World

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis spent a quiet night in the hospital, said the Vatican Monday, a day after the 88-year-old pontiff thanked doctors for his care during the more than three weeks that he has been hospitalised.

The leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics has shown slight signs of improvement in recent days, appearing to respond well to his treatment for pneumonia, the Vatican said at the weekend. 

"The Pope spent a quiet night, he is resting," the Vatican said in a morning bulletin Monday.

On Sunday, the Argentine pope missed delivering the traditional Angelus prayer in person following mass at St. Peter's but issued a written one, thanking his doctors and others who help those in need. 

"I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart," he said.

The pope has not been seen in person since he was admitted on February 14 to Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he is being cared for in a special papal suite.

But the Vatican has issued nearly daily medical bulletins about the state of his health, which has experienced incremental improvements marked by occasional setbacks.

Francis has suffered several respiratory crises, prompting fears that the road to recovery would be long, or might force the elderly pontiff to resign.

But the Vatican said Sunday that the pope's condition was "stable", with "slight improvements... in a complex overall picture."

Another medical bulletin is expected for Monday afternoon.

Though the pope does not have a fever, his doctors want to see more positive results in days ahead before offering a prognosis.

Catholics continue to gather at the Gemelli hospital to pray for Francis or leave flowers, candles and cards. 

SEOUL — North Korea on Monday condemned joint US-South Korean military drills as a "provocative act", warning of the danger of sparking war with "an accidental single shot," days after Seoul's air force mistakenly bombed a village on its own territory.

"This is a dangerous provocative act of leading the acute situation on the Korean peninsula, which may spark off a physical conflict between the two sides by means of an accidental single shot," said Pyongyang's foreign ministry, as quoted by state media.

The joint US-South Korea "Freedom Shield 2025" exercise was set to kick off on Monday, and will involve "live, virtual, and field-based training", according to a US statement.

The exercise will run until March 21, the statement said.

Military cooperation between Seoul and Washington regularly invites condemnation from Pyongyang, where the government sees such moves as preparation for an invasion, and often carries out missile tests in response. 

The latest exercise comes after two South Korean Air Force fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village during a joint training exercise with US forces on March 6. 

Fifteen people, including civilians and military personnel, were wounded in that incident, South Korea's National Fire Agency said.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions.

The two Koreas remain technically at war since their 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The United States stations tens of thousands of soldiers in the South, in part to protect Seoul against Pyongyang.

The large-scale Freedom Shield exercises are one of the allies' biggest annual joint exercises.

In its statement on Monday, North Korea's foreign ministry dubbed the exercises "an aggressive and confrontational war rehearsal".

Last week, Pyongyang slammed the United States for "political and military provocations" over the visit of a US Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of Busan.

KYIV/JEDDAH, Ukraine - Kyiv will propose an aerial and naval ceasefire with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia this week, a Ukrainian official told AFP on Monday as President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to arrive in the kingdom.

The talks on Tuesday will be the first Ukraine-US meeting since a White House blow-up between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump that led to Washington halting military aid to Kyiv.

"We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea," the official told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Because these are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor and it's possible to start with them."

Ukrainian and US officials will meet in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to seek a way out of the conflict, more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Britain's Financial Times newspaper, citing a source briefed on preparations for the talks, said Kyiv would propose a partial ceasefire hoping that Washington would resume military aid and intelligence-sharing.

Zelensky on Monday said Ukraine wants peace, insisting Russia was the sole reason that the war was carrying on.

"Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia," he wrote on social media.

Zelensky will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before his officials sit down with the Americans on Tuesday.

He said Ukraine is "fully committed to constructive dialogue", but wants its interests to be "taken into account in the right way". 

"We hope for results, both in terms of bringing peace closer and continuing support," Zelensky said in his evening address on Sunday.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington wanted to use the talks "to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well".

In Jeddah, the port city close to Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, dozens of Ukrainian and Saudi flags flew on a main roundabout near the airport and on thoroughfares.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fly there on Monday, the US State Department said. Mike Waltz, US President Donald Trump's national security adviser, has also confirmed his participation.

Zelensky said his negotiators will include Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Pavlo Palisa, a military commander and Yermak's deputy. 

'Significant advantage' 

Washington has suspended military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence-sharing and access to satellite imagery in a bid to force it to the table with Moscow, which launched its invasion in February 2022 on orders from President Vladimir Putin.

