from a novel by Andy Weir, the author behind 2015 hit "The Martian" starring Matt Damon.

"Weir wrote the story as a standalone, but the weekend figure is more than double the average for a series launch -- that's how strong this is," analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said.

Directed by filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the movie marks "Amazon MGM's first big hit" since the retail giant acquired the storied studio in 2021, Gross noted.

Falling to second place after two weeks on top was animated hit "Hoppers," with $18 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

The latest original film from Disney's Pixar tells the story of a young animal lover who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife.

It has now taken in $242 million globally, according to Exhibitor Relations.

Third place went to Hindi-language spy thriller "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" with $9.6 million.

"Depending on where the final figure comes in on Monday, this is a record-breaking opening for a Bollywood film in the US," said Gross, potentially besting 2022 hit "RRR."

Released just three months after the original aired in North America, "Dhurandhar" continues the story of an Indian spy infiltrating Pakistani crime syndicates and politics, seeking to dismantle a terror network.

Considered political propaganda by some of India's neighbors, it has been notably banned in Pakistan.

With $9.1 million, fourth place went to Searchlight's "Ready or Not 2," a follow-up to the 2019 original comedy horror in which a bride must survive a deadly game of hide-and-seek with her new in-laws.

Australia's Samara Weaving reprises her starring role in the sequel, which sees her forced once again to run a gauntlet, this time against multiple families.

"This is a solid opening for the 2nd episode of a low-budget horror comedy series," Gross said. "This opening is up over the first picture, and that's rare."

Fifth place went to Universal's romance film "Reminders of Him," with $8 million.

It is the latest adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover and stars Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers.

Rounding out the top ten:

"Scream 7" ($4.3 million)

"GOAT" ($3.5 million)

"Undertone" ($3.0 million)

"The Pout-Pout Fish" ($1.3 million)

"Wuthering Heights" ($475,000)

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Hundreds of Syrians protested in central Damascus on Sunday against new restrictions on alcohol sales, reflecting wider fears that the Islamist authorities may tighten curbs on personal freedoms. 

The Syrian capital last week banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars, only allowing stores in three Christian neighbourhoods to sell bottles for retail.

In one of the areas, Bab Tuma, demonstrators gathered in a silent protest following calls by civil society groups to condemn a move they said deepened sectarian divisions, with attendees holding posters that read "Personal freedom is a red line".

Security forces monitored the gathering, according to an AFP team on the ground.

Rami Koussa, a 37-year-old television writer, wondered if "the purpose of these decrees is to test the waters in order to pass similar decisions to restrict public freedoms and change the identity of the city".

"This type of decision will not stand," he added.

For university professor Hanan Assi, Syrians have "thousands of forgotten issues, from poverty to the displaced, the homeless, and refugees" that should be prioritised instead. 

The restriction follows a series of similar decisions, like the nationwide imposition of "modest" swimwear on public beaches and the banning of makeup for public sector workers in Latakia. 

The moves have fuelled fears of creeping social conservatism since the Islamist authorities took over after the 2024 fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

- 'Drunk with love' -

To comedian Malke Mardinali, these decisions "are bringing people together in the squares", uniting them in their opposition.

Mirella Abu Shanab, a 37-year-old activist, said she believed the decree was "cutting off people's livelihoods and dividing Damascus" along religious lines.

"This is a matter of personal freedom. Whoever wants to drink can drink, and whoever doesn't want to, doesn't have to."

Damascus city had justified its decision by citing complaints, saying it was "at the request of the local community, and with the aim of eliminating practices that violate public morals".

In a statement on Saturday, it said it was maintaining its decision, which does not apply to hotels, and would study an exemption for "touristic" restaurants.

The new Islamist Syrian government has pledged to protect minorities, including Christians, but the country has been shaken by several instances of sectarian violence since its takeover.

In an implicit criticism of the decree, Social Affairs and Labour Minister Hind Qabawat, the only Christian minister in Syria's cabinet, said this week on Facebook that Christian districts "are not places for drinks and alcohol, but instead are the heart of Damascus and its glorious history, and a place of coexistence". 

"We were never drunkards, but we are drunk with love for Syria," she added.

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Israel struck more targets in south Lebanon on Sunday, including a key bridge, triggering a warning from the Lebanese president that it could be preparing a full ground invasion.

Israel's military was ordered to destroy bridges it said are used by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to cross the Litani River, and Lebanese official media reported Israeli raids in several areas of the south.

An AFP correspondent saw smoke billowing from a bridge that was hit outside the city of Tyre.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned the attacks "represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion."

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli-US strike.

