Pope Francis, in critical condition as he battles double pneumonia, has had a “tranquil” night and rested after a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions, the Vatican says.
“The night was tranquil, the pope rested”, the Vatican said in a one-sentence update on Sunday morning without providing further information. Later on Sunday, he is anticipated to receive another update on his condition.
Francis, 88, was taken to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 after having breathing difficulties for a while and later having pneumonia in both lungs.
On Saturday, the Vatican reported that he needed additional oxygen and blood transfusions the day after a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis,” calling his condition “critical” for the first time.
The prognosis was also stated in the Saturday statement as “reserved.”
A serious condition that can make it difficult to breathe can cause inflamation and scarring both lungs. The Vatican has described the pope’s infection as “complex”, saying it is being caused by two or more microorganisms.
Francis, who has been pope since 2013, has suffered bouts of ill health in the past two years. Because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had a portion of one lung removed, he is particularly susceptible to lung infections.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, a senior Vatican official, told worshippers at a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday that they should make their prayers for Francis “stronger and more intense”.
Francis will receive a special Mass for Sunday evening prayer in the Diocese of Rome in order to “have the strength necessary to get through this moment of trial,” according to the pope’s leadership.
Near the Vatican, pilgrims expressed concern for the pope’s condition. “I am very, very sad”, Italian Elvira Romana said. “I don’t know how you can continue on normally at this moment”.
Sardinian Matteo Licari expressed his “extreme concern” for the situation. “Let’s hope he can keep living”, Licari said. We are anticipating his return to this place.
People gathered outside Gemelli Hospital to pray near a statue of the late Pope John Paul II, who spent the majority of his papacy receiving care there frequently.
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Pakistian’s Imam-ul-Haq is run out by India’s Axar Patel with a “direct hit” to the stumps in the ICC Champions Trophy match at the Dubai International stadium.
Donald Trump performed a victory lap of sorts in front of a sizable crowd of conservatives as he celebrated his first month in office. His former adviser was depicted saluting Hitler in a chainsaw, and Elon Musk, a billionaire, waved a chainsaw.
Trump addressed his political opponents, including Joe Biden, in a rally-like speech to an energized audience at the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, blasting his accomplishments since taking office on January 20.
Trump used an expletive to describe Biden, which earned a standing ovation from the audience, and said, “Everything he touched turned to s***.”
Trump also declared that “nobody’s ever seen anything” like his administration’s sweeping effort to fire thousands of federal employees , and , shrink the size of government, congratulating himself for “dominating” the capital and sending bureaucrats “packing”.
Trump, who has suggested running for a third term in 2028 against what the US Constitution says, “We’re going to forge a new and lasting political majority that will drive American politics for generations to come.”
What other highlights of the CPAC are there?
Bannon’s Nazi-like salute
Steve Bannon, a former political adviser to Donald Trump and former chief strategist, was accused of performing a Nazi salute at CPAC, despite insisting that it was all just a “wave.”
After telling the audience to “Fight!,” Bannon extended his right arm in the air, his palm flat. Fight! Fight”! – a reference to the yells Trump made following an assassination attempt.
The gesture, which drew comparisons to a gesture Musk made during a Trump inauguration event, prompted immediate backlash, including from the Anti-Defamation League, due to its similarities with the right-arm salute linked in history to the Nazis.
Even the far-right National Rally president in France had to cancel his scheduled speech at the same time due to the incident, which Bannon later called “a boy, not a man” and who is “unworthy to lead France.”
Musk waves a chainsaw
As he appeared at the CPAC, Musk waved a chainsaw in the air, praising Democrats for their “treason” and for being open to the Federal Reserve audit.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke about his fight to reduce government spending and reduce the federal workforce while wearing shades and his hat, which he dubbed “Make America Great Again.”
Then, according to Musk, he revealed Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, had a gift for him.
The Argentinian leader then carried the red chainsaw to Musk, who performed its wave in front of a cheering crowd. The chainsaw was engraved with Milei’s slogan, “Viva la libertad, carajo”, which is Spanish for “Long live liberty, damn it”.
Milei, who has been frequently praised by Musk, popularised the tool while campaigning in 2023 and proposing slashing public spending.
Milei bats for small government
The Argentinian leader reiterated on Saturday that his policies in Argentina are similar to those in the US and that the CPAC audience should continue to support Trump’s reductionist measures.
Speaking in Spanish, Milei expressed support for Trump’s efforts to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), saying it is out of line with the president’s agenda and claiming it was wasteful.
Milei remarked that “our approach is comparable to that of our dear friend Elon Musk.” “To go office by office, take your current work and dispose of it.” That’s why I gave him a chainsaw”.
