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Pope Francis remains in a “critical” condition, but “has not presented any further respiratory crises”, the Vatican said in a statement on Sunday. He was still receiving high-flow oxygen therapy and had undergone blood transfusions. Blood tests also showed he had “initial, mild, renal insufficiency” – a kidney problem – that is “currently under control”,…

John Simpson World Affairs Editor Getty Images Just occasionally, there are years when the world goes through some fundamental, convulsive change. 1968, with the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Paris riots and the anti-Vietnam War protests in America, was one of them. 1989, the year of the Tiananmen massacre, the fall of the Berlin Wall,…

Israel has expelled the residents of three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank as it steps up a major month-long operation in the Palestinian territory. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the camps in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams were now “empty” and would be occupied by the Israeli military for the coming year.…

Reuters People have gathered at a stadium in Beirut for a commemoration of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine Large crowds have gathered for the funeral of Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut in September. Mourners dressed in black flocked to a stadium on the…

Pope Francis has asked Catholics to pray for him, as he continues to receive treatment in hospital for double pneumonia. The pontiff was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person for the second Sunday running. But in a message written over the last few days, he said he was “confidently continuing” his hospitalisation…

As the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is meant to be drawing to an end, it has once again been put in doubt. After the last six living Israel hostages due to be released in this phase were freed, more than 600 Palestinian prisoners were due to be released…

Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on Saturday night, causing civilian casualties across Ukraine, official have said. Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, said a “record” 267 Russian drones were launched in a single, coordinated attack. Among them, 138 were intercepted by air defence while 119 disappeared from radars after being jammed and…

An aeronautical company in the US has released footage showing a concept version of its flying car performing a vertical take-off before flying over an SUV. Jim Dukhovny, the CEO of Alef Aeronautics, told the BBC’s senior technology reporter Chris Vallance, that he had thousands of pre-orders and hoped to start production within 12 months.…

BBC Eye Investigations BBC World Service BBC Mumbai-based Aveo had been selling the addictive combination in West Africa Indian authorities have banned two highly-addictive opioids in response to a BBC investigation which found they were fuelling a public health crisis in parts of West Africa. In a letter seen by the BBC from India’s Drugs…

Olga Ivshina BBC News Russian BBC Daniil Dudnikov was mobilised to fight in the war while studying at Donetsk National University Over 95,000 people fighting for Russia’s military have now died as the war in Ukraine enters the fourth year, according to data analysed by the BBC. This figure doesn’t include those who were killed…