Donald Trump has said he has made a deal to sell weapons to NATO to help Ukraine.
The US president said he was going to be sending “top of the line weapons” to NATO, which will then be able to send them on to Ukraine.
“We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them,” he said.
Trump said NATO members, not American taxpayers, would cover the cost of the weapons.
The war has “got to stop”, he added. “This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
He said Patriot missile batteries will be sent “within days” and “will start arriving soon”.
Trump threatens Russia with tariffs
Donald Trump threatened Russia with “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if it does not strike a deal to end the Ukraine war in 50 days, calling them “secondary tariffs”.
The White House has now clarified the US president means he will impose 100% tariffs on Russia, and secondary sanctions on countries that buy oil from Russia, if a deal isn’t struck within 50 days.
Trade is ‘great’ for settling wars, Trump says
Trade is “great for settling wars,” Donald Trump has said, after he announced a new weapons package for Ukraine and threatened Russia with higher sanctions.
“This is a chance for peace,” the US president said.
He said he thought he had a deal with Russia on ending the Ukraine war “about four times” but “here were are still talking”.
“I thought we should have had a deal done a long time ago, but it just keeps going on and on and on,” he added.
Trump also blamed the war on his predecessor Joe Biden, calling it “a Biden war”.
He said he speaks to Vladimir Putin “a lot” and claimed the Russian leader “knows what a fair deal is”.
Trump said he used to talk to Putin about Ukraine “a lot” and “it was the apple of his eye”.
He expressed some frustration, saying he has held recent calls with Putin where afterwards he would say “that was a nice phone call” but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”. Sky News
Iran’s military said it carried out a missile attack on the Al Udeid U.S. airbase in Qatar on Monday after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran’s threat to retaliate for U.S. airstrikes on its nuclear sites.
The Iranian military said the attack was “devastating and powerful” but U.S. officials said no U.S. personnel were killed or injured in the attack on the airbase, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.
Iran, which had been warned by Washington not to retaliate or face massive U.S. military action, had informed the U.S. via two diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as Qatari authorities, a senior regional source told Reuters.
Qatar’s defence minister told Al Jazeera its air defences had intercepted missiles directed at the Al Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.
Iran had issued threats to retaliate against the United States after U.S. bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel’s air war against Tehran, and President Donald Trump mooted the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled.
The attack came shortly after a Western diplomat told Reuters there had been a credible threat to a U.S. military base in the Gulf state following the unprecedented U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Qatar, situated just across the Gulf from Iran, had shut its airspace after receiving the advance warning from Iran.
Bahrain, another U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state just to the north of Qatar, said it had also shut its airspace after the Iranian strike against the Al Udeid base.
In addition, the U.S. Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq had activated its air defence system out of concern for a potential attack, military sources said.
The main U.S. military base in Iraq’s western neighbour Syria was also on full alert for possible attack by Iran or Iran-aligned militia groups, a Syrian security source said.
Qatar, a small, wealthy Gulf Arab state, had earlier announced it had closed its airspace temporarily to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. That followed an advisory from the U.S. embassy in Qatar to Americans to shelter in place, out of what it said was “an abundance of caution”.
Two U.S. officials said Washington had assessed that Iran could carry out attacks targeting American forces in the Middle East soon, although the U.S. was still seeking a diplomatic resolution that would see Tehran forgo any reprisal.
Earlier on Monday, Israel bombed a political prison in Tehran, in a renewed demonstration of its willingness to strike not only beyond military and nuclear targets but key pillars of Iran’s ruling system.
Despite Iran’s threats to challenge oil shipments from the Gulf, oil prices fell 4% in volatile trading, suggesting traders doubted the Islamic Republic would follow through on any action that would disrupt global supplies.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Tehran sought backing from one of its last major power friends for its next steps.
LIMITED OPTIONS
Since Trump joined Israel’s campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear production sites on Sunday morning, Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate.
“Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said on Monday in a recorded, English-language video statement.
The Trump administration maintains that its aim is solely to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, not to open a wider war. But in a social media post on Sunday, Trump spoke of toppling the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington’s principal foes in the Middle East since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Five insiders with knowledge of the discussions said efforts had been ramped up to anoint a successor for Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son Mojtaba, 56, and Hassan Khomeini, 53, grandson of the revolution’s founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, are now seen as the frontrunners, they said. Reuters
The US has carried out a “very successful attack” on three nuclear sites on Iran, President Donald Trump has said, while Iran has warned of “everlasting” consequences.
The strikes, which the US leader announced on social media, included a hit on the heavily protected Fordow enrichment plant, which is buried deep under a mountain.
The other sites hit were at Natanz and Isfahan. It brings the US into direct involvement in the war between Israel and Iran.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the US strikes “will have everlasting consequences”, adding that his country “reserves all options” to retaliate.
“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” Mr Araghchi wrote on X. “Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour.
“In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”
Iran has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to “maintain international peace and condemn the US strikes”, according to state media.
Iran has fired a barrage of missiles at Israel in response.
Several explosions have been heard over Tel Aviv with Israeli media saying Iranian missiles have hit northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, Ness Ziona, Rishon LeZion and Tel Aviv.
Airspace in the region is closed, with a British Airways flight from London to Dubai turning back overnight as it reached Saudi airspace. It turned around over safety concerns.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the “bold decision” by Mr Trump, saying it would “change history”.
The UK’s prime minister called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” and reach “a diplomatic solution to end this crisis”.
“Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,” said Sir Keir Starmer.
Iran has repeatedly denied that it is seeking a nuclear weapon, and the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said in June that it has no proof of a “systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon”.
US Senator Chris Murphy posted on X after the strikes that he and other senators received a classified briefing last week that indicated that Iran did not pose an immediate threat through its nuclear program.
“Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon,” Senator Murphy said. “The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success.
Addressing the nation in the hours after the strikes, Mr Trump said that Iran must now make peace or “we will go after” other targets in Iran.
Commenting on the operation, he said that the three Iranian sites had been “obliterated”.
“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” he said.
In a posting on Truth Social earlier, Mr Trump said, “All planes are safely on their way home”, and he congratulated “our great American Warriors”.
He added: “Fordow is gone.”
He also threatened further strikes on Iran unless it doesn’t “stop immediately”, adding: “Now is the time for peace.”
Sky News understands there was no UK involvement in the strikes.
Among the sites hit was Fordow, a secretive nuclear facility buried around 80 metres below a mountain and one of two key uranium enrichment plants in Iran.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Mr Trump said. “Fordow is gone.”
There had been a lot of discussion in recent days about possible American involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, and much centred around the US possibly being best placed to destroy Fordow.
Meanwhile, Natanz and Isfahan were the other two sites hit in the US attack.
Natanz is the other major uranium enrichment plant in Iran and was believed to have possibly already suffered extensive damage in Israel’s strikes earlier this week.
Isfahan features a large nuclear technology centre and enriched uranium is also stored there, diplomats say.
Mr Trump said no further strikes were planned and that he hoped diplomacy would now take over.
It’s not yet known what Iran’s response will be – particularly as the government was already struggling to repel Israel.
However a commentator on Iranian state TV said every US citizen or military in the region was now a legitimate target.
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck northern Iran on Friday, while Israeli air strikes continued to hit the country. However, the local authorities said there were no casualties and only minor damage.
The official news agency IRNA reported no casualties and only “minimal damage”.
According to the USGS, the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), some 37 kilometres (23 miles) southwest of the city of Semnan.
State television reported the earthquake as measuring 5.5 and said it “shook the area around the city of Sorkheh in Semnan province”.
The tremor was also felt in the capital, Tehran, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Sorkheh.
Elon Musk has announced he is leaving his role in the Trump administration.
