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Pope critical but ‘in good humour’ in hospital

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Pope Francis is resting, but remains “critical” with respiratory and kidney problems, more than a week after being admitted to hospital, the Vatican has said.

“The night went well, the Pope slept and is resting,” a Monday morning statement said.

Vatican sources said the Pope was in good humour and eating normally – a slightly more upbeat message than they’d been giving over the weekend, following his sudden breathing difficulties on Saturday.

The Pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on 14 February after experiencing breathing difficulties for several days, where he was first treated for bronchitis before being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs.

On Sunday, the Pope’s thrombocytopenia – a condition that occurs when the platelet count in the blood is too low – was stable, a statement said.

The Vatican did not offer a prognosis, given the “complexity of the clinical picture”.

On Saturday, the Vatican said that the Pope had experienced a respiratory crisis and was in a “critical” condition, but later on Sunday released an update that he had “not presented any further respiratory crises”.

Earlier on Sunday, the Pope issued a statement asking Catholics to pray for him after he was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person for the second week running.

And at 21:00 (20:00 GMT) on Monday, those cardinals who are in Rome will gather outside St Peter’s Basilica to lead prayers for the Pope, together with members of the Vatican curia and clergy from the Diocese of Rome.

They will continue to gather each evening, from now on, to recite the Rosary.

Monday evening’s prayer will be led by Cardinal Parolin, who is Vatican’s secretary of state.

The pontiff is particularly susceptible to pneumonia, an infection of the lungs that can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, after he contracted pleurisy – an inflammation of the lungs – as a young man and underwent a partial lung removal.

The leader of the Roman Catholic church has been admitted to hospital multiple times during his 12-year tenure, including being treated for bronchitis at the same hospital in March 2023.

From Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American, and first Jesuit, to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

(BBC News)

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Iran confirms head of IRGC has been killed

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Strikes by Israel and Iran continue as the conflict between the two countries has intensified.
On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed the chief of Iran’s armed forces intelligence unit.  Iran has confirmed that the head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit, Mohammad Kazemi, has been killed. IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency and Iranian state TV say Kazemi died along with his deputy Hassan Mohaqeq and commander Mohsen Baqeri in Israeli attacks on Sunday.

Meanwhile, more than 10 Israelis are reported to have been injured following Iranian strikes. This comes after Israel attacked Iran early on Friday, hitting nuclear facilities, military sites and populated areas. Iran has responded with drones and ballistic missiles

“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal,” says US President Donald Trump, adding that he will be the one to make it happen. He has added calls and meetings are taking place as the escalation stretches into a third day, but Iran says it will not negotiate a ceasefire while under attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “the issue here is not de-escalation”, but stopping Iran from developing its nuclear capability.

Iran’s health ministry reports that at least 224 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since Friday, while at least 10 Israelis were killed in Iranian strikes overnight.

(BBC News)

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Air India plane crash death toll rises to 270

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Doctors in India say 270 bodies have been recovered from the site of Thursday’s plane crash in Ahmedabad.

The London-bound aircraft crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off killing all but one of the 242 passengers and crew members, a 40-year-old British man.

Officials have also been trying to establish how many people were killed on the ground and have been continuing the slow process of matching DNA samples to confirm the victims’ identities.

Vigils honouring the dead have taken place across India and the UK.

About 100 people gathered outside the High Commission of India in London on Sunday, with many laying candles in memory of those who died in the crash.

One community leader said they had been in touch with a family who had flown to India to identify the remains of their loved ones and were waiting in hospital for the results of DNA matching.

Many people at the gathering want answers on how and why the incident could have happened, the community leader said.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash, helped by teams from the US and UK.

On Friday, a black box was found at the site of the crash which India’s civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said would “significantly aid the inquiry” into the disaster.

Less than 60 seconds after leaving Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, the plane lost altitude and crashed into a building that was used as doctors’ accommodation at the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital.
On Saturday, the President of the Junior Doctors’ Association of the college, Dr Dhaval Gameti, confirmed the hospital had received the bodies of 270 victims.

Of those, 241 are believed to be passengers and crew of Flight AI171.

More than thirty victims have also been formally identified using DNA samples provided by relatives.

According to data by tracking website, Flightradar24, the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 was 11 years old and had operated 25 flights from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick in the past two years.

In response to Thursday’s crash, India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), ordered additional safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet, describing it as a “preventive measure”.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent around 20 minutes walking around the site of the plane crash on Friday.

He also visited the hospital to meet some of those injured in the disaster, including the sole plane survivor Vishwashkumar Ramesh, later saying that “the entire nation is praying for their speedy recovery”.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also went to the crash site on Friday and described the visit as “deeply moving”.

(BBC News)

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Missing chopper in India found crashed

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A helicopter belonging to Aryan Aviation, flying from Kedarnath Dham to Guptkashi, has crashed in the jungles of Gaurikund, leading to the deaths of 7 people, including the pilot.

Following the crash, helicopter services operating in the Char Dham region have been suspended until further notice. The decision was jointly taken by UCADA (Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority) and DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation).

The aircraft had previously gone missing in the Gaurikund area of the state, Indian media had reported.

(Agencies)

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