Hundreds of thousands of people packed the streets of Dublin on Monday to watch Ireland's national St. Patrick's Day parade, as crowds in green flooded cities and towns across the country to mark the annual holiday.

Officials said half a million spectators were expected to line the parade route in the capital to watch the colorful floats, performers and dancers. Some 4,000 people and 12 marching bands from across Ireland, North America and Austria were taking part this year to commemorate Ireland's patron saint.

Conan O'Brien is returning to the Oscars stage in 2026. The late-night host and comedian will preside over the 98th Academy Awards, set for March 15, the film academy's leadership said Monday.

"The only reason I'm hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech," O'Brien said in a statement.

U.S. shoppers stepped up their spending just a bit in February after a sharp pullback the previous month, signaling that Americans are shopping more cautiously as concerns about the direction of the economy mount.

Retail sales rose just 0.2% in February, a small rebound after a sharp drop of 1.2% in January, the Commerce Department said Monday. Sales rose at grocery stores, home and garden stores, and online retailers. Sales fell at auto dealers, restaurants, and electronics stores.

The United States and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are both vowing escalation after the U.S. launched airstrikes to deter the rebels from attacking military and commercial vessels on one of the world's busiest shipping corridors.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the U.S. strikes killed at least 53 people, including five women and two children, and wounded almost 100 in the capital of Sanaa and other provinces, including Saada, the rebels' stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia.

A federal judge wants to know why a doctor from Lebanon with a U.S. visa was deported, after he ordered that she not be removed until he could hear her case.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, had been granted the visa on March 11 and arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday, according to a complaint filed on her behalf by a cousin in federal court.

Lionel Messi scored early and Fafà Picault scored the winner after subbing in late to rally Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday night.

Picault's first goal this season came in his second appearance with an assist from defender Jordi Alba — his second — in the 89th minute. Messi scored the equalizer in the 20th minute. It was his first goal in two starts this season.

Midfielder Marc Casadó and central defender Iñigo Martínez are out of Spain's Nations League quarter-final because of injury, the national soccer federation said Monday.

Defending champion Spain visits the Netherlands on Thursday and hosts them on Sunday in the return match.

Paris Saint-Germain concluded a perfect week on Sunday to move a step closer to a record-extending 13th French league title.

PSG beat second-placed Marseille 3-1 to extend its lead at the top to 19 points with just eight rounds remaining. The victory over its bitter rival in the biggest game of French soccer came five days after PSG ousted Liverpool from the Champions League.

Chinese government officials on Monday outlined steps they are taking to try to boost domestic demand by getting consumers to spend more as a tariff war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to curb the country's exports.

The central bank will study creating new tools to increase low-cost funding for important consumption areas, said Che Shiyi from the People's Bank of China, the central bank.

Wall Street was poised to open slightly lower Monday morning after U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he was pushing forward with more tariff hikes despite concerns about their impact on the economy and markets.

Futures for the S&P 500 inched back 0.1%, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3%. Nasdaq futures were essentially unchanged.