INTERNATIONAL

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said it is “disgusted” by Afghan government statements justifying an air strike on its hospital in Kunduz, calling it an “admission of a war crime”. MSF said the statement implies US and Afghan forces decided to bomb a hospital because of claims Taliban members were inside. The charity blames US-led Nato forces for Saturday’s attack ...

President Barack Obama says the US has launched a “full investigation” into air strikes that killed 19 people at an MSF-run Afghan hospital on Saturday. The US military says a strike targeting Taliban in the northern city of Kunduz may have caused “collateral damage”. Offering his “deepest condolences”, Mr Obama said he expected a “full accounting of the facts” and ...

Violent storms and flooding have hit southeast France, killing at least 13 people, knocking out power and disrupting travel, officials said. Three elderly people drowned when their retirement home near the city of Antibes was inundated with floodwater. Another five people are reported to have died as they tried to park their cars under shelter and became trapped. French President ...

A senior priest at the Vatican has revealed he is gay, on the eve of a major meeting that will define the Catholic Church’s teaching on family. Poland-born Krysztof Charamsa, 43, said he wanted to challenge the Church’s “backwards” attitude to homosexuality. Father Charamsa said he was in a relationship and was “happy and proud” of his identity. The Vatican ...

Pope Francis had a private meeting with a gay couple last week in Washington. A former student of his, Yayo Grassi, told the BBC the Pope agreed to meet him to “give him a hug”. Mr Grassi and his boyfriend Iwan were received at the Vatican Embassy where they discussed his business but did not discuss gay issues. Earlier this ...

The medical charity MSF says at least three of its staff were killed in the Afghan city of Kunduz after a clinic was hit by an air strike on Saturday. US forces were carrying out air strikes at the time. The Nato alliance has admitted the clinic may have been hit. MSF says more than 30 staff are unaccounted for. ...

Rights groups have expressed concern for the large numbers of civilians trapped in the Afghan city of Kunduz, amid fierce fighting between the Taliban and government troops. The government has accused the Taliban of raping and killing civilians after it seized the northern city this week. The Taliban rejected the accusations. Both sides are claiming to be in control of ...

The French and Russian presidents are set for talks on Friday amid fears Russia is carrying out “indiscriminate” air strikes on Syrian militants. The French military, like the US, is targeting Islamic State (IS) fighters with air strikes. But the US says Russia is carrying out random strikes against the Syrian opposition. Russia says it is targeting the same groups ...

Fierce fighting is continuing between Afghan forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan’s northern city of Kunduz, despite government claims that it had regained control of the city. Residents told the BBC the militants had pushed back into the heart of the city and that there were intense clashes over the governor’s office. The Taliban has denied the city has been ...

Russia has launched air strikes in Syria for a second day. The strikes reportedly targeted positions in the north-west held by the Army of Conquest rebel alliance. Russia said it had struck four Islamic State (IS) facilities overnight, and destroyed a “terrorist HQ” outside Idlib and a command post near Hama. Russia carried out about 20 missions on Wednesday. The ...