Kinshasa (AFP) – Images show people arriving to Kinshasa’s Martyrs Stadium, as Pope Francis continues his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The 86-year-old Argentine pontiff is to meet youngsters at the 80,000-capacity stadium before meeting Jesuit leaders and priests on the front line of the church’s work in the vast country, which has Africa’s biggest Catholic contingent. IMAGES
Ahmedabad (India) (AFP) – Under-fire Indian tycoon Gautam Adani says the fundamentals of his conglomerate are “strong” despite the massive falls in its share prices in recent days, in a video message released Thursday.
Manila (AFP) – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives at the Philippines’ Department of National Defense for talks on Thursday. The two countries announced a deal to give US troops access to another four bases in the Southeast Asian nation, as the longtime allies seek to counter China’s military rise.
Sydney (AFP) – As the late Australian Cardinal George Pell is laid to rest following his death in Rome last month, sexual abuse survivors have been speaking out about their pain in dealing with the Catholic Church. They accuse the Vatican powerbroker of using his influence to silence victims of the Church.
Sydney (AFP) – Holding rainbow flags and chanting, people demonstrate against the late cardinal George Pell in Sydney outside St Mary’s Cathedral where thousands attended his funeral service. Pell, a Vatican powerbroker who rose from humble beginnings in small town Australia, died in Rome in January, aged 81. IMAGES
Washington (AFP) – After temporarily hanging up his boots last year, star American football quarterback Tom Brady announces his retirement at the age of 45 after a storied career that included a record-breaking seventh Super Bowl victory in 2021. Brady holds many NFL records, including for the most games won and most Super Bowl MVP awards achieved by a player.
Kinshasa (AFP) – At a mass in front of more than a million people in Kinshasa, DR Congo, Pope France offers a prayer for peace across the country and Africa. About 40% of the DR Congo’s some 100 million people are Catholic.
Lerwick (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The “Up Helly Aa” Viking festival returns to the port town of Lerwick on the Shetland Islands off the north coast of Scotland with a new feature: women are now allowed to take part in the longship-burning parade.
Orlando (AFP) – Former president Jair Bolsonaro vows “to remain active in Brazilian politics,” despite him leaving the country after his defeat in the last election by leftist Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. He has repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the election, and on January 8 hundreds of his supporters stormed the seat of power in Brasilia, ransacking the presidential palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court.
Beijing (AFP) – Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says that NATO “exaggerates” the threat of China, referring to alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg’s comments during his visit to Japan. Stoltenberg met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday and said afterwards they had agreed to “remain united and firm” in the face of security threats from China, North Korea and the Ukraine war.
Kinshasa (AFP) – Pope Francis condemns what he terms “economic colonialism” in Africa, on a visit to mineral-rich DR Congo. “Hands off Africa… It is not a mine to be stripped nor a terrain to be plundered,” the pontiff says, to applause, in an address at the presidential palace in the country’s capital Kinshasa.
Various (Myanmar) (AFP) – Streets empty and shops closed in protest across Myanmar on the second anniversary of the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. The country’s economy has been paralysed following the military power grab in February 2021 and subsequent fighting between the junta and anti-coup rebels. N°33884X6