Elon Musk has announced he is leaving his role in the Trump administration. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The billionaire CEO of Tesla thanked the president for the opportunity and said the Doge mission ‘will only strengthen’
Elon Musk has announced on social media that he is leaving his role in the Trump administration, a departure the White House confirmed was in process on Wednesday evening.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” the billionaire wrote on X, his social media platform.
“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” he said, referring to his “department of government efficiency.”
A White House official told Reuters it was accurate Musk is leaving the administration and his “off-boarding will begin tonight.”
The departure of a man who once appointed himself Trump’s “first buddy” was quick and unceremonious. Musk did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing he was leaving the administration, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his exit was decided “at a senior staff level.”
Musk, the world’s richest person, has defended his role as an unelected official who was granted unprecedented authority by Trump to dismantle parts of the US government. His 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire about 30 May.
Both Musk and the administration has said DOGE’s efforts to restructure and shrink the federal government will continue.
Musk has been signalling his departure from Washington, and his commitment to return his business ventures, all week. He sharply criticised Trump’s spending plan, and expressed frustration with the response to the efforts of his signature “department of government efficiency.”
He criticised the president’s marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work to make the government more “efficient.”
“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realised,” Musk told the Washington Post on Tuesday. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC, to say the least.”
He also told the Post that Doge had been turned into a “whipping boy” that was criticised for anything that went wrong in the Trump White House.
Musk had butted heads in private with some cabinet-level officials, and publicly attacked White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as a “moron” for dismissing Musk’s push for “zero tariffs” between the US and Europe.
Musk had also recently expressed frustration to White House officials over a deal between Abu Dhabi and OpenAI, the Sam Altman-led rival to Musk’s own AI company, the New York Times reported. Musk had previously tried to derail the deal unless his company was included in it, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The billionaire’s recent “disillusionment” with politics was also influenced by the failure of his Wisconsin judicial candidate, despite Musk spending $25m on the race, the New York Times reported.
Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12%, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce largely through threats of firings, buyouts and early retirement offers, a Reuters review of agency departures found.
Musk’s political activities have drawn protests and some investors have called for Musk to leave his work as Trump’s adviser and manage Tesla more closely.
Having spent nearly $300m to back Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republicans last year, he said earlier this month he would substantially cut his political spending. “I think I’ve done enough,” Musk said at an economic forum in Qatar.
While Musk had told Trump’s advisers this year that he would give $100m to groups controlled by the president’s team before the 2026 midterms, the New York Times reported, the money had not yet come in as of this week.
Britain ‘horrified’ by Israeli escalation, suspends trade talks
Hundreds of Gaza Palestinians killed by strikes in recent days
UN says no aid distributed yet after Israel eases blockade
EU’s Kallas asks for review of EU-Israel trade deal, ANP says
Israeli forces killed at least 55 Palestinians in airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said, continuing to bombard the enclave despite mounting international pressure to halt military operations and allow unimpeded deliveries of aid.
Britain announced it was suspending trade talks with Israel and summoning its ambassador over “egregious policies” in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asked for a review of the EU-Israel trade deal, according to Dutch news agency ANP.
The war, now in its 20th month, has left Gaza in ruins and its population facing a worsening hunger crisis. It has strained Israel’s relations with much of the world and those with its closest ally, the United States, now appear to be wavering.
The United Nations said no humanitarian aid has been distributed yet in Gaza, despite more supplies being dropped off on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing after Israel eased its 11-week-old blockade on Monday.
“Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to collect supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Separately, indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas militants in Qatar appeared to falter again, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he had decided to bring back the senior negotiating team from Doha for consultations.
Hamas accused Netanyahu of entering the talks in bad faith, pretending to participate in a bid to mislead global public opinion. “No real negotiations have taken place since last Saturday,” the Palestinian Islamist group said in a statement.
