
Pope Francis' funeral date announced by Vatican as first images of his body released
CBSN
Pope Francis' funeral has been scheduled for 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. EDT) on Saturday at St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican announced Tuesday, following a meeting of the College of Cardinals at the Catholic Church's city-state headquarters in the heart of Rome. The casket carrying the pope, who died Monday morning after suffering a stroke and heart failure at the age of 88, will be brought in a procession Wednesday morning, accompanied by cardinals, to St. Peter's from his residence at Casa Santa Marta, where he died.
The pope's body was laid to rest Monday in a casket in the chapel of his Santa Marta residence. The Vatican released the first photos and video on Tuesday of Francis in his casket, wearing a red robe with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary intertwined in his hands.
The images showed cardinals and other church officials performing what the Vatican said was the formal Confirmation of the Pope's Death and praying over his body.

Former Israeli Defense Minister and opposition lawmaker Avigdor Liberman on Thursday accused Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of authorizing weapons transfers to a criminal gang in Gaza that he likened to the ISIS terrorist group. Netanyahu appeared later in the day to confirm the operation, suggesting it would save the lives of Israeli forces battling Hamas in the Palestinian territory.

Oscar Pistorius, former Olympian convicted of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's murder, returns to racing
Johannesburg — South African former Olympic and paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius has competed in his first race 12 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius, a double leg amputee who has been free on parole since January 2024, competed in an Ironman triathlon in Durban over the weekend.

Tel Aviv, Israel — Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages killed and taken in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military and intelligence services said Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judi Lynn Weinstein and Gad Haggai were recovered and returned to Israel in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency.

Toronto — At least 33,400 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in three Canadian provinces due to active wildfires that are sending smoke drifting across the border into northern U.S. states and all the way across the Atlantic to Europe. As of Wednesday two deaths were blamed on the blazes.