Faith – Winnipeg Free Press

A man inspects a car damaged in an Israeli airstrike at the Ramlet al-Baida public beach in Beirut, Lebanon, early Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Iran’s secretive top leader vows to keep up attacks in his first statement since being appointed

Jon Gambrell, David Rising, Mike Corder And Natalie Melzer, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: 1:13 PM CDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s secretive new supreme leader on Thursday vowed to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. It was his first public statement since being chosen to succeed his father, who was killed in an Israeli strike.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who Israel suspects was wounded in the opening salvo of the war, has not appeared in public since then. In the statement read by a state TV news anchor, he vowed to avenge those killed in the war, including in a strike on a school that killed over 165 people.

The statement signaled a willingness to continue the war that has disrupted global energy supplies, international travel and the relative safety enjoyed by the Gulf Arab states. Iran’s unrelenting attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf had earlier pushed oil back above $100 a barrel.

Both sides dig in as fighting escalates

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Armed man rammed vehicle into Michigan synagogue and was fatally shot by security, AP source says

Corey Williams And Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Armed man rammed vehicle into Michigan synagogue and was fatally shot by security, AP source says

Corey Williams And Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 1:24 PM CDT

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A man armed with a rifle rammed a vehicle into the nation’s largest Reform synagogue, in a Detroit suburb, and was fatally shot by security, The Associated Press has learned.

That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday. The vehicle caught on fire after crashing into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, the person said.

Investigators were still working to identify the man and a possible motive for the attack. The person cautioned that the investigation is still in the early stages

The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

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Updated: 1:24 PM CDT

People gather near Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)

Israeli military warns residents of a large swath of Lebanon to leave their homes, saying it will act against Hezbollah

The Associated Press 1 minute read 8:43 AM CDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli military warns residents of a large swath of Lebanon to leave their homes, saying it will act against Hezbollah.

Pope appoints trusted fellow Augustinian to run Vatican’s charity office

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Pope appoints trusted fellow Augustinian to run Vatican’s charity office

The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 11:24 AM CDT

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday entrusted the Vatican’s charity works to a fellow Augustinian, signaling a line of continuity with Pope Francis who had elevated the centuries-old job to a position of action and prominence that helped define his legacy.

Leo named Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, a Spanish member of Leo's religious order and an undersecretary in the Vatican’s synod office, as his chief almsgiver and prefect of the Vatican’s charity office.

Marín replaces Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, 62, who becomes the Archbishop of Lodz, in Poland, his home archdiocese that has been without an archbishop for a year.

Francis had redefined the role of the Vatican’s chief almsgiver and had asked Krajewski to essentially be the hands-on extension of his own personal acts of charity that he could no longer do himself as pope.

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Updated: 11:24 AM CDT

FILE - Cardinal Konrad Krajewski walks after being elected in a consistory in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, June 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Utah’s anti-gambling tradition meets Kalshi and Polymarket in a new legal fight

Ken Sweet And Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

Utah’s anti-gambling tradition meets Kalshi and Polymarket in a new legal fight

Ken Sweet And Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press 8 minute read Updated: 12:52 AM CDT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — For more than a century, Utah has kept gambling almost entirely out of the state. There are no casinos, no lotteries and no racetracks that allow bets, a prohibition rooted in the conservative ideals of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which views gambling as a vice that leads to selfishness and addiction.

But now, the state is fighting a new, more challenging battle to keep gambling outside its borders. It's on the verge of enacting a law intended to undercut prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, which allow anyone with a smartphone to wager on anything from whether it will rain in Los Angeles to whether the United States will go to war.

While regulators and other states are still debating whether those markets constitute finance or gambling, Utah has already made up its mind.

“We are putting a casino in the pocket of every single American, and they are targeting especially young people,” said Gov. Spencer Cox. “It is really awful what they are doing, and we are going to make sure this doesn’t happen in our state.”

