(ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE) — Pope Francis acknowledged Tuesday that his landmark deal with China over bishop nominations will cause suffering among the underground faithful. But he said that he takes full responsibility and that he — and not Beijing — will have the ultimate say over naming new bishops.

Francis provided the first details of the weekend agreement signed during an in-flight news conference coming home from the Baltics. The deal aims to end decades of tensions over bishop nominations that had contributed to dividing the Chinese church and hampered efforts at improving bilateral relations.

China’s estimated 12 million Catholics are split between those belonging to the government-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which is outside the pope’s authority, and an underground church loyal to the pope. Underground priests and parishioners are frequently detained and harassed.

Francis — and before him Pope Benedict XVI — had tried to unite the two communities, and year..

India’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to uphold a controversial biometric identity program, finding that the sweeping data collection scheme is constitutional despite claims that it violated privacy laws and was unlawfully established. Four judges on the five-member Supreme Court panel decided by majority that the program can continue, but with limited scope and restrictions on data storage.

The program, known as Aadhaar, is considered the world’s largest biometric ID program with roughly 1 billion registered users representing nearly all of India’s 1.3 billion population. It was established by the administration of Manmohan Singh in 2009 as a way to streamline government welfare schemes and prevent identity fraud. While rollout began as early as 2010, the program was retroactively legalized by a law passed in 2016.

Public perceptions of the program also seem to have evolved over time. Upon its creation, Aadhaar was largely viewed as a well-intentioned initiative that could stem gov..

National Security Adviser John Bolton issued a striking rebuke to Iran Tuesday, warning its leaders that there will be “hell to pay” if they endanger U.S. citizens or allies.

Bolton’s comments came the same day that President Donald Trump characterized Iran as instigating “chaos, death and destruction” in an address to the U.N.

The hostile rhetoric was part of a concerted effort by the Trump administration to muster international support for pressuring Iran as world leaders convene in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Bolton directed his warning to the “murderous regime” of “mullahs in Tehran,” BBC reports.

“If you cross us, our allies, or our partners; if you harm our citizens; if you continue to lie, cheat, and deceive, yes, there will indeed be hell to pay,” Bolton said at the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Summit. “Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you.”

Meanwhile, President Trump called on fellow world leaders to “isola..