Russia could enjoy a "significant advantage" against Ukrainian troops if the US sustains its pause on sharing intelligence, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

"The main thing is how long it will last. If it lasts a long time, it will give the Russians a significant advantage," the source said.

Trump has renewed communications with Putin and criticised Zelensky, raising fears in Kyiv and among European allies that the US leader may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement favouring Russia.

On Friday, however, Trump said he was considering further sanctions on Russia for "pounding" Ukraine on the battlefield.

Ukraine's European allies last week held a summit with Zelensky and announced they would greatly increase defence spending.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host virtual talks on Saturday for the "coalition of the willing" to build on last week's summit, his office said.

'Regrettable' 

The Saudi talks come after the White House clash saw Zelensky leave without signing the minerals deal demanded by Trump.

Zelensky later called the incident "regrettable" and said he was ready to work with Trump's "strong leadership". He also expressed readiness to sign the deal.

Witkoff said Trump received a letter from Zelensky, calling it "a very positive first step" and "an apology".

Asked if Ukraine would sign the deal in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said: "I think Zelensky has offered to sign it, and we'll see if he follows through."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Rubio met in Riyadh last month, agreeing to resume dialogue and start talks on the Ukraine conflict. 

Zelensky has visited Saudi Arabia several times since Russia's invasion in 2022 but postponed a trip last month, saying he was not invited to the Russia-US talks. 

OTTAWA - Canada's incoming prime minister Mark Carney struck a defiant note as the former central banker vowed to win US President Donald Trump's trade war, saying his country will "never" be part of the United States.

Carney lost no time standing up for "the Canadian way of life" after the Liberal Party overwhelmingly elected him on Sunday to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"We didn't ask for this fight. But Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves," Carney told party supporters in Ottawa.

"So the Americans, they should make no mistake, in trade as in hockey, Canada will win," he said.

"Canada never ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form," said the 59-year-old, who will take over from Trudeau in the coming days.

Carney may not have the job for long.

Canada must hold elections by October but could well see a snap poll within weeks. Current opinion polls had the opposition Conservatives as slight favorites. 

'Existential challenge' 

Carney warned in his victory speech that the United States under Trump was seeking to seize control of Canada.

"The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country," he said, adding "these were dark days brought on by a country we can no longer trust."

"We're all being called to stand up for... the Canadian way of life."

Carney previously led both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. He soundly defeated his main challenger, Trudeau's former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who held senior cabinet positions in the Liberal government first elected in 2015.

Carney won 85.9 percent of the nearly 152,000 votes cast. Freeland took just eight percent of the vote.

Carney campaigned on a promise to stand up to Trump.

Trump has repeatedly spoken about annexing Canada and thrown bilateral trade, the lifeblood of the Canadian economy, into chaos with dizzying tariff actions that have veered in various directions since he took office.

Trudeau said "Canadians face from our neighbor an existential challenge."

Contending with Trump 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Carney, saying: "I look forward to working closely with him on shared international priorities."

China, which has a turbulent relationship with Canada, also congratulated Carney but said it hoped the country could "pursue a positive and pragmatic policy towards China."

Celebrating the outcome in Ottawa, party loyalist Cory Stevenson said "the Liberal party has the wind in its sails."

"We chose the person who could best face off against (Tory leader) Pierre Poilievre in the next election and deal with Donald Trump," he told AFP.

Carney has argued that his experience makes him the ideal counter to Trump. He has portrayed himself as a seasoned economic crisis manager who led the Bank of Canada through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and the Bank of England through the turbulence that followed the 2016 Brexit vote. 

Data released from the Angus Reid polling firm on Wednesday shows Canadians see Carney as the favorite choice to face down Trump, potentially offering the Liberals a boost over the opposition Conservatives.

Forty-three percent of respondents said they trusted Carney the most to deal with Trump, with 34 percent backing Poilievre. 

The Liberals were headed for an electoral wipeout before Trudeau announced his plans to resign in January, but the leadership change and Trump's influence have dramatically tightened the race.

"We were written off about four months ago and now we're right back where we should be," former MP Frank Baylis, who also ran for the Liberal leadership, told AFP. 

Unproven 

Carney made a fortune as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before entering the Canadian civil service. 

Since leaving the Bank of England in 2020, he has served as a United Nations envoy working to get the private sector to invest in climate-friendly technology and has held private sector roles. 

He has never served in parliament nor held an elected public office.

Analysts say his untested campaign skills could prove a liability against a Conservative Party already running attack ads accusing Carney of shifting positions and misrepresenting his experience. 

