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The pontiff made his remarks a day after the rescue agency in Gaza said an Israeli air strike had killed seven children from one family.

"Yesterday they did not allow the Patriarch (of Jerusalem) into Gaza as promised," the pope told members of the government of the Holy See. "Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war. "I want to say it because it touches my heart."

In a statement, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman described the pope's remarks as "particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel's fight against jihadist terrorism -- a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7."

"Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people," he added. "Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them," the Israeli statement said.

Gaza's civil defence rescue agency reported that an Israeli air strike had killed 10 members of a family on Friday in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.

The Israeli military told AFP it had struck "several terrorists who were operating in a military structure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation and posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the area". "According to an initial examination, the reported number of casualties resulting from the strike does not align with the information held by the IDF," it added.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Saturday the government would shut down social network TikTok for at least a year from 2025.

"We are going to chase this thug out of our neighbourhood for one year", Rama told a meeting with Albanian teachers, parents and psychologists in Tirana. The government would launch programmes to "serve the education of students and help parents follow their children's journey", he added.

The blocking of the controversial social network comes less than a month after a 14-year-old student was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana. The fight had developed from an online confrontation on social media.

The killing sparked a debate in the country among parents, psychologists and educational institutions about the impact of social networks on young people. "In China, TikTok promotes how students can take courses, how to protect nature, how to keep traditions," said Rama. "But on the TikTok outside China we see only scum and mud. Why do we need this?"

Several countries have begun debating measures against TikTok, part of a wider debate on the influence of social media on vulnerable groups, such as children and adolescents. "The problem is not the children but our entire society," Rama argued.

On Friday morning, a 19-year-old man entered Precko primary school and stabbed five people, injuring himself before being arrested. The injured, including a woman teacher who tried to stop the attacker, are in stable condition and are being treated in different Zagreb hospitals, said health officials.

The parents council of the school where the attack happened said Saturday that the incident had exposed crucial flaws in the existing system.

"Unfortunately, this tragedy that we are all collectively experiencing is an indication that the relevant education systems have not taken the necessary measures to enable the implementation of a protection system for our school," the council said in a statement.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday night that locks would be installed at the entrance to schools to ensure there could be no repeat of such an incident. But for teachers, teaching unions and parents this was not enough.

"Unfortunately, the measures came too late," teacher Marija Veronkica Cvjetkovic told local media. "It's not that we couldn't have reacted earlier. As employees and as a union, we have already warned that something needs to be done to protect the safety of students and employees."

Plenkovic said there appeared to be no ideological motive behind the attack. It had most likely "occurred due to the health disorder of the young adult who committed this act", he said. Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Friday that the suspect, 19 and a former student at the school, had a record of mental disorders.

Since Friday evening, residents have been lighting candles and leaving messages of condolences near the school where the attack happened. The education ministry said Saturday it had set up a 15-strong crisis team to work on helping children, parents and teachers to overcome the trauma.

A Chinese ship linked to the recent severing of two undersea cables and anchored off Denmark's coast since November 19, departed Saturday, Sweden's coast guard said.

Sections of two telecom cables were cut on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters of the Baltic Sea. Suspicions have been directed at a Chinese ship -- the Yi Peng 3 -- which according to ship tracking sites had sailed over the cables around the time they were cut.

The Yi Peng 3 had been anchored in the international waters of the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark. Ship tracking site Vesselfinder showed the Yi-Peng 3 steaming north out of the strait on Saturday and Sweden's coast guard confirmed that the vessel had lifted anchor.

"She has reported that she is heading for Egypt and Port Said," Hanna Buhler, duty officer at the Swedish Coast Guard told AFP, adding that they would continue to monitor the ship. On Thursday, authorities from Sweden, Germany and Finland were invited aboard for an investigation led by China.

A Danish representative also accompanied the group as Denmark had served a "facilitating role" by hosting meetings between the countries at the Danish foreign ministry earlier in the week, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen had said. "It is our expectation that once the inspection is completed by this group of people from the four countries, the ship will be able to sail to its destination," Rasmussen said.

Swedish police on Thursday confirmed that they were going onboard the ship as observers. "Representatives of the Chinese authorities are conducting investigations aboard the vessel and have invited the Swedish authorities to take part in an observer role," police said adding it would not be taking any "investigative measures".

The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) also took part in the visit, but noted that as the ship was "anchored in international waters", where "Swedish authorities are not able to exercise jurisdiction over a foreign vessel". John Ahlberk, director of SHK, told AFP on Thursday that they were hoping to gather "as much information as possible". "There have been claims that the cable breakage has to do with anchors from the ship. So it is interesting for us to hear what the crew has to say about it," he said. Ahlberk noted that it was not clear to what extent they would be able to speak to the crew or conduct their own investigations since the investigation was led by Chinese authorities aboard a Chinese ship.