In his campaign for the year 2023, he used a different chainsaw to represent his plans to destroy the overcrowded state. But a year into his presidency, Argentina’s poverty rate hit nearly 53 percent, prompting analysts to call his policy “a disaster”.
Meloni asserts that Europe has not been lost.
Despite rising tensions over the fate of Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated via a videolink that the relationship would continue between Trump and Europe.
Blaming “ruling classes” and “mainstream media”, Meloni insisted Europe was not “lost”.
“Our adversaries hope that President Trump will move away from us]Europe]”, Meloni said, adding, “knowing him as a strong and effective leader, I bet that those who hope for divisions will be proven wrong”.
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In a grating Instagram video, Meghan Markle revealed her new lifestyle brand.
The Duchess of Sussex was initially greeted with a backlash after the wildly successful release of As Ever, which ditched the American Riviera Orchard name. The mayor of a town on Mallorca claimed Meghan had “copied” its coat of arms by revealing the logo for her name, which depicts a palm tree flanked by two hummingbirds.
Then it became clear that the company had a name that was similar to a clothing company in New York. Meghan claimed she hadn’t been able to share the cooking, gardening, and crafting tips she loves for a while, and the Instagram video where she announced the change was also said to have a sly dig at the Royal Family.
Meghan in her Instagram announcement (Meghan/Instagram)
Meghan revealed her brand is now called As Ever (Meghan/Instagram)
However, Jennie Bond, a former BBC royal correspondent, claimed Meghan’s criticism was unfair and that her video only made light of her true feelings.
She said: “Lots of new ventures hit teething problems and Meghan’s was no exception. We all make mistakes, but she obviously should have been instructed to do so. She has now attempted to put the best spin on these initial setbacks.
She claimed that she hadn’t been able to share her cooking and gardening tips for a while, which I don’t believe was a dig at the Royals. It is merely a fact statement. She expressed no resentment or bitterness toward it. She sounded relieved that she is now able to resume what she has already proven to be very adept at: selling lifestyle suggestions and ideas.
Meghan’s new website for As Ever (As Ever)
Meghan ran her own successful lifestyle blog, The Tig, where she shared recipes and holiday photos before getting married to Prince Harry. Jennie thinks that Jennie’s success should help her prepare for the future.
She continued, “I think she’s eager to make it a success because she has already demonstrated her skill. She is much more well-known than when she first met Harry, and she is likely to draw more customers for her website, giving her and her family a good living.
“And that, they said, was one of the reasons they wanted to leave the royal family: to earn their own way in life, and of course to be free. And that really is fair enough. Good for her, living comfortably and contributing to the cost of their lavish lifestyle in California.
If Harry and Meghan had been permitted to remain in the royal family, could Meghan have attempted to establish this brand? If she had stayed in the royal family, Jennie said, “It’s difficult to say whether she would have been given the opportunity to do this sort of thing.” You could compare it with Charles’s Highgrove shop.
The key difference is that all profits from Highgrove, including the garden tours and the store, benefit his charitable foundation. It might have been possible if Meghan had been able to donate everything to charity on her website. But I believe it’s unlikely that she would have desired that.
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With 54 countries in total, Africa has the most countries of any continent.
Rather than following natural terrains or historical boundaries, many of its borders are strikingly straight in some areas and jagged in others, cutting through mountains, rivers and even communities.
The majority of these artificial borders date to the 1884-1985 Berlin Conference, a meeting that ended 140 years ago this week when the European powers divided Africa among themselves without any African countries being present or represented.
In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera delves into the stories behind some of the continent’s most unusual borders.
Why doesn’t anyone want Bir Tawil, Egypt or Sudan?
Starting in northeastern Africa is a 2, 000sq-km (795sq-mile) uninhabited, arid piece of land that neither Egypt nor Sudan wants to claim as their own.
In 1899, Britain drew a straight-line border along the 22nd parallel, a line of latitude 22 degrees north of the equator, separating Egypt and Sudan, two territories under British control.
However, in 1902, Britain reassigned the coastal and resource-rich Hala’ib Triangle to Sudan and Bir Tawil to Egypt for geopolitical and administrative reasons.
Decades later, after both countries gained independence, Egypt insisted that the true border should follow the 1899 agreement while Sudan argued that it should follow the 1902 demarcation. Both nations continue to rely on Kir Tawil because claiming it would result in forfeiting Hala’ib Triangle claims.
Egypt has controlled the Hala’ib Triangle since 2000, but the dispute remains unresolved.
(Al Jazeera)
Why is The Gambia so narrow?
