ROME (AP) – Pope Leo XIV and the co-founder of artificial intelligence company Anthropic will launch the pontiff’s first encyclical on May 25, a document on the care of human dignity in the era of AI, the Vatican said Monday. Anthropic has billed itself as the AI company that puts safety and risk-mitigation at the forefront of its research.

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Today is Monday, May 18, the 138th day of 2026. There are 227 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state erupted, leaving an estimated 57 people dead or missing.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – A new and deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda is the latest health emergency forcing African governments to break free of dependency on global donors like the United States as international support has been slashed in half over the past five years.

MALE, Maldives (AP) – Italy’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that rescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, four days after they were reported missing.

LONDON (AP) – Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall plans to sell about 20% of its 1 billion pound ($1.3 billion) property portfolio over the next decade to consolidate its holdings and finance plans to build thousands of homes, expand renewable energy production and pursue wildlife restoration projects.

HONG KONG (AP) – Liquidators of the failed Chinese property developer China Evergrande are seeking 57 billion yuan ($8.4 billion) from accounting firm PwC over its auditing work, a Hong Kong court heard on Monday.

HAVANA (AP) – A ship laden with humanitarian aid from the governments of Mexico and Urugay arrived Monday in Havana to help ease Cuba’s spiraling crises.