European officials have said they suspect sabotage linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has rejected the comments as "absurd" and "laughable".

Sweden in late November requested China's cooperation in the investigation, but Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed that there was no "accusation" of any sort. Early on November 17, the Arelion cable running from the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania was damaged. The next day, the C-Lion 1 submarine cable connecting Helsinki and the German port of Rostock was cut south of Sweden's Oland island, around 700 kilometres (435 miles) from Helsinki.

In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.

The accident in Minas Gerais state involving a bus that was traveling from Sao Paulo left "between 32 and 35" people dead, a spokeswoman for the local fire department told AFP by phone. "It was not yet possible to specify the exact number due to the state of the bodies," she added. Officials gave conflicting accounts of the events.

Firefighters initially said the bus had blown a tire near the town of Lajinha, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and hit a truck. Another vehicle also hit the bus from behind, officials said, but its occupants survived. However, firefighters later cited witnesses as saying that a granite block had collapsed on the bus in an apparent landslide, which may have caused the vehicle to collide with the truck and catch fire.

Thirteen people survived and sought medical help.

"After hours of work, firefighters managed to extinguish the flames and have removed 22 charred bodies of victims who were trapped" inside, the fire department said in a statement earlier Saturday, as authorities warned that the number could rise. In a video released Saturday morning, Lieutenant Alonso Vieira Junior, with the Minas Gerais fire department, said a crane would be needed to clear the wreckage, and that "there are still more victims to be removed."

As the country's new president took office last week, following a peaceful election in a region otherwise in turmoil, Somaliland hopes to see its independence recognised by the international community – having declared it in 1991.

The self-governing region within Somalia – which has never been recognised by the latter's authorities – appears to be closer to being recognised than ever before.

Speaking at his inauguration in Hargeisa on 12 December, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said he would give "special importance to foreign policy" and pursue recognition for Somaliland from the international community based on a “valid legal argument". "My new government's first job is to renew its relations with the rest of the world in order for us to be able to create a new Somaliland that will help the security of the entire region, including the Red Sea," he declared.

The United States Ambassador to Somalia, Richard H. Riley, attended the president's inauguration and said that Somaliland was "one of the best examples of democracy in action in Africa".

The presidential election was held in November, following weeks of uncertainty. The results saw Mohamed Abdullahi, 69, leader of the Waddani party, also known as “Cirro”, secure the presidency with 64 percent of the vote, defeating the incumbent candidate, Muse Bihi, of the Kulmiye party. Approximately 53 percent of registered voters turned out – lower than the previous presidential election in 2017, when 64 percent of those registered voted.

Rumours began circulating last week that the US could declare Somaliland the world’s newest country when Donald Trump returns to the White House in January. "Although not an official publication of incoming US President Donald Trump’s campaign, the Project 2025 conservative manifesto issued by some of his allies makes the case for official recognition of Somaliland," wrote East Africa analyst Omar Mahmood on the think tank Crisis Group's website.

Support for the region has grown among Republican US-Africa policy leaders – who are likely to be Africa advisors in Trump’s White House. Peter Pham, a former Africa envoy in Trump’s first term, told newsletter Semafor Africa that Somaliland’s democratic process had “demonstrated its attractiveness as a partner for the United States and other countries".

For Hafed Al-Ghwell, executive director of the North Africa Initiative at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC, the incoming US administration could view Somaliland’s stability as "a strategic asset" against the backdrop of its "volatile neighbour" Somalia – and an opportunity to counter expanding influence in the region from Washington’s geopolitical rivals. Recognising Somaliland could also enable US intelligence to set up long term operations to monitor the movement of weapons in the region and the activities of China, which has a military base in neighbouring Djibouti, according to Semafor.

Somaliland announced de facto self-rule when declaring its independence from Somalia in 1991, after the fall of the infamous Somali leader Siad Barre. However, its existence has not been officially recognised by any country, restricting access to international finance and the ability of its 6 million inhabitants to travel. It has developed into a self-governed state, issuing its own currency and maintaining security forces and civilian administration from Hargeisa.

The recent election was the sixth in a row to be organised peacefully and bring political alternance. "Somaliland reinforced its reputation as one of the Horn of Africa’s stronger democracies by staging a successful presidential election and ushering in a peaceful transfer of power," Crisis Group expert Omar Mahmood wrote in a report. "On paper, Somaliland would welcome official recognition by a great power," Mahmood added. "But if this is done unilaterally and with no major diplomatic spadework in advance, it would also supercharge tensions between Somaliland and Somalia, particularly along the contested boundary with Puntland."

