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Three things we learned from Putin's Red Square parade

Russia's President Putin has been joined by China's Xi Jinping and more than 20 international leaders as his country remembered the end of World War Two in Europe with a huge parade in Moscow.

The annual Victory Day spectacle is always eye-catching, but BBC Monitoring's Russia Editor Vitaly Shevchenko says three things in particular stood out this year.

8 hours ago

A composite image of Pope Leo XIV holding a book and a staff

Watch: Pope Leo XIV's first Mass as pontiff

Cardinals joined the newly appointed pope in the Sistine Chapel, in a service that began with a prayer.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert F. Prevost of the U.S., appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican

Watch: Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd in first appearance on Vatican balcony

He becomes the first American to be elected to lead the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo is talking to the press in 2023

Watch 2023 interview with Pope Leo after he was chosen as prefect

The new pope Robert Prevost will be known as Pope Leo XIV - the first American pontiff to be elected leader of the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo with his hands together in prayer/thanks on the balcony

From white smoke to balcony speech, watch how Pope Leo XIV was unveiled as new pontiff

Robert Prevost becomes the first American to be elected pope, following a two-day conclave in Vatican City.

Pope Leo holds a piece of paper as he speaks from a balcony in Vatican City.

Watch Pope Leo XIV's first public address - in full

Speaking from the Vatican balcony just after being unveiled as the new pontiff, he paid tribute to his predecessor and called for unity.

Bird flies over chimney that billows black smoke

Second black smoke signal as conclave continues

Black smoke emerges from the chimney in the Vatican, indicating no new pope has been elected yet

Composite of Sistine Chapel chimney emitting white smoke and Pope John Paul II at his election

Watch: Moments past conclaves elected new popes

See the moments previous popes were elected by conclaves past, from 1939 to 2013.

Black smoke is seen from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel

Watch: The first day of the conclave in a minute

After a lengthy wait, black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel's chimney at around 9pm local time.

Nuns gather to watch for smoke after conclave vote

Watch: Black smoke emerges after first conclave ballot

The signal means more voting will take place tomorrow as a new pope has not yet been chosen.

A black and white split image of a chimney with white smoke and the other side with black smoke

Watch: The conclave that confused everyone

BBC News archive footage tells the extraordinary story of the smoke signal confusion of the 1958 Conclave.

A woman holds hailstones in her hand

Watch: Marble-size hailstones and thunderstorms hit Paris

After a week of good weather, Paris was hit by a hailstorm and thunder on Saturday afternoon.

Side on image of Johann Wadephul wearing a suit

Merz defeat 'an obstacle not a catastrophe'

The man expected to be Germany's next foreign minister reacts after Friedrich Merz fell short in a parliamentary vote to be named chancellor.

Skyline of Madrid as power turns back on

People cheer as power comes back on in Madrid

Residents applauded as the lights came back on in Spain's capital, after a huge power cut brought the country to a standstill.

A man in a high-visibility jacket is directing traffic in the middle of the road, cars are passing him

Watch: Traffic chaos as Spain and Portugal face power outages

From traffic lights turning off in Spain, to Metro stations plunged into darkness in Portugal - power outages have caused havoc.

A group of Cardinals at the Vatican

Why this Conclave means it's harder than ever to predict the next Pope

The BBC's religion editor Aleem Maqbool explains why it's so difficult to guess who will be the next pontiff.

Pallbearers carrying the coffin out of St Peter's Basilica. They are wearing black suits with white shirts and ties, and are emerging from a red velvet curtain with the wooden coffin that has a cross on it.

Watch: How the Vatican said goodbye to Pope Francis

Hundreds of thousands of mourners gather in Rome to pay tribute to the late pontiff.

A white vehicle carries a coffin

People line the streets as Popemobile carries coffin through Rome

The Pope has chosen to be buried in a simple coffin at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

A group of men carry the Pope's coffin

Crowd applauds as coffin begins final journey

The Pope is being laid to rest at the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

A group of men carry the Pope's coffin

Pope Francis' coffin laid outside in St Peter's Square

The pontiff's funeral is being held days after he died at the age of 88.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stands on the day of the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025.

Applause heard as Zelensky arrives for Pope Francis' funeral

Applause heard as Zelensky arrives for Pope Francis' funeral