World leaders are "feeding" wars instead of the hungry, Pope Leo said on Monday, telling the UN food aid agency that global priorities were badly skewed. Leo, who has been more outspoken on political issues in recent months, urged governments to increase their spending to combat hunger and not subject food aid to limits based on geopolitical concerns. "Conflicts are 'fed' more readily than people are nourished," the first US pope said in a visit to the Rome headquarters of the World Food Programme (WFP). "This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities," he said. The WFP is the largest provider of food aid worldwide. Its biggest donor is the US, which announced a new $800 million contribution last week, following earlier cuts by President Donald Trump that more than halved planned US funding. Pope says access to food is a fundame...
The Indian government is in talks with the UAE to sell some of its flagship defence systems, including the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, four Indian sources said, as the Gulf nation steps up arms procurement following the war in the Middle East. The discussions, which have not been previously reported, include the potential sale of India's air defence system Akashteer, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. "UAE has shown interest for a number of our weapon systems including BrahMos and Akashteer. The talks between India and UAE are at initial stages and are progressing fast," said a third source with direct knowledge of the matter. Indian officials and the UAE foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment. BrahMos, jointly developed by India and Russia, is among the world's fastest cruise missiles and can be launched from land, sea and air platforms, while Akashteer is a fully automated air defence system develop...