Pope Francis remained in stable condition Saturday, a day after a respiratory crisis during his battle with double pneumonia, the Vatican said. He spent long periods of the day off the noninvasive mechanical ventilation he initially needed in a sign that his lung function was improving.

Francis had no further episodes of bronchial spasms like the one he suffered Friday, in which he inhaled vomit during a coughing fit. He had no fever and no signs of new infection, was feeding himself solid food and coffee for breakfast, and continued his respiratory physiotherapy, the Vatican said.

The 88-year-old pope had a “good response” in his gas exchange levels even during the “long periods” he was off the ventilator mask and only using high-flow supplemental oxygen. But his prognosis remained guarded, meaning he wasn’t out of danger.

“The Holy Father is always vigilant” and aware of what’s going on around him, the statement said, adding that he received the Eucharist and spent 20 minutes in prayer in the private chapel down the hall from his 10th floor hospital room.

The comparatively positive update came after Francis suffered a setback Friday in his two-week battle against pneumonia.

Israel wants extension, Hamas wants phase 2

Israel’s government said early Sunday it supports a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza through Ramadan and Passover, though Hamas has insisted on negotiating the truce’s second phase instead.

The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came minutes after the first phase ended, and as talks have begun on starting the second phase that’s aimed at ending the war and seeing all remaining living hostages in Gaza returned home.

The statement gives new details on what Israel described as a U.S. proposal: A ceasefire extension through Passover, or April 20. On the first day, half the hostages, alive and dead, would be released. The rest would be released if agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which earlier rejected an Israeli proposal to extend the ceasefire’s first phase by 42 days, saying it goes against the truce agreement, according to a member of the group who requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.

Israeli military prepares for action in buffer zone

Israel’s defense ministry on Saturday said the military has been instructed to prepare to defend a Druze settlement in the suburbs of Damascus, asserting that the minority it has vowed to protect was “under attack” by Syrian forces.

The statement, citing an order from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, follows an Israeli warning last weekend that the forces of neighboring Syria’s new government and the insurgent group that led last year’s ouster of former President Bashar Assad should not enter the area south of Damascus.

Saturday’s statement indicates that Israeli forces could push farther into Syria as its new authorities try to consolidate control after more than a decade of civil war. Israeli forces recently set up posts in a buffer zone and on strategic Mt. Hermon nearby. There have been no major clashes between Israeli troops and Syria’s new forces.

The Druze are a religious minority who live in southern Syria and in Israel’s Golan Heights.

Guyana denounces Venezuelan incursion

Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali on Saturday denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters that are home to a mammoth offshore oil deposit being developed by ExxonMobil.

In a televised address, Ali said Guyana was hurriedly notifying all of its international allies, and had summoned Venezuela’s ambassador in the capital, Georgetown, to lodge a formal protest.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez disputed Ali’s claims and called ExxonMobil’s oil installations “illegal.”

Civil rights advocate Dukes dies at 92

Hazel Dukes, the president of the New York State chapter of the NAACP and lifelong civil rights advocate, died Saturday at the age of 92.

Dukes peacefully passed away in her New York City home surrounded by family, her son, Ronald Dukes, said in a statement.

Dukes, who led the New York State NAACP for nearly five decades, fought tirelessly for voting rights, economic development, fair housing and education through her career. Even in her 90s, she spoke out against police brutality and for adequate health care in underserved neighborhoods, the NAACP’s New York State chapter said in a statement.

New York Dolls singer David Johansen dies

David Johansen, the wiry, gravelly-voiced singer and last surviving member of the glam and protopunk band the New York Dolls who later performed as his campy, pompadoured alter ego, Buster Poindexter, has died. He was 75.

Johansen died Friday at his home in New York City, Jeff Kilgour, a family spokesperson told The Associated Press. It was revealed in early 2025 that he had stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor.

The New York Dolls were forerunners of punk and the band’s style — teased hair, women’s clothes and lots of makeup — inspired the glam movement in heavy metal a decade later in bands like Faster Pussycat and Mötley Crüe.

Andrew Cuomo to run for NYC mayor

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that he is running for mayor of New York City, relaunching his political career following a yearslong exile over a barrage of sexual harassment accusations.

In a 17-minute video, Cuomo pitched himself as an accomplished moderate who can save a city he described as threatening and “out of control,” and is capable of navigating the delicate balance between working with Republican President Donald Trump and fighting him, when necessary.

The Democrat is expected to mount a formidable campaign, despite entering the race deeply wounded by the scandal that forced his resignation as governor in 2021.

Bus collision kills 37, injures 39 in Bolivia

At least 37 people have died and another 39 were injured when two buses collided on a rural roadway early Saturday in southwest Bolivia, police said.

One of the buses was heading to Oruro, where one of the most important carnival celebrations in Latin America is currently taking place.

A police spokesperson said one of the two drivers, who both survived, was spotted by passengers consuming alcohol.

Bolivia’s mountainous, undermaintained and little supervised roadways are some of the deadliest in the world, claiming an average 1,400 fatalities every year.

— From news services