AFP news

At the talks, both sides agreed to show mutual respect, particularly in regards to matters of sovereignty.

The official said the balloon flew over the US northwest where there are sensitive airbases and strategic missiles in silos underground.

Its history since independence has been marred by five years of ethnic bloodshed that left 380,000 people dead and much of the young country in ruins.

Both nations are battling jihadist insurgencies and are run by juntas who have turned away from France, the former colonial power and traditional ally.

The Argentine pontiff arrived at the Martyrs' stadium around 9:00 am local time (0800 GMT), offering greetings and blessings to the crowd roaring in the stands.

Germany, which long-stalled over the decision to send tanks to Ukraine, now aims to deliver them "late March, early April".

"The low voter turnout reflects the dire need for the government to engage in a more inclusive path going forward," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

It said the drones, which can fly long distances at mid-altitudes, are one of the most obvious, force-enhancing technologies that Ukraine needs in its war against Russian forces.

He is expected to hold talks with President Filipe Nyusi and government ministers, the sources said.

Tens of thousands of worshippers had already begun to flock to Kinshasa's N'Dolo airport on Tuesday night for a vigil held ahead of the open-air mass.

He is accused along with his wife Beatrice, daughter Sonia and a doctor of bringing a 21-year-old man from Nigeria to have his kidney removed.

Announcing the summit earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said: "The fact that this summit will be held in Kyiv is a powerful signal to both partners and enemies."

Thousands of well-wishers are expected at Kinshasa's Ndjili international airport to greet the 86-year-old pontiff's plane, which is due to land around 3:00 pm local time (1400 GMT).

The attack happened Monday during afternoon worship in the provincial capital of Peshawar, close to areas along the Afghan border where militancy has been steadily rising.

Three people were wounded in the shooting, which occurred on Sunday evening in a township of the city, previously known as Port Elizabeth.

A Ukrainian military spokesman in charge of the area said that Russia's attacks were unsuccessful.

The minister, who took office earlier this month, told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the actions of Mali's junta could lead to an earlier exit.

Weah pledged "a mandate of opportunity, a mandate for transformation, a mandate for development".

The Kremlin-appointed Donetsk leader, Denis Pushilin, claimed Russian forces were advancing near Vugledar, a strategically valuable town southwest of Donetsk city.

In December the Constitutional Court backed Koen's decision, concluding that Zuma's application to remove Downer had no reasonable prospects of success.

Thulani Maseko, a political activist and fierce critic of authorities in the tiny landlocked nation, was gunned down through the window of his home last Saturday by unknown attackers.

Former colonial power France has special forces based in Ouagadougou, but its presence has come under intense scrutiny as anti-French sentiment in the region grows.

Some 65 percent of the population live below the poverty line, according to a 2020 report by the United Nations.

The typical buyers are evangelical preachers, whose numbers have mushroomed over the years in the traditionally Catholic country which Pope Francis is set to visit on Tuesday.

The birthday celebrant was among those gunned down in the mass shooting in the southern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.

Nemes Tarimo was serving a seven-year term for an undisclosed offence when Russia's Wagner mercenary group recruited him for payment and the promise he would be freed after the war, Tanzanian authorities said this week.

DRC's army confirmed the withdrawal, calling it a tactical move to protect civilians in the face of renewed unrest provoked by the rebel fighters' reinvigorated offensive.

For the time being, France can still count on support in the region -- in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Niger and Chad -- where leaders still welcome the low-key presence of French troops and their firepower.

The money pledged by the Lake Chad Basin High Level Conference will "support a coordinated, complementary and overall regional response to the crisis," they said in a statement.