Buenos Aires (AFP) – Hundreds of faithful gather in front of Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral to attend a solemn Mass honoring the late Pope Francis on the day his funeral is held in Rome. IMAGES
(AFP) – The Russian army has fully liberated the border Kursk region from Ukrainian control with the help of North Korean soldiers, claims Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, admitting their participation in the conflict for the first time. Shortly after, the Ukrainian army denied Russia’s claim to have driven Kyiv’s forces out of Kursk but acknowledged the situation on the battlefield was “difficult”.
Rom (AFP) – Tourists visit Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the church Pope Francis chose as his final resting place. He is the first pontiff to be buried outside the Vatican walls in more than a century. Francis declared his desire to be entombed in the basilica — known in English as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major — in 2023. The last pope to be buried there was Clement IX in 1669.
Abbottabad (AFP) – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the armed forces are “prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty” after India accused Islamabad of being linked to an attack on tourists in Kashmir that left 26 dead.
Vatikanstadt (AFP) – World leaders arrive and pay their respects at the coffin of Pope Francis, who died on April 21 aged 88. The funeral sets off the first of nine days of official Vatican mourning for Francis, who took over following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. After the mourning, cardinals will gather for the conclave to elect a new pope to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Buenos Aires’ obelisk is illuminated with a photo of Argentine Pope Francis accompanied by the phrase “Pray for me” on the eve of his funeral, scheduled to take place in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. The Catholic Church’s first Latin American pope died on Monday, April 21, aged 88, less than a month after his release from hospital where he spent weeks fighting severe pneumonia. IMAGES
Ecuador (AFP) – Images show damaged buildings after a shallow 6.3-magnitude earthquake left at least one person injured and caused power outages in the Ecuadoran port city of Esmeraldas. IMAGES
Neu Delhi (AFP) – Members of the youth wing of India’s main opposition Congress party protest in the wake of an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. Waving Indian flags, the activists march through the capital, New Delhi, demanding perpetrators be brought to justice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to punish those responsible after his government blamed arch-rival Pakistan for backing the killings.
Bhaktapur (AFP) – Ten years ago, on April 25, 2015, the ground beneath Nepal shuddered with a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, killing nearly 9,000 people, injuring over 22,000 and leaving millions homeless. Much has been rebuilt, but experts question if the lessons learnt have been adequately embraced in order to cope with future disasters.
Moskau (AFP) – Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, says it has launched a criminal investigation after an explosive device ripped through a parked car in Balashikha, near Moscow, killing a senior Russian general.
Rom (AFP) – Rome’s Gammarelli tailors traditionally prepare the vestments for the new pope, but this time say they have not been asked by the Vatican. Store owner Lorenzo Gammarelli thinks the Vatican will choose one of the many cassocks not used from previous elections. Once Pope Francis is laid to rest, the Vatican will announce a secret conclave in which red-hatted cardinals from around the world will vote for a new pope.
Islamabad (AFP) – Pakistan’s foreign ministry says Islamabad would consider any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River an “act of war”. During a weekly briefing, the ministry’s spokesperson lists a string of measures against India, which has blamed Pakistan for backing a deadly shooting attack in contested Kashmir.