18 DEAD IN AIRSTRIKE ON TWO HOMES, MEDICS SAY
Israel conducted further airstrikes on Tuesday across the densely populated enclave and medics said the sites hit included two homes where women and children were among the 18 dead, and a school housing displaced families.
Israel’s military, which on Monday warned those in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to evacuate to the coast as it prepared for an “unprecedented attack”, had no comment. Israel says Hamas uses civilian buildings for cover; Hamas denies this.
In Gaza City, Reuters footage showed men, women and children sifting through the rubble of the Daraj neighbourhood school where they had been sheltering, and where charred pieces of clothing and a red teddy bear lay among scattered belongings.
At nearby Al-Ahli Hospital, men said prayers over bodies wrapped in white shrouds, before carrying them to their graves.
“What is our fault? What is the fault of children? What is the fault of the women we found on the stairs with their hair and clothes torn and burned?” said Omar Ahel, who had been sheltering at the school. “By God, this is injustice.”
Israeli strikes have killed more than 500 people in the past nine days as the military campaign has intensified, Gaza medics say.
Military vehicles drive their way from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border into Gaza, as seen from Israel, May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
SANCTIONS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament he, along with the leaders of France and Canada, was “horrified” by Israel’s military escalation, repeating calls for a ceasefire.
The three nations had warned on Monday of “concrete actions” against Israel if it did not stop military operations in Gaza and lift restrictions on aid.
In addition to suspending trade talks, Britain announced sanctions against a number of individuals and groups in the Israeli-occupied West Bank over alleged violence against Palestinian residents.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said Britain had failed to advance free trade negotiations for some time and called the sanctions “unjustified and regrettable”.
“External pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction,” Marmorstein posted on X.
Israel’s ground and air offensive has displaced nearly all Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and killed more than 53,000, according to Gaza health authorities.
The campaign began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities near Gaza’s border in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
‘EVERYTHING’S EMPTY’
The hunger crisis in Gaza deepened after Israel imposed a blockade on supplies from March 2. The territory is facing a critical risk of famine, a U.N.-backed hunger monitor said earlier this month.
On Monday, Israel cleared nine trucks for entry into Gaza, and on Tuesday the United Nations said it had received permission from Israel for about 100 aid trucks to enter, though they had yet to be distributed.
The U.N. says Gaza needs at least 500 trucks of aid and commercial goods every day. Throughout the war, trucks with aid have waited weeks and months at Gaza’s border to enter.
Louise Wateridge of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said on Tuesday there was little food left.
“Everything’s empty. The warehouses, the distribution centres, they’ve been empty for weeks,” she said, speaking from a warehouse in Jordan that she said had food for 200,000 people that could be driven to Gaza in just a few hours.
Israel’s leadership has insisted that it can free remaining hostages and dismantle Hamas through stepped-up military action. Hamas has said it would free the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails. Reuters
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
Mr Biden, 82, who left the White House in January, was seen by doctors last week for urinary symptoms.
He was later diagnosed with prostate cancer, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone.
His office said in a statement: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Joe Biden’s prostate cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
Prostate cancers are rated with a Gleason score. This measures on a scale of one to 10 how the cancerous cells look compared with normal cells. His score is nine.
It has been given a Grade Group of 5 – the highest. That means the cancer has poor differentiation from normal cells and will grow rapidly. It has already spread to his bones.
Metastasised cancer is harder to treat than cancer that stays in one place because it’s spread around the body, making it harder for drugs to reach and destroy all the tumours.
But there is some hope from Biden’s medical team. They say his cancer appears to be hormone sensitive.
When prostate cancers need hormones to grow, targeted therapy can deprive these tumours of these hormones, making treatment more effective.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. In the UK, it accounts for around a quarter of all male cancer cases.
In the US, it’s also one of the most common, second only to skin cancer. It mostly affects men over the age of 50 and becomes more common with age.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking told Sky’s US partner network NBC News that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
In a statement on social media, former president Barack Obama said: “Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family.
“Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery.”
President Donald Trump also posted on Truth Social that he was “saddened” by the news, adding: “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
Kamala Harris wrote on X: “We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time.
“Joe is a fighter – and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”
Hillary Clinton also posted on social media that she is “thinking of the Bidens as they take on cancer, a disease they’ve done so much to try to spare other families from”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement: “I am very sorry to hear President Biden has prostate cancer.
“All the very best to Joe, his wife Jill and their family, and wishing the President swift and successful treatment.”
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. Sky News
President Trump said Thursday that he would rename Veterans Day, on Nov. 11, as “Victory Day for World War I” and May 8, widely known as V-E Day, as “Victory Day for World War II,” so that the United States could celebrate its achievements in those conflicts.
“We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything,” Mr. Trump said in a late-night post on Truth Social. “We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”
The announcement was not accompanied by an executive order, and Mr. Trump did not say whether he intended for May 8 to be a federal holiday, like Veterans Day. The power to create and amend public holidays rests with Congress.
Mr. Trump referenced the celebrations by America’s allies to mark V-E Day, for “Victory in Europe,” this year. “We did more than any other” country, he said, to achieve an Allied victory in World War II, a conflict that devastated most of Europe and huge parts of Asia.
The V-E Day commemorations this year in Britain, France, Canada and other U.S. allies will mark 80 years since the formal end of the war in Europe after Germany’s surrender.
Mr. Trump’s claim that the United States did more than any other nation to defeat Nazi Germany might be contested in Russia, which marks the Soviet victory over German forces in World War II on May 9 every year. The Russian Victory Day, which is meant to honor the 27 million Soviets who died in the war, is a national holiday and one of the most important days on the country’s calendar.
Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day in the United States to mark the end of World War I. After World War II and the Korean War, it was renamed, and its scope was expanded to honor all U.S. military veterans. Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday in May, specifically honors those who gave their lives for the country.
In his post on Thursday night, Mr. Trump did not detail any specific celebrations he wanted to see on these two days. He has previously expressed his desire to honor the military with events such as parades in Washington. New York Times
Pope Francis has been laid to rest in Rome following solemn, hours-long funeral rites at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, bringing to a close his sometimes turbulent 12-year leadership of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
The Argentinian pontiff, who died earlier this week from a stroke and cardiac arrest at the age of 88, was buried on Saturday at the Basilica of St Mary Major in the Italian capital.
As sunny skies greeted crowds of well-wishers in Rome, tens of thousands packed the square to attend the ceremony, officiated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, with many queueing from the early hours outside the square.
Security around the Vatican was unprecedented, with Italian authorities deploying more than 2,500 police officers and 1,500 soldiers, closing the airspace above Vatican City, and stationing a torpedo ship off the coast, Italian media reported.
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral at the Vatican [Gregorio Borgia/AP]
Applause and cheers rang out as Francis’s wooden coffin, inlaid with a large cross, was carried by 14 white-gloved pallbearers through the main doors of St Peter’s Basilica to the outdoor funeral service.
Among the mourners were royals and global leaders, including United States President Donald Trump, who had frequently clashed with Francis over their sharply contrasting views on immigration.
French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Union leaders, the United Kingdom’s Prince William, and members of the Spanish royal family were also in attendance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had initially said he could not attend due to new Russian attacks, was present after all. According to reports, he held a meeting with Trump before the ceremony – their first face-to-face encounter since a heated Oval Office clash in February.
Former US President Joe Biden also attended, alongside other world leaders including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Lebanon’s General Joseph Aoun.
‘A pope among the people’
As world leaders watched from the sidelines, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re delivered a moving funeral homily, describing Francis as a relentless advocate for peace and human dignity.
“Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions,” Battista Re said.
He also praised Francis’s landmark papal letter on climate change and highlighted his many visits to places like Lampedusa and Lesbos, where the pope met migrants and refugees in detention camps.