Israel has sent troops into Lebanon and carried out extensive airstrikes, while Hezbollah has launched rocket barrages.

Israel's military said Sunday it it began "a wide wave of strikes" against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), three strikes on the bridge near Tyre "caused extensive damage, rendering it unusable". It later reported a fourth strike.

Aoun "condemned Israel's targeting and destruction of infrastructure and vital facilities in southern Lebanon, particularly the Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River and other bridges".

"Targeting bridges over the Litani River... is an attempt to sever the geographical link between the area south of the Litani and the rest of Lebanon's territory," Aoun added.

The NNA also reported that Israeli forces were "blowing up a number of houses in the town of Taybeh" near the border with Israel.

Earlier Sunday, Israel said rocket fire from Lebanon killed a civilian, but later announced it was investigating whether "the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers".

- Bridges -

Two Israeli soldiers had previously been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the military.

Lebanon's health ministry said four people were killed on Sunday in two strikes in the south, while authorities have reported 1,029 dead in three weeks of conflict and more than one million displaced.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of attacks mainly against Israeli troops in northern Israel and in southern Lebanon, where Israeli soldiers have been carrying out ground incursions.

The group said it targeted troops in Naqura, near the western side of the border with Israel, as the NNA reported "Israeli incursions" and heavy bombing of the area.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military "to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south".

The Litani River runs around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.

Earlier this week, Israel attacked two bridges spanning the Litani, also alleging they were being used by Hezbollah.

- 'Commander' killed -

Katz said the military was also instructed to "accelerate the demolition of Lebanese houses in the contact villages in order to thwart threats to Israeli communities".

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency also reported at least one strike on the Bekaa Valley in the country's east.

Hezbollah said its fighters repeatedly targeted Israeli soldiers and vehicles in or near the border town of Taybeh, as well as in or near the strategic town of Khiam, where the group has repeatedly said it has targeted Israeli forces in recent days.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces in Khiam and in the coastal town of Naqura.

The group also claimed attacks on northern Israel on Saturday, including targeting an air defence system in Maalot-Tarshiha, where Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 reported three people were lightly wounded.

The Israeli military said it killed a fighter on Saturday who was the "commander of the special forces in Hezbollah's Radwan Force", referring to the group's elite unit.

Israel has warned residents of swathes of south Lebanon to evacuate and has said it wants to create a buffer zone in Lebanon to protect residents of northern Israel.

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Torrential storms that have triggered flash floods in Kenya have killed at least 81 people this month, authorities said Sunday, as rain continued to pound much of the country.

"The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81," national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement.

"Additionally, flash floods have swept through several areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and property."

The capital Nairobi is the hardest-hit region, with 37 people killed, he said.

On Friday night, authorities called on residents to evacuate several slum neighbourhoods downstream from the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent risk of flooding as rising water levels threatened to breach the dam embankment, according to local media.

The dam has held so far.

Two people drowned overnight in floods in the town of Kiambu, just outside the capital, police told AFP.

Two also died as landslides hit the western village of Kasaka, burying numerous homes, reported private broadcaster Citizen TV.

The rain is forecast to continue until Tuesday.

Authorities called for "extreme caution".

The March rains have repeatedly turned Nairobi streets to raging rivers, flooding thousands of homes and businesses.

Critics have called for the resignation of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who had vowed to improve the capital's drainage and road infrastructure when he took office in 2022.

Scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the probability, length and severity of extreme weather events.

Studies indicate east Africa has been hit by more extreme rains and droughts over the past two decades.

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Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war:

- Long war would hurt -

If the war drags out more than six months, "all the economies of the world will be damaged", said the head of French oil giant TotalEnergies.

"If this conflict lasts three, four months, we can swallow it" thanks to existing oil inventories, CEO Patrick Pouyanne said in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CGTN.

But with Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz blocking the usual route for around 20 percent of global oil production, a longer war would cause "real impacts", he warned.

- Iran threatens Hormuz - 

Iran's military threatened to completely shut the Strait of Hormuz if US President Donald Trump acts on his threats to target the country's power plants.

The statement came after Trump on Saturday gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to open the strait, warning the United States would "obliterate" Iranian power plants otherwise.

"The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed, and it will not be reopened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt," the Iranian military's operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya said in a statement on state television.

- N. Macedonia cuts fuel tax -

North Macedonia has cut the value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel from 18 percent to 10, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told journalists after a government session to tackle surging prices fuelled by the war.

- Sri Lanka hikes fuel prices -

Sri Lanka raised petrol and diesel prices by more than 25 percent, the second increase in two weeks, as it prepared for more impact from the war.