If Ethiopia has been open to building relations with Somaliland, recognition, Mahmood continued, could "prompt furious objections from Mogadishu’s allies in the region, such as Djibouti and Eritrea, as well as their friends farther afield, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt – further dividing the region".

The drones damaged buildings in Kazan, capital of the Tartarstan republic, with a population of more than 1.3 million, but there were no victims, local officials said. Kazan City hall said some fires had started and were being tackled by the fire brigade. The city's airport was temporarily closed, the Russian civilian aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said.

Some residents were evacuated, but authorities did not give figures. Authorities said that all major public events in Tartarstan had been cancelled as a precaution. Videos on Russian social media networks showed drones hitting high rise buildings setting off fireballs. AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.

"Today Kazan suffered a massive drone attack," Rustam Minnikhanov, the Tartarstan republic leader, said in a post on Telegram. "While before industrial enterprises were attacked, now the enemy attacks civilians in the morning," he added. Minnikhanov's press service said at least eight drones had been detected.

Russia's defence ministry accused Ukraine of targeting "civilian infrastructure" in Kazan. It said six drones had been neutralised or destroyed but did not say how many had been involved.

The ministry said the Russian army had captured a new village near the key city of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine where Russian forces have made major advances in recent months. Russian troops had "liberated" the village of Kostiantynopolske, just eight kilometers (five miles) from Kurakhove, an industrial town that is a looming Russian target, a statement said.

Russia's security service said meanwhile that a man had been sentenced to 19 years in jail for sending information to US intelligence services about the Russian military, The unidentified man, who was born in 1993, was found guilt of "high treason" and other charges, the FSB agency said. The inquiry "confirmed that he had established a confidential cooperation relationship with representatives of the US intelligence services," the agency said. The man was accused of sending information about the identity and other personal details on Russian soldiers. He was arrested in January 2023. A regional court at Orenburg in the Urals ordered the jail term and sent the man to a "strict regime" penal colony, the FSB said.

Pakistan military courts have convicted and sentenced 25 people for involvement in pro-Imran Khan unrest last year, the armed forces said Saturday, with the majority handed decade-long prison terms.

Ex-prime minister Khan was arrested in May last year after being ousted from office and mounting an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the nation's powerful military leaders. His detention over graft allegations sparked nationwide unrest, some targeting armed forces installations, and prompting rare prosecutions of civilians in military courts.

Amnesty International called the move "an intimidation tactic, designed to crack down on dissent" and said it was "contrary to international law". Military courts are largely opaque, but after months of confidentiality the military public relations wing named 25 people who have been prosecuted.

All of the convicted are men and 14 have been sentenced to a decade of "rigorous imprisonment", the military said with the remaining 11 set to serve lesser prison terms. "All sentences announced by the military courts are disproportionate and excessive," said a spokesman for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. "These sentences are rejected."

The verdicts were announced just three weeks after the capital Islamabad was gripped by fresh unrest, as tens of thousands of Khan supporters flooded in to demand his release. The government said at least five security personnel were killed whilst PTI allege at least 10 of their own were shot dead by security forces before crowds retreated.

A United Nations panel of experts found in September that Khan's detention "had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office".

The Pakistani Taliban claimed a brazen overnight raid on an army outpost near the border with Afghanistan on Saturday, which intelligence officials said killed 16 soldiers and critically wounded five more. The siege started after midnight and lasted about two hours as around 30 militants pummelled the mountainous outpost from three sides, one senior intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Sixteen soldiers were martyred and five were critically injured in the assault," he said. "The militants set fire to the wireless communication equipment, documents and other items present at the checkpoint."

A second intelligence official also anonymously confirmed the toll of dead and wounded in the attack in the Makeen area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 40 kilometres (24 miles) from the Afghan border. Pakistan's domestic chapter of the Taliban claimed the attack in a statement, saying it was staged "in retaliation for the martyrdom of our senior commanders".

The group claimed to have seized a hoard of military gear including machine guns and a night vision device. Pakistan's military has not yet issued a statement on the incident.

Pakistan has been battling a resurgence of militant violence in its western border regions since the Taliban's 2021 return to power in Afghanistan. Last year saw casualties hit a six-year high, with more than 1,500 civilians, security forces and militants killed, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.

Saturday's attack was "the most dangerous assault in this region this year" according to the first intelligence official.