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Updated: 12:52 AM CDT

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

The Latest: Israel bombs central Beirut, US airstrikes top 6,000, Iran escalates attacks

The Associated Press 20 minute read Preview

The Latest: Israel bombs central Beirut, US airstrikes top 6,000, Iran escalates attacks

The Associated Press 20 minute read Updated: 1:15 PM CDT

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war on Thursday, saying Iran should close the Strait of Hormuz and keep attacking its Gulf Arab neighbors as leverage. Khamenei also called on people in Gulf countries to “shut down” U.S. bases, saying promised U.S. protection is “nothing more than a lie.”

Khamenei did not appear on camera. Israeli intelligence assessed that he was likely wounded in the war’s opening salvo, which he said also killed his wife, one of his sisters, his niece and his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As American and Israeli strikes pound the Islamic Republic and Iran attacks Persian Gulf shipping and energy infrastructure with no sign of an end to the war, oil prices have soared back above $100 a barrel.

U.S. President Donald Trump promised to “finish the job,” even as Iran is “virtually destroyed.” The first week of war cost the United States $11.3 billion, according to the Pentagon. The U.N. refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced, and authorities in Lebanon say 800,000 have been forced from their homes as Israel’s military destroys buildings linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

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Updated: 1:15 PM CDT

Flames rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Ottawa earmarks $10 million to help protect Jewish institutions after gunfire attacks

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Ottawa earmarks $10 million to help protect Jewish institutions after gunfire attacks

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:06 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The federal government is earmarking $10 million to help Jewish communities bolster security at their gathering places after three Toronto-area synagogues were struck with gunfire in recent days.

The money dispensed through the federal Canada Community Security Program is meant to help protect Jewish places of worship, schools, child care centres, overnight camps and other institutions.

The program offers organizations at risk of hate-motivated crimes money for security equipment and hardware, such as protective barriers and window and door reinforcements.

Funding may also go to developing security assessments and emergency plans, training staff to respond to hate-motivated events and hiring licensed security personnel.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:06 PM CDT

Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree is surrounded by members of the Liberal caucus speaks at a news conference on the Canada Community Security Program in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

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Head priest of Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh accused of stealing baseball cards from Walmart

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Head priest of Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh accused of stealing baseball cards from Walmart

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:46 PM CDT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The head priest and dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh is facing charges after being accused of stealing more than $1,000 in baseball cards from a Walmart.

The Very Rev. Aidan Smith was arrested Feb. 27 by police just after leaving the Walmart in Economy Borough, just outside Pittsburgh, with 27 packs of baseball cards concealed under his clothing and in a cardboard box, according to court records.

Smith, 42, was charged with receiving stolen property and retail theft.

Police responded to a call from Walmart security, who said Smith was in the store again after having stolen from it in previous days. Police said Walmart security video shows Smith also taking baseball cards each of the four previous days and leaving without paying.

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:46 PM CDT

A man walks past Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Iran’s sports minister says it cannot take part in the upcoming World Cup because of US attacks

The Associated Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:47 AM CDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's sports minister says it cannot take part in the upcoming World Cup because of US attacks.

Israeli intelligence assessment indicates Iran’s new supreme leader was wounded at the start of the war

The Associated Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 8:03 AM CDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli intelligence assessment indicates Iran’s new supreme leader was wounded at the start of the war.

Iran war has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil choke point. Reopening it is a big challenge

John Leicester, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Iran war has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil choke point. Reopening it is a big challenge

John Leicester, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:38 PM CDT

PARIS (AP) — Gasoline prices are rising largely because of the Iran war's impact on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passageway for oil and gas from the Persian Gulf. The waterway off Iran's coast, now effectively closed, is so vital for the global economy that governments are working on blueprints to speedily reopen it to shipping when the shooting stops.

In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron is leading an international effort to unblock the energy choke point, so that oil, gas and goods could flow freely again “when circumstances permit." He envisions countries using warships to escort tankers and container vessels through the strait when fighting is less intense, whenever that may be.

Former naval officers who have served in the Hormuz passage say vessels would be sitting ducks, with little room for maneuver in the strait's narrow shipping lanes, if foreign naval forces attempted to reopen the waterway before a cessation of hostilities.

