内容摘要：A beacon-lighting ceremony has taken place at the end of a day of events in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

A beacon-lighting ceremony has taken place at the end of a day of events in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

"It's not just a vehicle, it's a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza," he said.Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis made many impassioned remarks on the war in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Strip "shamefull". During his final speech on Easter Sunday, he urged all "warring parties" to agree to a ceasefire and spoke of the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis.

During 18 months of war, he reportedlyto check on their wellbeing, and suggested that the international community should examine whether Israel's military offensive in Gaza should be classed as genocide – an allegation Israel has vehemently denied.The popemobile is one of a number of specially converted vehicles allowing the pontiff to greet huge crowds of well-wishers during official visits. He was able to sit or stand while it rolled along, flanked by security agents, and its design allowed those gathered to have a clear view of the Pope.

Popemobiles in the past were bullet-proof after an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, but Francis told Spanish media in 2014 that he didn't like the glass "sardine can" design that separated him from people.The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages.

Israel's military campaign has killed at least 52,243 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

On Monday, Israel's security cabinet reportedly approved, in principle,The Shanghai Composite was down more than 8% at one point, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped more than 13% and Japan's Nikkei 225 closed down by 7.8% - moves that one analyst described to the BBC as a "bloodbath".

in early trading, with banks and defence firms seeing the biggest drops. This follows global slumps last week after Trump announced new tariffs between 10% and 46% on most countries.This is a blow for Asia's manufacturing hubs that count the US as a key market for exports ranging from clothes to cars.

These include wealthy allies like Japan and South Korea, which face 26% tariffs, as well as developing countries like Vietnam that are bracing for a 46% levy - Trump called the fast-growing economy one of the "worst offenders".Also on that unenviable list are Cambodia (49%), Thailand (36%) and China, which will face 54% tariffs in total.