“His gestures and exhortations in favour of refugees and displaced people are countless,” Battista Re told the crowd.
He eulogised Francis as “a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone”, known for his informal, spontaneous style and his ability to reach “the least among us”.
A humble final resting place
Reporting from the Vatican, Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull called it an “utterly beautiful service” that was “very well received by the enormous crowd”, noting how spontaneous applause broke out during the historic moment.
Following the service, Francis’s coffin made a 4km (2.5-mile) journey through the centre of Rome. According to the Vatican, 150,00 lined up the route of the motorcade to watch the pope’s motorcade.
His burial at St Mary Major Basilica – rather than St Peter’s – was a deeply personal decision made by Francis himself in his last will, Hull reported.
“It has a deep personal significance to Pope Francis and the Jesuit faith, which he was part of,” Hull said.
Earlier this week, more than 250,000 people stood in line – some for hours – to pay their final respects while Francis’s body lay in state at St Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican kept its doors open overnight to accommodate the crowds.
His final resting place, a plain tomb in a historic Roman church that has not held papal remains in centuries, reflects the humility and independence that defined Francis’s papacy.
After the funeral, a group of 40 people – including migrants, homeless individuals, prisoners, and transgender people – greeted the late pope’s coffin with white roses on the steps of St Mary Major Basilica. Al Jazeera
Throngs of mourners are gathering in Vatican City and lining the streets of Rome on Saturday to give a final send-off to Pope Francis, who will be remembered as a champion of migrants and the poor, and for his efforts to reshape the Catholic Church.
His funeral Mass is being held on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the Catholic Church’s most important sites, with more than 50 world leaders and 11 reigning monarchs in attendance. They are expected to include US President Donald Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., head of the largest Catholic nation in Asia.
The Vatican has prepared for as many as 250,000 people to flock to St. Peter’s Square and one million more to line the 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) procession route from Vatican City through Rome to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in hopes of seeing the pope’s modest coffin as it travels to his final resting place.
Many more of world’s 1.4 billion Catholics will watch the funeral for the first Latin American pope on TV.
Pope Francis died at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke on Easter Monday, just one day after he appeared in the same square to offer a blessing to the faithful at the high point of the Christian calendar.
In the days that followed, about 250,000 mourners came to pay their final respects as his body lay in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica. His coffin was officially sealed on Friday night in a liturgical rite led by the Cardinal Camerlengo Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the church.
As daylight gleams off the massive travertine columns of St. Peter’s Square on Saturday morning, the funeral Mass will open with the chant, sung in Latin: “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.”
A Bible reading will be given in English, and a “Prayer of the Faithful” will be offered up in multiple other languages, including French, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, German and for the first time, Mandarin, fitting for a pope who sought to reach out to followers in all parts of the globe.
In keeping with tradition, the Mass will include a homily and communion and end with a final commendation and farewell. Francis approved the order of the day for Saturday back in June 2024.
But other elements of the day will be pared back, as Francis had sought to “simplify and adapt” proceedings, so that the papal funeral is “that of a pastor and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful person in this world,” according to Vatican officials.
Francis, who chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, with his commitment to poverty, peace and nature, also wanted to reflect his own dedication to the homeless and disadvantaged in the day’s events.
He believed “the poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” a Holy See statement said. “For this reason, a group of poor and needy people will be present on the steps leading to the papal Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their last respects to Pope Francis before the burial of his coffin.”
They will be the last members of the public to see his wooden coffin, after it’s driven slowly through the streets of Rome – past tourist highlights like the Piazza Venezia and the ancient Colosseum – in his final procession.
Francis will become the first pope in more than three centuries to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, with the interment taking place away from the public eye.
He was a pope of many firsts – the first Latin American pontiff, the first of the Jesuit order and the first modern-day pope born outside of Europe.
Elected in 2013 as an outsider candidate from Argentina, Francis went on to usher in progressive reforms, including the promotion of women’s roles in the church.