“In today’s context, sending warships or civilian vessels into the Strait of Hormuz would be suicidal,” French navy retired Vice Adm. Pascal Ausseur said in an interview with The Associated Press.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:38 PM CDT

A UAE navy ship patrols the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Mina Al Fajer, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Wealthy nations pledge record release of emergency oil reserves in a bid to calm surging prices

Samuel Petrequin And Kirsten Grieshaber, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Wealthy nations pledge record release of emergency oil reserves in a bid to calm surging prices

Samuel Petrequin And Kirsten Grieshaber, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:03 PM CDT

PARIS (AP) — A group representing many of the world's wealthiest countries agreed Wednesday to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid to counter the effects of the Iran war on energy markets and the halt of cargo shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The International Energy Agency said it will make 400 million barrels of oil available from its members’ emergency reserves, which is more than double the 182.7 million barrels that the IEA's 32 member countries released in 2022 in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“This is a major action aiming to alleviate the immediate impacts of the disruption in markets,” said Fatih Birol, executive director of the Paris-based IEA. “But, to be clear, the most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas is the resumption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran has attacked commercial ships across the Persian Gulf in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oil-rich region as global energy concerns mount and effectively stopping cargo traffic in the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of all oil is shipped from the Persian Gulf toward the Indian Ocean. Iran has also targeted oil fields and refineries in Gulf Arab nations, aiming to generate enough global economic pain to pressure the U.S. and Israel to end their strikes.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:03 PM CDT

Signs show the gas prices at a gas station, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Analysis: Iran war becomes a contest of who can take the most pain

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Analysis: Iran war becomes a contest of who can take the most pain

Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:13 AM CDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The war with Iran, for all its complexity and global effects, boils down to a single question: Who can take the pain the longest?

A surge in oil prices points to what may be Iran’s most effective weapon and the United States’ biggest vulnerability in continuing the campaign: damaging the world economy. A sharp rise in gas prices has rattled consumers and financial markets, and international travel and shipping have been severely disrupted.

U.S. President Donald Trump appears aware of the danger. As oil jumped to nearly $120 a barrel on Monday, the highest since 2022, he suggested the war would be “short-term.” That helped reassure markets and the price eased to around $90 — even as Trump, nearly in the same breath, vowed to keep up the war and the punishment on Iran.

On the other side, Iran has to endure a near-constant stream of American and Israeli airstrikes it can’t defend against. So far, the Islamic Republic is still in control, with leadership passing from the ayatollah slain in the war’s opening strikes to his son. Although its military has been hit extensively, it continues to launch missiles and drones across the region.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:13 AM CDT

FILE - Policemen stand on top of their car with pictures of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right and left, and his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to him, center, during a rally to support him in Tehran, Iran, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Iran’s joint military command says that banks and financial institutions are now a target in the Middle East

The Associated Press 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:48 AM CDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's joint military command says that banks and financial institutions are now a target in the Middle East.

Two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport and wounded four people, though flights continue, officials say

The Associated Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 2:41 AM CDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport and wounded four people, though flights continue, officials say.

The Latest: Iran’s attacks on shipping worsen economic concerns as countries tap oil reserves

The Associated Press 19 minute read Preview

The Latest: Iran’s attacks on shipping worsen economic concerns as countries tap oil reserves

The Associated Press 19 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:48 PM CDT

The ongoing American-Israeli war with Iran, for all its complexity and global effects, boils down to a single question: Who can take the pain the longest? A surge in oil prices points to what may be Iran’s most effective weapon and the United States’ biggest vulnerability in continuing the campaign: Damaging the world economy.

Wednesday’s major developments include Iranian attacks against commercial ships around the Strait of Hormuz and Dubai International Airport, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oil-rich Gulf region as global energy concerns mount.

The U.S. campaign of airstrikes in Iran is now in its 12th day with no end in sight. A U.S. commander says artificial intelligence has helped the military hit more than 5,500 targets in the country. An Israeli intelligence assessment also indicates that Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded at the start of the war.

Witnesses in Tehran said they heard loud airstrikes and heavy anti-aircraft fire Wednesday, and columns of smoke made the sky overcast as a layer of gray dust settled over the city. The air is filled with the distinctive smell of burnt powder and gasoline. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisal.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:48 PM CDT

March 12, 2026

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