USA - Donald Trump posted and then deleted a picture of himself as Jesus Christ during an extraordinary row with the Pope. The United States president said the leader of the Catholic church was “terrible” and “weak” after the pontiff criticised the American-Israeli war against Iran as inhumane. Leo, the first US-born pope, said he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak the gospel.

MIDDLE EAST - As the deadline for President Trump’s trade blockade of some traffic through the Strait of Hormuz passed on Monday afternoon, there was debate about whether the policy was now in place and, if so, what it meant for global trade — and whether the severity of the crisis was being reflected in global markets. The US military’s Central Command said the blockade would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations” entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. “The blockade will not impede neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations,” Central Command said in a note to seafarers on Monday that was first reported by Reuters, the news agency. Tehran has been blocking other traffic, however. The strait has been effectively closed since the conflict began about seven weeks ago, because of fears of attacks on commercial shipping by Iran.

CHINA - A Chinese tanker under US sanctions passed though the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, defying Washington's naval blockade that began on Monday. After circling the area late on Monday and initially turning back, the 600ft long vessel passed through the waterway on Tuesday. Oil tanker Rich Starry is owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd and became a target for US sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude. Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE's Hamriyah, the data showed. Meanwhile, China said on Tuesday that a US blockade around Iranian ports was 'dangerous and irresponsible', after the US President threatened to sink any boats that sought to leave or dock there.

MIDDLE EAST - A Chinese tanker and another vessel have made U-turns after passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil tanker Rich Starry is owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd and became a target for US sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude. After circling the area late on Monday and initially turning back, the 600ft long vessel passed through the waterway on Tuesday. It then turned around and headed back to the Gulf at 11am UTC (12 pm UK time). The reasons for this about-turn are not currently clear. Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE's Hamriyah, the data showed. Meanwhile, the Iran-linked Christianna carried out a similar route, passing through the Strait of Hormuz before turning around just before 4 pm UK time. Again, no reason has yet been given for the Liberia-flagged vessel's sudden turn.

MIDDLE EAST - Marathon US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad produced no breakthroughs, no progress on diminution of the continuing threat the ayatollahs pose to the Middle East and the world. It was never clear why Donald Trump thought negotiations would succeed, but he must now decide whether to return to military force or accept an enormous international political setback.

ISRAEL - Israel’s army has been ordered to move to a heightened state of readiness and prepare for a return to war with Iran. Eyal Zamir, the Israel Defense Forces chief, told army units to enter war preparation mode by shortening response times and closing operational gaps. The IDF’s military intelligence directorate is increasing its list of targets in Iran, focusing on military targets including missile launchers. In co-ordination with the operations directorate, the Israeli air force is finalising updated strike plans, assembling integrated attack packages that emphasise long-range capabilities, accuracy and operational endurance, YNET reported. The IDF is also preparing its defensive capabilities in case of a renewed war with Iran, reinforcing its air defence systems. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has said the Israeli and American “achievements” in Iran “are not yet finished”.

HUNGARY - Viktor Orban’s defeat does not mean that Hungarian voters have rejected his tough on immigration, pro-natalist or Brussels-critical policies. The electoral winners, Peter Magyar and his Tisza party, have achieved their robust electoral mandate on the back of a remarkably similar electoral programme. Magyar is a social conservative who wants to increase financial incentives to have children, cut taxes, double the defence budget, and has criticised Orban for admitting too many migrants under Hungary’s guest worker schemes. On effectively every issue he sits firmly on the Right of European politics.

MIDDLE EAST - For a moment, history seemed to beckon. With negotiations stretching into the night and large teams of technical experts on both sides swapping drafts, there were excited rumours that, just maybe, the impossible was about to happen. So much for that. After 21 hours of talks at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, JD Vance, the US vice-president, emerged bleary-eyed to call the whole thing off. He had offered the Iranians a take-it-or-leave-it deal. They left it. “We’ve made very clear what our red lines are,” he told reporters. “They have chosen not to accept our terms.”

USA - Donald Trump has said Pope Leo is “terrible for foreign policy” after the pontiff made a plea for peace in the Middle East. The US president posted on his Truth Social platform that the first American pope was “weak on crime”, urging him to “stop catering to the Radical Left”. Mr Trump wrote: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” He claimed the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics had been elected because the Vatican thought it would be the “best way to deal with President Donald J Trump”. Pope Leo reacted by saying he was “not afraid of the Trump administration, nor of telling the message of the Gospel”.

NEW ZEALAND - A powerful cyclone has hit New Zealand, causing large waves, extensive flooding and power outages across the country’s North Island. Cyclone Vaianu turned roads into rivers, brought down trees and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. Flooding and fallen trees forced the closure of major roads. The cyclone brought winds exceeding 80mph, torrential rain and heavy sea swells. The cyclone struck the North Island close to the town of Maketu, with the national weather provider, MetService, describing it as a “life-threatening” system. “The combination of damaging winds, heavy rain and coastal inundation makes this a multi-hazard, potentially life-threatening event,” the service said.

UK - Sir Keir Starmer said Britain would not support a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as he insisted the UK would not be getting “dragged into” a wider conflict. The price of oil rose above $100 a barrel as the US announced it would be blocking “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” from 10am ET (3pm BST). President Trump attacked Pope Leo as “weak” after the pontiff denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” that he claimed had motivated the war in Iran. The president also said he did not care if negotiations with Tehran restarted, as reports suggest he is considering resuming some military strikes on the country.

USA - President Trump has posted an AI-generated image seemingly depicting himself as Jesus Christ, after attacking Pope Leo for not supporting his war in Iran. In the image, posted at the same time as the US president attacked Leo for being “weak” on crime and “terrible” for foreign policy, Trump appears dressed in red and white robes as he seemingly cures a man. The American flag is shown over his shoulder. The image was shared on the president’s Truth Social site. Speaking to reporters on Sunday at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump said: “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime.” He also accused the pontiff of “toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon.”

VATICAN - Massimo Faggioli, an Italian expert on the papacy, has told Reuters that Trump’s comments went beyond criticisms of the papacy made by leaders of Germany and Italy during the Second World War to try and draw Pope Pius XII to support their causes. “Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the pope so directly and publicly,” said Faggioli. Paul Coakley, the Archbishop of Oklahoma City and the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was disheartened by Trump’s comments. “Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He ...speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls,” he said in a statement.

UK - In two weeks’ time, King Charles will be in the White House meeting Donald Trump. He has met ten US presidents in his lifetime but this state visit is the most controversial following Trump’s recent criticism of Britain. Charles will be able to draw on a well of goodwill from the US president, plus the experience of almost two dozen visits to America over the course of his royal career in his mission to restore amicable relations between the nations. Charles nurtured the relationship by writing a private letter to Trump after the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally during the 2024 election, and another to congratulate him on his victory in November. Neither has been made public.

ETHIOPIA - Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian prime minister, has reignited tensions with Eritrea with renewed calls for access to the Red Sea. His push comes after the collapse of his alliance with Isaias Afwerki, the leader of Eritrea, following the fallout from the Tigray war. As instability grows in neighbouring Sudan amid an ongoing civil war, a complex web of regional alliances is forming — drawing in Gulf powers and reshaping the balance across the Horn of Africa. Has this set the stage for a renewed conflict between the two nations?