But his 12-year leadership was not without criticism. He took some important steps to address the Catholic Church’s clerical sexual abuse scandals, but campaigners and survivors say there is still much more to do.
Divisions within the Church over same-sex relationships also persisted throughout his papacy. When asked about his position on sexual orientation, the pope famously said, “Who am I to judge?” but also reaffirmed the Church’s position that homosexuality is considered sinful.
And his record was disparaged by some of the more conservative cardinals and members of the Church.
Francis issued a rebuke of the Trump administration’s immigration policy earlier this year, and criticized Vice President JD Vance’s use of theology to defend its approach. Vance was one of the last people to meet with the pope, in a brief encounter on Easter Sunday.
The next pope will be chosen by cardinals from around the world in conclave, a closed-door process that may see a battle play out between those who want to continue Pope Francis’ progressive path and those who want to reverse it.
Catholics throughout the world have differing opinions, but many believers gathered in Vatican City this week told CNN that they are proud of Francis’ record.
“He made some good changes in the Church. I think the Church is now more open,” said Laura Grund, from Leipzig, Germany, who was among the last people to see the late pope lying in state. “He opened many doors.”
“He was a very simple man, who loved other people,” said Sister Luisa, a nun from Munich. “We feel very blessed, but also deep sorrow.” CNN
Donald Trump has said Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal” with “most of the major points agreed” – as he called for the two sides to meet.
Shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, the US president said high-level officials should now meet to “finish [the deal] off”.
“A good day in talks and meetings with Russiaand Ukraine,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’.
“Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!”
Throughout the week, the US president has criticised both Ukraine and Russia for failing to agree to a peace deal.
On Wednesday, he accused Mr Zelenskyy of harming talks on Truth Social, saying “the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE”.
A day later, after nine people were killed in Kyiv after a Russian missile and drone strike, Mr Trump said: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
The president and other officials have also threatened to withdraw from negotiations if no progress is made toward a deal.
The talks allowed Russia and the United States to “further bring their positions closer together” on “a number of international issues”, a Kremlin aide said.
Speaking earlier on the flight to Italy, Mr Trump said he hadn’t been fully briefed on Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin’s meeting – but added it was a “pretty good meeting”.
World leaders are gathering in Vatican City for the Pope’s funeral. There are no formal plans for meetings, but their close proximity could give them opportunity to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Speaking on Air Force One, Mr Trump suggested it would be “disrespectful” for them to meet for political discussions, though he later added: “But I’ll be talking to people.”
Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not accept a deal conceding land or handing over sovereignty to Russia.
However, Mr Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” describing the region as a place where Moscow has “had their submarines” and “the people speak largely Russian”.
“Zelenskyy understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time,” he added. “It’s been with them long before Trump came along.”
When asked on Friday about Mr Trump’s comments, Mr Zelenskyy did not want to comment but reiterated that recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line. Sky News
Image: The Met Police have informed Kaliyah Coa’s family that a body was found in the River Thames. Pic: Met Police
A body has been found after an 11-year-old girl went missing in the River Thames, police have said.
The Metropolitan Police said they were alerted to a body in the River Thames in Maritime Quay around 9am on Sunday morning.
Officers said the body is yet to be formally identified, “however, the family of Kaliyah Coa have been informed of this development and are being supported by specialist officers”.
The girl went missing after she entered the water in east London at the end of March.
Officers said she had been playing during a school inset day and went into the water near Barge House Causeway in North Woolwich.
Emergency services were called at 1.23pm with London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, the RNLI and the coastguard carrying out an “extensive search” for the missing schoolgirl.
The Met Police then released her name and photo at the start of the month, and said officers were leading a recovery mission along the Thames to find her.
Barge House Causeway is a concrete slope that goes directly into the river and is used to transport boats.
Residents said it appeared to be covered in moss and was slippery on the day of the incident. Skynews
