U.S. President Joe Biden signed a condolence book for former Pope Benedict in Washington on Thursday, paying his respects to the former pontiff on the day his funeral mass was held in Vatican City.
Biden, a devout Catholic, lauded Benedict after his death for being "a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith."
"I will always cherish our time together at the Vatican discussing theology," Biden wrote. "He was a great scholar of the faith."
The president, a Democrat, has been criticized by some in the Catholic Church for his support of abortion rights. Benedict's death was a loss for conservatives, who favored the more traditional Catholic Church that the former pope championed.
Biden signed the book at the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris also signed the book during a separate visit on Thursday evening.
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
Twenty people who were aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence and diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on Tuesday remain in intensive care. Others are being treated for spinal cord and brain injuries.
A two-storey restaurant building collapsed on the beach in Palma de Mallorca killing at least four people and injuring 16 people in the tourism hot spot in Spain's Balearic Islands.
Israeli forces killed 35 Palestinians in aerial and ground bombardments across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and battled in close combat with Hamas in areas of the southern city of Rafah, health officials and Hamas media said.