"He is unproven in the crucible of an election," said Cameron Anderson, a political scientist at Ontario's Western University. 

But he said Carney's tough anti-Trump rhetoric "is what Canadians want to hear from their leaders."

They are "viewing these things in an existential way."

SYDNEY — Gusts and torrential rain have blacked out more than a quarter of a million properties and swamped parts of Australia's east coast, officials said Sunday, with one driver confirmed dead and a dozen troops injured in the wild weather.

After days hovering off the coast as a category 2 tropical cyclone and battering a 400-kilometre (250-mile) stretch of coastline, Alfred weakened into a tropical depression before making landfall on Saturday evening.

But as the remnants of the cyclone moved inland, hundreds of thousands of people remained without power on Sunday, and video images showed knee-high water pouring through roads in some of the worst-hit areas of southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales.

A total of 23 centimetres of rain had descended on the Queensland resort of Hervey Bay in just a few hours, flooding homes and forcing emergency rescues in rapid waters, the state's premier, David Crisafulli, told a news conference.

The weather system "continues to pack a punch" as it moves inland, Crisafulli said, adding that more than 1,000 schools shuttered across the state would gradually start reopening on Monday.

Utility companies said about 268,000 homes and businesses in southeast Queensland and another 12,500 in northeast New South Wales were still without power on Sunday afternoon.

"Customers need to be prepared to be without power for several days," Queensland's Essential Energy said.

"The biggest challenges to getting power back on will be rising flood waters and swollen creek beds, fallen vegetation and mud slides impacting access roads," it said in a statement.

About 14,600 people are under emergency warnings related to the weather system in New South Wales, the state's emergency services said.

"In the last 24 hours, 17 incidents have occurred as a result of people driving into flood waters," said emergency services deputy commissioner Damien Johnson.

"Not only is it a danger to yourself and your family, it is also dangerous as well for the volunteers, the emergency services workers that need to rescue you."

A 61-year-old man's body was found Saturday, a day after his four-wheel-drive pickup truck was swept off a bridge into a river in northern New South Wales.

He had escaped from the pickup and tried in vain to cling to a tree branch in the river before disappearing into the rapid waters, police said.

KYIV, Ukraine - Ukraine said Sunday that Russia launched over one hundred drones overnight, targeting the capital and several regions at a crucial point in the war as Washington has frozen aid supplies.

The wave of attacks followed deadly strikes Friday and Saturday in eastern and northeastern Ukraine that killed at least 14 people.

Ukraine is set to hold negotiations with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with Washington hoping to forge a deal on a ceasefire and a "framework" for a peace agreement after freezing arms shipments to Kyiv and blocking access to intelligence reports and satellite imagery.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 119 drones overnight, of which 71 were downed in a dozen regions and in Kyiv, while 37 others went missing without causing harm.

It said drones caused damage in six regions, without giving specifics.

On Saturday evening, a glide bomb attack hit residential buildings in the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region, where the front line now lies close to several major towns, wounding 12 people including a 15-year-old girl, prosecutors said.

Multi-storey blocks of flats and a cafe were damaged, prosecutors said, posting images of blown-out windows and debris scattered on the ground.

Russia said that over the past day Ukraine had launched 131 drones on its Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, of which 101 were shot down. The region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said no one was hurt.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis, who is responding well to treatment for pneumonia, thanked his doctors and healthcare workers Sunday as he missed delivering a fourth straight Angelus prayer in person.

The 88-year-old, in Rome's Gemelli hospital since February 14, issued a written Angelus in which he thanked those who volunteer to help others in need, praising their "closeness and tenderness".

"I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart," he said.

"We need this, the 'miracle of tenderness' which accompanies those who are in adversity, bringing a little light into the night of pain," he said in the text published by the Vatican.

The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics has spent time at the Gemelli before, notably for colon surgery in 2021 and a hernia operation in 2023.

This hospitalisation has been more serious, however, with Francis suffering several respiratory crises, prompting fears the road to recovery would be long, or might force the elderly pontiff to resign.

On Saturday, the Vatican said the pope appeared finally to be responding well to treatment and had seen "a gradual, slight improvement", marking several days without crises.

Though the pope does not have a fever, his doctors want to see the more positive results "in the coming days" before giving a prognosis, an evening medical bulletin said.

The next bulletin is expected Monday afternoon.

 'Given so much'

Francis has been alternating rest, prayer and bits of work when he feels up to it.

