AFP Africa

Mourners queued in their thousands for hours on Thursday to catch a last glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes as Italian authorities stepped up security arrangements ahead of his weekend funeral.Some 61,000 people had filed past the late Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin in the first 26 hours since …

Thousands line up for second day to view popeThu, 24 Apr 2025 13:41:34 GMT Read More »

The date when Catholic cardinals will gather to select Pope Francis’s successor is not yet known. But bookmakers and crypto investors are already scrambling to guess who will be the next pontiff.Just days after Francis died on Monday, speculation on who would succeed him is already “one of the most popular betting markets in 2025”, …

Pope’s death sparks betting frenzy for successorThu, 24 Apr 2025 12:09:28 GMT Read More »

Thousands of people queued for hours Thursday to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes, after St Peter’s Basilica stayed open all night to accomodate the crowds.More than 50,000 people filed past the Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin during the first 24 hours of his lying in state, …

Thousands gather for second day to view popeThu, 24 Apr 2025 11:52:57 GMT Read More »

Supporters of Ivory Coast’s main opposition party were called to protest outside courts on Thursday after their candidate was barred from running in the presidential election. The government warned it would not permit any unrest and police blocked off access to the courts in Abidjan, the economic capital, and Bouake, the second largest city. On Tuesday, the …

I.Coast opposition called to protest after leader barred from electionThu, 24 Apr 2025 10:56:13 GMT Read More »

Tanzania’s main opposition party said on Thursday at least two of its officials had been arrested on their way to a rally to support leading government opponent Tundu Lissu, who refused to appear at a virtual court hearing to face a charge of treason.Authorities in the east African country have increasingly cracked down on the …

Tanzania opposition officials arrested, leader no-show in court for treason caseThu, 24 Apr 2025 10:53:20 GMT Read More »

In 2010, Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson said he was not ready to become pope — and that the Catholic Church might not be either.”I wouldn’t want to be that first black pope. I think he’ll have a rough time,” he said.Now, after the death of Pope Francis, the west African clergyman’s name is buzzing around …

Africans eye a pope from among their ownThu, 24 Apr 2025 10:14:59 GMT Read More »

Tanzania’s main opposition party said Thursday at least two of its officials had been arrested on their way to a rally to support leading government opponent Tundu Lissu, who is due in court to face a treason charge.Authorities in the east African country have increasingly cracked down on the opposition Chadema party ahead of presidential …

Tanzania opposition officials detained ahead of leader’s court appearanceThu, 24 Apr 2025 08:43:48 GMT Read More »

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to South Africa Thursday, cut short after deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv, underscores a shift in Pretoria’s stance on Russia’s invasion, which it had initially refused to condemn.Zelensky arrived in Pretoria but announced on social media he would “return to Ukraine immediately after the meeting with the President of South …

S.Africa welcomes Ukraine’s leader in diplomatic shiftThu, 24 Apr 2025 08:31:33 GMT Read More »

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and the M23 group on Wednesday issued a landmark joint statement saying they had agreed to halt fighting in the east of the country while they work towards a permanent truce.The surprise announcement follows talks mediated by Qatar. The two sides said they had “agreed to work towards the …

DR Congo government and M23 make joint truce pledgeThu, 24 Apr 2025 07:26:44 GMT Read More »

Huge crowds were expected on Thursday for a glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes, afer St Peter’s Basilica stayed open almost all night to accomodate the crowds.Close to 20,000 people filtered past the Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin in the first eight hours of the lying in state on …

Huge crowds expected for second day of pope lying in stateThu, 24 Apr 2025 06:32:20 GMT Read More »