- Vietnam, Russia to sign energy deal -

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh left for an official visit to Russia during which the two nations will sign several agreements, including on oil and gas cooperation, Hanoi said.

The trip, scheduled from Sunday to Wednesday, comes as Vietnam seeks to shore up its fuel reserves amid the global supply disruptions caused by the war.

- G7 slams Iran attacks -

Top envoys for the Group of Seven advanced economies and the European Union on Saturday urged an "immediate and unconditional" end to Iran's attacks against allies in the Middle East.

"We call for the immediate and unconditional cessation of all attacks by the Iranian regime," the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the EU foreign policy chief said in a joint statement.

- EU urges gas-storage target cut -

The European Commission on Saturday urged European Union members to lower their target for filling natural gas storage in the coming months, to alleviate price pressures caused by the war.

EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen sent a letter asking countries to "consider reducing your filling target to 80 percent as early as possible in the filling season to provide certainty and reassurance to market participants", down from the usual 90-percent goal.

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The United States may need to "escalate" its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, after President Donald Trump gave seemingly contradictory trajectories for the US military campaign.

Trump on Saturday threatened to "obliterate" Iranian energy plants if Tehran did not fully open the pivotal Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying US objectives were "very close" and that he was considering "winding down" the war.

Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if Trump was winding down or escalating the war, Bessent said: "They're not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate."

"This is the only language the Iranians understand," he argued.

Iran's threats against shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global gas and oil supplies flows, have caused energy prices to soar around the world.

Bessent, as part of efforts to abate market turmoil, has temporarily lifted US sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil that had already been loaded onto ships.

But the move has produced some backlash, with critics saying it will provide funding to Iran at the same time that the US-Israeli conflict is ongoing.

Asked on NBC about the contradiction, Bessent defended the move as helping alleviate pressure on US partners and lower the price Iran can receive for its oil.

"That Iranian oil was always going to be sold to the Chinese. It was going to be sold at a discount... So which is better? If oil prices spiked to $150 and they (Iran) were getting 70 percent of that, or oil prices below 100?"

The spike in crude prices has also seen costs at the pump across the United States quickly rise, creating potential political risks for the president just months before the midterm elections.

Bessent on Sunday refused to put a timeline on when Americans should expect prices to moderate, while arguing that the electorate will agree that removing Iran's nuclear threat will be worth the temporary costs.

"I don't know whether it's going to be 30 days. I don't know whether it's going to be 50 days. I don't know whether it's going to be 100 days," he said.

"But to have 50 years of peace in the Middle East and know that the Iranian regime is defanged," will be worth it.

Meanwhile, the exiled son of Iran's last shah Reza Pahlavi called on Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from targeting Iran's civilian infrastructure, because it "belongs to the Iranian people and to the future of a free Iran."

"Iran must be protected. The regime must be dismantled," US-based Pahlavi, who wields influence among the diaspora but holds no official position, said in a post on X Sunday.

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Thousands of Georgians attended the funeral of influential Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II on Sunday, as some expressed fears his successor could strengthen Russian influence over the Caucasus country.

Ilia II died on Tuesday aged 93 after nearly half a century at the helm of one of the country's most powerful institutions. He consistently topped opinion polls as the Black Sea nation's most trusted leader.

His death removes a towering figure in the Caucasus country, where the church remains highly influential, and has sparked speculation that a Russia-linked candidate could replace him.

Thousands gathered outside Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral, where Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople led the funeral service, an AFP correspondent saw.

Mourners -- many holding gonfalons and Georgia's red-and-white flags -- then joined a kilometres-long procession to Sioni Cathedral, where the Patriarch was buried before the altar alongside several of his predecessors.

Bishops have up to two months to elect a new Patriarch. Until then, the church will be led by the incumbent of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Shio Mujiri.

- 'Unspoken struggle' -

Educated in Russia, Mujiri -- believed to have close ties to Georgia's ruling party and its oligarch leader Bidzina Ivanishvili -- is seen as a potential successor to Ilia II.

The party is widely accused of derailing Georgia's path to European Union membership and tilting towards Russia's orbit -- an allegation it rejects -- and many fear Mujiri's election could further strengthen Russian influence in Georgia.

"Metropolitan Mujiri has close ties to both the Russian Church and Georgia's ruling party," church expert Levan Sutidze told AFP.

"Some bishops have indicated that his instalment as 'locum tenens' of the patriarchal throne took place under suspicious circumstances," he added.

"It is natural to expect an increase in Russian influence if he is elected as the new patriarch."

