Pope Francis suffered two new breathing attacks on Monday, requiring two separate bronchoscopies, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff struggles to recover from pneumonia.

“Today, the Holy Father experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm,” it said in a statement on Francis’s 18th day in hospital, the longest of his papacy.

The Argentine pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia in both lungs, sparking alarm across the globe.

The Vatican said on Monday in its nightly medical bulletin that two bronchoscopies were performed on the pope in order to “aspirate abundant secretions”.

It said the pope had resumed “non-invasive mechanical ventilation” in the afternoon — the use of an oxygen mask — noting that he was “alert, focused and cooperative.”

As it has since the start of the pope’s hospitalisation, the Vatican said Francis’s prognosis remains “reserved,” an indication that doctors cannot predict the likely outcome of his condition.

On Sunday evening, the Vatican had said the pope’s condition was stable after he suffered a breathing crisis on Friday.

The leader of the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics had required the oxygen mask on Friday and Saturday, but not on Sunday, when he participated in mass and spent the rest of the day alternating rest with prayer.

Francis had also on Sunday received Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and Edgar Pena Parra, a Venezuelan archbishop who is also a senior Vatican official.

The Jesuit, who has been pope since March 2013, is being treated in a special suite reserved for pontiffs on the 10th floor of the Gemelli.

Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, missed his traditional Angelus prayer for a third straight Sunday, and the Vatican issued a written text instead.

“In it, the pope thanked well-wishers for their prayers, saying: “I feel all your affection and closeness and, at this particular time, I feel as if I am ‘carried’ and supported by all God’s people. Thank you all.”

AFP

Two buses collided on a busy street in Spain’s second city Barcelona on Monday, injuring at least 34 people, four of them critically, local emergency services said.

The four critically injured were taken to hospital, including one who was temporarily “trapped” in one of the buses, emergency services in the northeastern region of Catalonia wrote on social network X.

Officials have not yet released the nationalities of the injured.

The accident happened on Avinguda Diagonal, one of Barcelona’s widest and most significant avenues, not far from the centre of the city.

It comes as Barcelona and much of Spain were lashed by rain and it snarled traffic in Barcelona on the opening day of the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s largest wireless technology showcase which is set to draw around 100,000 attendees.

According to witnesses quoted by Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia, one of the buses hit the other from behind, which in turn crashed into a tree.

Images posted on social media showed a green and white bus embedded against a white one, with several ambulances deployed nearby.

Protests broke out across the United States on Saturday following a tense confrontation between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the White House.

According to The Guardian, the clash, which occurred on Friday, prompted hundreds of demonstrators to gather in cities such as Waitsfield, Vermont, New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston, expressing their support for Ukraine and condemning the actions of Trump and Vance.

The protests were initially planned to coincide with Vance’s visit to Vermont for a ski trip with his family. However, tensions from the Oval Office meeting earlier in the week fuelled further participation.

The Guardian reported that demonstrators in Vermont, including members of the grassroots group Indivisible, held signs reading “Vermont stands with Ukraine” and “International embarrassment,” while many waved Ukrainian flags in solidarity.

“After what he did yesterday, he crossed the line,” protester Cori Giroux told Vermont Public Radio.

The protest in Vermont took place despite a call from Republican Governor Phil Scott for residents to be respectful towards Vance during his visit.

Vance, who admitted to never having visited Ukraine, reportedly fled to an undisclosed location to avoid the protesters.

The Oval Office meeting, during which Trump told Zelenskyy to consider a ceasefire with Russia or risk losing US support, was widely criticised.

Trump also accused Zelenskyy of not showing enough gratitude for US military aid and warned that Ukraine’s actions could lead to “World War III.”

Zelenskyy, who has remained in Ukraine despite the ongoing Russian invasion, rejected the suggestion, emphasising that Ukraine could not accept a ceasefire without security guarantees due to Russia’s repeated violations of previous agreements.

The confrontation led to widespread condemnation, with European leaders and officials from countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand voicing their support for Ukraine.

US lawmakers, including Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, described the meeting as an “ambush” and rallied behind Zelenskyy.

Protests also took place in major cities across the US. Demonstrators in New York gathered in Times Square, many draping themselves in Ukrainian flags, while in Los Angeles, a pro-Ukraine rally was held outside a SpaceX facility.

“Ukraine wants fair peace. Ukraine wants the war to end,” the group Boston Supports Ukraine wrote on Facebook. “Ukraine wants all of this on fair terms with security guarantees.”

Protesters in Boston, along with others across the country, expressed their desire for the war to end on terms that ensure Ukraine’s security.