Pope Francis on Sunday urged EU leaders to show concrete solidarity with 49 migrants stranded on NGO ships off the coast of Malta who have been refused permission to land. Forty nine migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by two NGO ships have been onboard for several days now, waiting to be able to disembark, Francis told thousands of people ...

With its imposing columned facade, hunting trophies and oil portraits, the Rand Club in Johannesburg's city centre is a relic of South Africa's colonial and apartheid past. Founded in 1887 by British mining magnate Cecil Rhodes, it was the favoured venue for white businessmen and free-wheeling gold prospectors to strike deals and socialise in th ...

Nearly 50 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by two ships run by rights groups are still looking for countries to take them in, one of the groups told AFP Saturday. The situation is still the same, a spokeswoman for one of the groups, Sea Watch, told AFP. Their vessel, Sea Watch 3, was sheltering from stormy weather off the coast of Malt ...

Nearly 50 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by two ships run by rights groups are still looking for countries to take them in, one of the groups told AFP Saturday. The situation is still the same, a spokeswoman for one of the groups, Sea Watch, told AFP. Their vessel, Sea Watch 3, was sheltering from stormy weather off the coast of Malt ...

Four people died Saturday and a baby boy in a critical condition was among the injured, in two separate tower block fires in northeastern Spain, firefighters said. The first blaze started on Saturday morning in a 10-storey block of flats in Badalona, about 10 kilometres (six miles) northeast of Barcelona, said firefighters in the Catalonia regio ...

Three people died Saturday in a fire in an apartment block in northeastern Spain and at least 16 others were injured, including a baby boy who is critical, firefighters said. The cause of the blaze in Badalona was as yet unknown as was the identity and ages of the three victims, a spokeswoman for firefighters in the region of Catalonia told AFP. ...

France's yellow vest protestors were back on the streets again Saturday as a government spokesman denounced those still protesting as hard-liners who wanted only to bring down the government. Several hundred protestors gathered on the Champs Elysees in central Paris, where around 15 police wagons were also deployed, an AFP journalist said. Mar ...

Attempts by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo to crack down on dissent during tense vote counting could backfire , the UN said Friday, warning it was watching carefully as events unfold. Elections held last Sunday will determine who succeeds President Joseph Kabila, at the helm of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly ...

Rights activists accused Europe on Friday of clinching a new record of shame with its refusal to open ports to migrant children and families stranded at sea in the Mediterranean. The latest standoff involves 32 migrants who were rescued at sea on December 22 but have not yet been given permission to land anywhere. It's now been 14 days lef ...

Credit Suisse said Friday it was deceived by three former employees accused by US prosecutors of orchestrating $2 billion in dodgy loans to Mozambique, and pledged to cooperate with a US investigation. Switzerland's second largest bank said in a statement that the suspects sought to hide these activities from the bank and stressed that Credit ...

The wife of one of France's most notorious jihadists, Peter Cherif, was charged and provisionally detained on Thursday, the Paris prosecutor said, days after her husband was returned to prison after seven years on the run. Soulef A , and their two children in Djibouti in mid-December, has been charged with criminal association with terrorists ...

Angry young Muslims attacked a charismatic church in Ghana 39;s capital Accra after its pastor predicted the country acirc; euro; trade;s chief imam would die this year, religious leaders said on Friday. Wielding clubs and machetes, they attacked a security guard at the entrance to the Glorious Word and Power Ministry church then began hur ...

The mayors of three large Italian cities are refusing to obey a controversial anti-immigration law penned by far-right deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, condemning it as unconstitutional. Salvini, also interior minister, on Thursday demanded the resignations of the rebellious leaders of Florence, Palermo and Naples, with the last escalating ...

Internet connectivity in the vast central African state has been disrupted since Monday, following DRC's long-delayed presidential election. The restrictions, meant to avert chaos , according to officials, have also impacted broadcasts by RFI and TV5 Monde. Subscribers to the four major networks in the country: Orange, Airtel, Tigo and Vodacom, ...

Senegal's Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a bid by one of the country's most popular politicians to overturn a conviction for fraud, a move likely to block him from running in next month's presidential election. Khalifa Sall, former mayor of the capital Dakar, will be unable to contest the February 24 ballot if he cannot overturn a five-year ...

The number of migrants who died or went missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean fell by more than a quarter in 2018 over the previous year, to 2,262, the UN refugee agency said Thursday. The number of migrants who arrived in Europe after surviving the sea crossing also dropped by roughly the same proportion last year to 113,482 after 172,3 ...

Radio France Internationale on Wednesday expressed its disappointment after the cancellation of press accreditation for its correspondent Florence Morice.It has also called for its FM broadcast, which has bveen blocked across most of the country since Tuesday, be re-instated. Government spokesman Lambert Mende accused RFI of discussing results a ...

The DR Congo government said Tuesday it had cut the country's internet services to avert a popular uprising as tensions rise pending the results of fractious presidential elections. The opposition accused authorities of cutting the internet on Monday to thwart activism, while leading Western powers called on the troubled central African nation ...

An Africa Cup of Nations with new dates and an expanded 24-team line-up will take centre stage this year in the continent, but the hosts have still to be decided. CAF will announce next Wednesday whether Egypt or South Africa stage the June 15-July 13 tournament after Cameroon were dropped over preparation delays and security concerns. The da ...

New York City's crystal ball dropped as rain-soaked throngs in Times Square cheered and smooched in celebration, joining revelers around the world in welcoming the New Year on Tuesday and saying goodbye to a tumultuous 2018. For many, the sparkling sphere's time-honored descent came after hours spent in cold, wet weather -- a wait made easier by ...