Islamabad accuses Kabul's rulers of failing to root out militants staging attacks on Pakistan from over the border. The Pakistani Taliban -- known as Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- share a common ideology with their Afghan counterparts who surged back to power three years ago. Kabul's new rulers have pledged to evict foreign militant groups from Afghan soil.

But a UN Security Council report in July estimated up to 6,500 TTP fighters are based there -- and said "the Taliban do not conceive of TTP as a terrorist group". The report said the Afghan Taliban show "ad hoc support to, and tolerance of, TTP operations, including the supplying of weapons and permission for training".

The spike in attacks has soured Islamabad-Kabul relations. Security was cited as one reason for Pakistan's campaign last year to evict hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghan migrants.

Israel's military said it had failed to intercept the projectile, which struck a district of Tel Aviv municipality, forcing many residents to leave their homes. Yemen's Huthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it used a ballistic missile and was directed at "a military target of the Israeli enemy".

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made," the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.

Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's emergency medical service, said 16 people were lightly injured.

Ukraine struck the small town of Rylsk in Russia's Kursk region, killing five and wounding 12, said the governor, Alexander Khinshtein. An earlier toll from the governor said six people were killed.

Khinshtein accused Kyiv of firing US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems on civilian targets, saying the strike damaged buildings including a school and the dormitory of a pilot training college. Videos on social media showed cars on fire, debris strewn on roads and buildings with windows blown out.

The border region is partly occupied by Ukrainian forces Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS state news agency Moscow would raise the attack at a UN Security Council meeting Friday.

In the mid-19th century, Dutch colonial officials climbing an Indonesian volcano spotted an ancient statue meant to serve as protection against misfortune, looted it, and took it to the Netherlands. Today, the volcanic rock likeness of the Hindu god Ganesha, bearing four arms and the head of an elephant, stands tall inside Indonesia's National Museum in the capital Jakarta.

The country is repatriating hundreds of similarly pillaged treasures, reclaiming parts of its history lost to looting under its former colonial ruler from the late 17th century to independence in 1945. "We fully support it because it is part of preserving our culture," said 23-year-old banker Devi Aristya Nurhidayanti, standing in front of the Ganesha statue. "Nowadays, not many people are aware of the history. Hopefully, through efforts like this, more people will learn that this is part of our heritage."

The effort is part of a global restitution movement for goods plundered from the Global South, where heritage workers are preparing to bring back pieces missing from their colonial pasts, which could take decades. As of mid-December, 828 cultural items have been returned to Indonesia from the Netherlands, according to the Indonesian Heritage Agency.

They represent a mosaic of tradition, culture and craftsmanship from across the Southeast Asian archipelago nation -- from coins and jewellery to textiles and weapons. The Netherlands government has pledged to return cultural artefacts stolen during more than three centuries of Dutch control, based on a 2020 recommendation from a government advisory committee. One cabinet minister has said the items should have never been taken.

Indonesia's strong diplomatic ties with the Dutch played a key role in negotiations, starting with a 2017 cultural agreement, according to I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, head of the Indonesian Collection Repatriation Team in the Netherlands. "The significance of this is to demonstrate to the international community that Indonesia is capable of having these objects returned," he told AFP. "This counters sceptics who claim Indonesia lacks the capacity to preserve such valuable heritage."

Among the items returned are three other Hindu-Buddhist sculptures depicting deities taken from a 13th-century temple compound in the Singosari kingdom located near the active Mount Semeru volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java. The standing Ganesha is one of only a few in the world, said East Java-based archaeologist Dwi Cahyono. "This standing position symbolises vigilance against danger," he told AFP. So its repatriation is a "spiritual effort to calm the wrath of disasters in Indonesia", which sits on the Pacific's earthquake-prone Ring of Fire.

Thousands of stolen cultural items are believed to remain abroad in the Netherlands and other countries, with more research needed to bring them home. While no further repatriations from the Dutch are slated, Dwi hopes to see more works making their way back in the coming years. "I still look forward to the return of more assets, and this remains a priority, as these objects are crucial to strengthening our cultural heritage," he said.

There is also a debate about what Indonesia should do with the artefacts and how to deliver them to the Indonesian people when they return -- through displays or returning them to their original locations. "What meaning do we want to present to the people?" asked archaeologist Irmawati Marwoto from the University of Indonesia. "The museum must... present these objects to the public in a meaningful way and enhance knowledge about them."

The expert argued the country's museums must be prepared for the storage of the treasures "before requesting the return of more across the world", because of fears that items won't be properly maintained. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has said the government plans to upgrade and standardise Indonesia's museums, securing them from natural disasters, but has not provided details.