Hamas has executed six Palestinians in Gaza and shot 13 others in the legs for alleged looting, the militant group said in a statement, as desperation grows under a complete Israeli blockade that has now entered its third month.

The death of Pope Francis and global aid cuts led by the United States could complicate the work of a group of experts assembled by the Vatican to bring debt relief and a fairer financing system to the world's poor.

The little boy is in tears and, understandably, irritable. Diarrhea has plagued him for half of his brief life. He is dehydrated and so weak. Attached to his tiny left hand is a yellow tube that carries liquid food to his frail little system.