Prominent writer Lasha Bugadze said: "This is not only the burial of Georgia's Patriarch -- before our eyes, an unspoken struggle is unfolding over whether Ivanishvili and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's Russia will bring the entire Georgian Church under their control."

Despite the absence of diplomatic ties between Georgia and Russia, the Russian foreign ministry said that President Vladimir Putin's special representative, Mikhail Shvydkoy, attended the funeral and conveyed the Russian leader's "condolences to Georgian clergy and the people."

This marked the first visit by a Russian official to Tbilisi in nearly two decades.

- 'Builder of unity' -

"In sending my heartfelt condolences I assure Your Eminence, the Holy Synod, and the entire Orthodox Church of Georgia of my fraternal solidarity in your grief," Pope Leo XIV said in a letter to Mujiri, describing Ilia II as the "voice of reconciliation" and "tireless builder of unity."

In his letter of condolence, Britain's King Charles III expressed "deep sorrow" over Ilia II's passing.

"His work was characterized by wisdom and high moral authority, earning him great respect both in Georgia and abroad."

One of the world's longest-serving religious leaders, Ilia II was enthroned as the 141st primate of the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church in 1977.

Born Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili in 1933, he rose through the Soviet-era church hierarchy and became a central moral authority during Georgia's independence movement.

Ilia II played a stabilising role in times of political crisis, often mediating between rival factions.

Under his leadership, the church expanded its influence in Georgian politics and public life, while maintaining close ties with the state.

Critics, however, accuse the church of muted responses to government crackdowns on opponents and civil society, support for conservative legislation, and reluctance to challenge the ruling Georgian Dream government over what they call an erosion of democratic practices.

One of the world's 14 self-governed Orthodox churches, the Georgian church traces its origins to the early fourth century, when Christianity became the state religion of the ancient Georgian kingdom of Iberia.

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Cuban authorities scrambled Sunday to restore power to the island after the second nationwide blackout in less than a week, as the grid struggles due to an aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade.

Some parts of Havana began to have electricity again, a day after the energy ministry reported a "total disconnection" of the national electric system in the country of nearly 10 million people.

The outage comes as Cuba's communist government has faced growing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who imposed the de facto oil blockade in January and mused this week about "taking" the Caribbean island.

A top Cuban diplomat said the country's military was "preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression."

"We truly hope that it doesn't occur," Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview taped before the blackout and aired Sunday.

He said Havana was willing to talk with the United States but discussing changes to its political system was off the table.

"Cuba has no quarrel with the United States. We do have the need and the right to protect ourself. But we are willing to sit down," Fernandez de Cossio said.

- 'Restless night' -

There have been seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, making life more difficult for Cubans who fear food will spoil in refrigerators, among other problems in a country in economic crisis.

"The truth is, it gets harder every day to live with this situation," Alina Quinones, a 48-year-old nurse, told AFP as she headed to the Havana hospital where she works after barely sleeping.

She had no power, internet or phone connection, making it impossible to reach relatives in Matanzas, a city east of the capital.

"Imagine, without sleep, my child was restless all night," Quinones said.

Francisco Gonzalez, a 79-year-old retiree, also said he had a sleepless night in the dark, "sitting in an armchair at home, waiting for the power to come back on."

The outages, as well as regular shortages of food, medicine and other basics, are fueling public frustration with people banging pots at night as a form of protest.

In a rare moment of violence, demonstrators vandalized a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party last weekend.

The breakdowns have intensified since Cuba's main regional ally and oil supplier, Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, was captured in a US military operation in January.

Trump subsequently threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.

No oil has arrived since January 9, hitting the power sector while public transport has dwindled and airlines curtailed flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector.

- 'Very severe' -

The latest blackout was due to an outage in a generating unit at one of the country's eight thermoelectric plants, triggering a domino effect in the system, according to authorities.

A gas power station near Havana and another in the beach resort of Varadero were generating power again on Sunday, as well as a hydroelectric plant in central Cuba, energy and mining minister Vicente de la O Levy said on X. A unit of a thermoelectric plant was also back online.

Havana's electricity company said on social media that more than 157,000 customers, or 18 percent of the capital, had power on Sunday morning.

The new blackout occurred as an international aid convoy began to arrive in Cuba this week, bringing sorely-needed medical supplies, food, water and solar panels to the Caribbean island.

But getting oil to power its decades-old thermoelectric plant is becoming increasingly urgent.

"It is very severe. And we are acting as proactively as we can to cope with the situation," Fernandez de Cossio told NBC.

"We do hope that fuel will reach Cuba one way or the other and that this boycott that the United States has been imposing does not last and cannot be sustained forever," he said.

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