Iran’s navy seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman that was at the center of a crisis

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s navy has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that once was at the center of a major crisis between Tehran and Washington, a seizure that further escalates tensions in the Mideast waterways. The vessel was once known as the Suez Rajan and was involved in a yearlong dispute that ultimately saw the U.S. Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil on it. Iran’s state-run television acknowledged the seizure late Thursday afternoon, hours after armed men boarded it. The seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.

Vatican unveils plans for restoring Bernini’s canopy in St. Peter’s Basilica

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has unveiled plans for a yearlong restoration of the monumental baldacchino, or canopy, over the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, pledging to complete the work on Bernini’s masterpiece before Pope Francis’ big 2025 Jubilee. The 700,000 euros, or $770,000, restoration and conservation project, funded entirely by the Knights of Columbus and using the expertise of Vatican Museums’ restorers, marks the first comprehensive work on the 10-story tall baldacchino in 250 years. The structure, which is positioned over the basilica’s main altar to provide a ceremonial covering for the tomb of St. Peter underneath, dates from the 1630s, when Pope Urban VIII commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to create a canopy for the apostles’ tomb.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy rules out a cease-fire with Russia

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out a cease-fire as his country defends itself against Russia’s invasion. He said Thursday that the Kremlin’s forces would use the pause to rearm and regroup. Limited cease-fires have occasionally been proposed since Russia launched its full-scale war in February 2022 but have never taken hold. Both sides are scrambling to replenish their weapons, with the prospect of a protracted conflict looming. Zelenskyy was in Estonia and Latvia on Thursday as part of a two-day swing through Baltic countries that have been among Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in the war and are promising more help.

Thousands protest in Slovakia against a government plan to amend the penal code

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands of people have taken to the streets of major cities in Slovakia to renew their protests against plans by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the country’s penal code. The changes proposed by the three-party coalition government include a proposal to abolish the special prosecutors’ office which handles serious crimes such as graft, organized crime and extremism. Those cases would be taken over by prosecutors in regional offices which haven’t dealt with such crimes for 20 years.