A sliver of land is almost entirely encircled by Senegal as you travel along Africa’s western coast. The Gambia, the smallest nation on the continent and home to about three million people, is located here.
The Gambia later became a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade after the Portuguese first discovered it in the 15th century. From 1821 until 1965, it was a British colony. The British and French authorities fought over its territorial boundaries because it was close to the then-French Senegal.
In 1889, Britain and France formally established The Gambia’s borders, agreeing that British control would extend about 16km (10 miles) on either side of the river, reaching its furthest navigable point at Yarbutenda.
According to a well-known legend, British forces shot cannonballs from their ships to maintain control over crucial trade routes. Although this claim is unsupported by historical evidence, it is believed that an Anglo-French commission in 1891 attempted to enact laws to regulate the borders but local rulers whose lands were arbitrarily divided opposed this claim.
Ultimately, The Gambia’s borders were shaped by colonial interests and British military power, leaving it as a long, narrow enclave within Senegal.
(Al Jazeera)
Why is Cabinda part of Angola?
Heading south along the continent’s western coast, you’ll come across a small section of Angola separated from the rest of the country. This is Cabinda, Angola’s northern province, cut off from the rest of the country by a narrow strip of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cabinda joined Angola as a result of historical choices made during Portuguese colonial rule.
During the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference, Cabinda was formally recognised as a Portuguese possession, separate from Angola, although both were under Portuguese rule. Cabinda and Angola were administratively merged in Portugal over time, but the area remained geographically and culturally distinct.
When Portugal withdrew from its African colonies in 1975, the Alvor Agreement, signed with Angola’s main liberation groups, excluded Cabindan representation. and Cabinda and Angola merged, primarily because of Cabinda’s lucrative offshore oil reserves.
The Cabindan independence movement, particularly the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, has been calling for Cabinda’s separation from Angola ever since.
(Al Jazeera)
Why does Namibia have a little panhandle?
You might notice a small panhandle jutting out of Namibia as you head into Southern Africa. This is the Caprivi Strip.
Until the early 20th century, Germany controlled German South West Africa (now Namibia) and German East Africa (now Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi) while Britain controlled the surrounding territories, including modern-day Botswana and Zambia.
Germany desired access to the Zambezi River and was looking for a direct trade route to connect its territories. The Indian Ocean served as a shortcut to Tanzania by navigating the river.
In exchange for control of the Caprivi Strip, which meets the Zambezi River, and Heligoland, an island in the North Sea, Germany and Britain signed a treaty in 1890.
However, Germany’s transport plan failed. It is believed that no one told the Germans about Victoria Falls – one of the world’s largest waterfalls with a 108-metre (354ft) drop, about 65km (40 miles) east of the strip, making it useless for transport.
(Al Jazeera)
Why is South Africa encircling Lesotho?
A small landlocked nation called Lesotho, which is tucked away in the mountains of Southern Africa, is a mere 30 kilometers away.
The Basotho people built their stronghold in the highlands in the 19th century under King Moshoeshoe I, using the mountains as a natural defense against invaders like the Zulu and Boer settlers (Dutch farmers).
To resist Boer expansion, Moshoeshoe sought British protection in 1868, making Basutoland a British protectorate.
Attempts to place it under Colonial Cape rule failed due to Basotho resistance, and in 1884, Britain declared it a crown colony.
When the Union of South Africa formed in 1910, Basutoland remained under British rule, avoiding South Africa’s apartheid policies, and later gained independence in 1966 as Lesotho.
(Al Jazeera)
Why is Guinea one of three African nations?
Four countries around the world have “Guinea” in their names, three of which are along the West African coast.
They are:
Guinea, formerly known as French Guinea, gained independence in 1958 and kept the name Guinea.
Guinea-Bissau, formerly known as Portuguese Guinea, gained independence in 1974 and added “Bissau” to its name to differentiate itself from neighbouring Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea, formerly known as Spanish Guinea, gained independence in 1968 and added Equatorial to its name because it is near the equator.
A Spanish explorer named Papua New Guinea after the country’s indigenous people because they resembled its people.
Guine, a Portuguese word that refers to the area along the West African coast, is thought to be the source of the name Guinea. This region was divided by European colonists, who each dubbed their territory Guinea.
Fun fact: Because the region of Guinea in West Africa was the source of the gold used to make the British guinea coin, which was first minted in 1663, was named there.
(Al Jazeera)
Why are there two Congos?
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo are two of the countries with names after them on opposite sides of the Congo River.
Belgium and France, two former colonies along the river, named each after it. The powerful kingdom Kongo, which was once thriving along the river, is the source of the name Congo.