On Sunday morning he received Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, and Edgar Pena Parra, a Venezuelan archbishop who is also a senior Vatican official.

People who gathered in St Peter's Square on Sunday, where Francis would usually stand at a Vatican window to read the Angelus to crowds below, said his presence was sorely missed.

"He is a wonderful person who has given so much and I hope that he can return as soon as possible", said Diana Desiderio, who volunteers with the civil protection agency in Pescara.

She and fellow volunteers are praying that Francis will "return to the window again and bring peace and serenity to everyone, because we need it", she told AFP.

The pope ended the Angelus with his traditional call for peace in conflicts, "in particular in tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo".

He said he had "learned with concern of the resumption of violence in some areas of Syria: I hope that they cease definitively, with full respect for all ethnic and religious components of society".

Catholics have also been gathering at the Gemelli hospital to pray for Francis or leave flowers, candles and cards.

Giuseppe Antonio Perazzo, 74, was at the hospital for the second Sunday in a row, dressed smartly in a suit and tie in the hope that the pontiff might appear at the window.

A sign he propped up in sight of the windows of the pope's rooms urged the Argentine pontiff -- a notoriously headstrong patient -- to "keep doing what the doctors and nurses tell you to do".

BERLIN — Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz came a step closer on Saturday towards forming a government which he has pledged will revive Europe's top economy and its armed forces with massive new spending.

The bold moves are part of his plan to rebuild Berlin's standing in Europe, which Merz has said must respond to the sweeping changes driven by US President Donald Trump that have rocked the transatlantic alliance.

Merz's CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD) of defeated Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday announced they had wrapped up exploratory talks and would now move onto the next, decisive stage of full-fledged coalition negotiations.

"We concluded the consultations between CDU/CSU and SPD and we have drawn up a joint exploratory paper," Merz said.

He praised the "extremely good and very collegial atmosphere" of the talks that had passed a major hurdle less than two weeks after the February 23 elections.

Merz said both sides shared "the conviction that we have a great task ahead of us".

He said all were "aware of the great challenge we are facing -- above all the international situation, but also... facing the whole of Europe".

Merz said both sides had agreed on tough new steps to limit irregular immigration, including refusing all undocumented migrants at the borders, even those seeking asylum. 

The move was a key demand of Merz, who has stressed the need to win voters back from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which scored a record of over 20 percent in the election.

Lars Klingbeil of the SPD called Saturday's deal "an important first step" and said both sides agreed on the need to "get our country back on track". 

He said his party had won assurances on key demands, such as a 15-euro-($16-) per-hour minimum wage from 2026 and stable pensions.

 'XXL' cash splurge 

The plan is for Germany to have a new government by mid-April that would end half a year of political paralysis after Scholz's three-way coalition imploded in November.

The likely future governing allies have already surprised European partners with their plan to spend hundreds of billions of euros to revive the ailing economy and rebuild the military.

The ambitious plans would cast aside Germany's historic reluctance to take on large-scale debt and see it invest in defence on a scale not seen since World War II.

The spending boost -- which Merz's Bavarian ally Markus Soeder has termed an "XXL"-sized splurge -- comes in response to Trump and his administration casting doubt in Europe on the future strength and reliability of the NATO alliance.

Alarm at Trump's actions have added urgency to the talks, spurred by his public berating of his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a White House meeting.

 'Find a way' 

The two parties are now moving to talks on a detailed formal coalition agreement, including haggling over cabinet posts.

Their spending plans would circumvent Germany's constitutionally enshrined debt-brake and exempt defence spending when it exceeds one percent of GDP.

The parties also agreed on a 500-billion-euro fund to invest in creaking infrastructure over 10 years.

The SPD has long pushed for action on Germany's economy, which has been mired in two straight years of recession.

Merz voiced hopes Saturday that the stimulus would help the economy grow by "one, preferably two, percent". 

However, both proposals will need a two-thirds majority in the outgoing parliament, with the two big blocs needing the Greens' cooperation.

Merz said new investment could flow into climate projects and voiced confidence that "we will find a way together to achieve a constitutional amendment".

But Greens co-chairman Felix Banaszak warned they were "further away from an agreement today than we have been in recent days", criticising the fact that "climate protection financing plays no part" in the joint document.

The CDU/CSU and SPD are in a hurry to push the changes through before a deadline looms. 

On March 25 the newly-elected parliament will convene. From then on, the AfD and the far-left Linke will be able to block any such proposals.