Israeli forces blocked two senior Catholic leaders from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch, and Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, were stopped en route to the church.
The leaders had attempted to enter privately without any ceremonial procession or public gathering, but were refused access.
The church bodies said this was the first time in centuries that the heads of the Catholic Church had been prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulchre.
“This incident is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem,” they said.
Israel blocks top Catholic leaders from Palm Sunday Mass at Holy Sepulchre
Israel kills Palestinian girl and police officers in Gaza bombing
Israeli forces killed at least eight people in attacks on police stations and another location in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Air strikes targeted two police checkpoints in al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, according to local media.
Such police checkpoints had been established across Gaza to help protect displaced families.
Displaced people, including a girl, and three police officers were among those killed, the Palestinian health ministry said. An additional four people were wounded.
There were also reports of Israeli naval fire off the coast of Khan Younis, threatening fishermen and displaced people. No casualties were reported.
‘Smarter, More Advanced, More Modern’ – Inside Ukraine’s Drone War
Drones are no longer just shaping the war in Ukraine – they are defining it. What began as an improvised response to a lack of manpower has evolved into a technological arms race, shaping not only how battles are fought but where they reach.
Ukrainian forces, driven by innovation and necessity, have managed not only to hold the front line but to strike far beyond it – targeting military infrastructure, ammunition depots, drone production sites and even oil refineries deep inside Russian-held territory.
At the center of this transformation are specialized units like Typhoon, a special-purpose unmanned systems unit of Ukraine’s National Guard, established in 2024. Operating across key directions such as Kharkiv and Pokrovsk, the unit focuses exclusively on drone warfare and electronic systems, from reconnaissance and strike UAVs to electronic warfare and interception.
Built largely by volunteers and veterans of special forces units, Typhoon combines technical expertise with battlefield experience, constantly adapting to a rapidly evolving war.
Pope Leo XIV rejects claims that God justifies war in Palm Sunday Mass message
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday rejected claims that God justifies war and prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during a Palm Sunday Mass before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.
With the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entering its second month and Russia's ongoing campaign in Ukraine, Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday homily to insist that God is the "king of peace" who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed.
"Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Leo said. "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. U.S. officials, especially Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.
NYC stargazers can enjoy 'sun grazer' comet in April as weather warms up
There’s a comet blazing through our solar system this month.
Starting around April 5, Comet C/2026 A1 MAPS will be roughly 89 million miles from Earth, making its closest approach to the sun. That’s close enough that the comet could be visible to the naked eye in New York City.
This month's astronomical agenda also includes the first manned moon launch in 50 years, weather permitting. April will be capped with the Lyrids meteor shower.
“April is a busy month for the night sky,” said Bart Fried, member of the American Astronomical Society. “”You got a lot of cool stuff happening this month.”
ICE officers could remain at airports after TSA workers are paid
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could remain at U.S. airports even after Transportation Security Administration workers receive their paychecks, according to White House border czar Tom Homan.
Asked if ICE agents will leave airports once TSA workers begin receiving pay again, Homan said on Sunday "we'll see."
"It depends on how many TSA agents come back to work [and] how many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plan [of] coming back to work," Homan told CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper.
Homan also said he spoke with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, adding that there is a plan to get TSA workers paid "hopefully by tomorrow or Tuesday."
‘People should be scared’: convictions in US ‘antifa’ trial set dangerous precedent
The conviction in Texas of nine activists on terrorism and other charges earlier this month sets an alarming precedent: the Trump administration can crack down on leftwing groups and label them “domestic terrorists”.
The case was widely seen as a major test of the Trump administration’s efforts to punish protesters and leftwing views. The charges came after a protest outside of an ICE facility outside of Fort Worth last year. Activists planned to set off fireworks outside of the facility in solidarity with those detained inside, traveling with a cache of automatic weapons and body armor they said was for self-defense against counter-protesters.
Once they got there, a small group broke away and began vandalizing cars in the parking lot, spray painting graffiti, slashing tires on a government van, and breaking a security camera. A police officer arrived on the scene and drew his weapon at those in the parking lot, one of the activists opened fire with an AR-15 and hit the police officer in the shoulder. He ultimately survived.
Eight of the protesters were convicted of riot, explosive charges, and providing material support to terrorists. The shooter, Benjamin Song, was convicted of attempted murder and additional firearms charges. A ninth person who was not at the protest was convicted on charges related to moving a box of zines in the days after the protest.
US abortion rate holds steady largely due to travel and telehealth availability – report
The abortion rate is holding steady in the US despite total and partial bans in some states – largely because of travel across state lines and a significant increase in telehealth appointments, a new report says.
US regulatory officials are weighing changes to the ways mifepristone, an abortion medication, may be dispensed, but they have reportedly pushed their review until after the midterm elections, given the widespread support for abortion across the US.
The number of abortions in the US increased slightly last year, from 1.124m to 1.126m, according to a Guttmacher Institute report. There’s also a shift away from traveling and toward telehealth, in which providers may prescribe mail-order pills.
One major change in this report is the provision of telehealth for patients in states with total bans – with clinicians in states such as New York or Massachusetts, which have shield laws to protect providers, seeing and prescribing remotely to patients living in states such as Texas or Alabama.
Dozens of No Kings protesters arrested in Los Angeles after clash with police
Police arrested dozens of protesters and shot teargas into a crowd on Saturday night at a No Kings protest in Los Angeles.
The conflict is the latest of many that have taken place outside the Metropolitan detention center, which has become a focal point of protests since the Trump administration launched an immigration offense on Los Angeles last year.
More than 4o No Kings protests took place across southern California on Saturday – part of nationwide repudiation of Donald Trump’s chaotic second administration, the mass deportation campaign, the rising cost of living, and the Iran war.
Protests began earlier in the day with a march through downtown Los Angeles, where protesters brandished signs criticizing the US president and his hardline immigration crackdown.
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