A French court has fined cement group Lafarge $1.3 million for paying the Islamic State group and other jihadists to keep its factory running in Syria during the civil war.

Nigeria’s Air Force has launched an investigation after an airstrike on Sunday allegedly killed dozens of civilians in the country’s northeast.

It still has tens of thousands of artworks and artefacts that it looted from its colonial empire. Now, France is debating a bill to simplify returning them to their countries of origin.

Malawian police arrested the former finance minister Sunday on suspicion of money laundering and abuse of office, in the latest move in a widening post-election crackdown on former senior officials.

Global markets have been rattled after Donald Trump announced a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions following failed peace talks with Iran.

Iran’s military has warned that no ports in the Persian gulf or Gulf of Oman will be safe if its own ports are threatened. It comes as the US military announced it will launch a blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas.

Thailand marked the start of the Songkran New Year on Monday, 13 April 2026, with large crowds gathering in Bangkok for its traditional water festival.

Lebanon saw further damage on Monday, 13 April 2026, as Lebanese Red Cross volunteers inspected ambulances hit by Israeli strikes in the coastal city of Tyre, while rescue teams cleared debris in the nearby village of Maaroub.

US-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on President Donald Trump’s broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration.

Algeria welcomed Pope Leo XIV on Monday, 13 April 2026, marking the first visit by a pontiff to the Muslim-majority country, with a focus on interfaith dialogue and peace.

At least 56 people were killed and 14 injured after a military airstrike hit a market in northeastern Nigeria, according to a UN report, with locals and rights groups warning that civilians were among those killed.

Benin is leaning into its painful history as a key port in the transatlantic slave trade to encourage tourism.

Pope Leo XIV has begun a historic visit to Algeria, marking the first-ever papal trip to the country and launching an 11-day African tour focused on interfaith dialogue and regional engagement.

Mauritius has pledged to “spare no effort” to reclaim control of the Chagos Islands after a proposed handover deal by Keir Starmer collapsed amid shifting U.S. support.

Geordin Hill-Lewis has secured the top job in Cape Town, but his ambitions are already stretching well beyond the city, as he positions himself for national leadership.

A tragic stampede at a mountaintop fortress in northern Haiti has left at least 30 people dead and dozens injured, after crowds gathered for traditional festivities.

At least 25 people died on Saturday, 11 April 2026, after a stampede at the Citadelle Laferrière near Milot, a major tourist site in the north of the country.

Anticipation is building across Africa as Pope Leo XIV prepares for an 11-day այց spanning four nations, with believers expressing hope for spiritual renewal and political reconciliation.

Peru’s presidential election on Sunday, 12 April 2026, was thrown into uncertainty after widespread logistical failures prevented thousands of voters from casting their ballots, delaying the outcome.

Hungary saw large crowds take to the streets on Sunday, 12 April 2026, after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat, ending 16 years in power.

Benin began counting ballots Sunday after a presidential election that could extend a decade of economic growth while testing the country’s democratic balance. Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni is the frontrunner to succeed outgoing president Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after two terms.

Dozens of injured victims were taken to a hospital in Geidam, where they are receiving treatment, a hospital worker said.

Dozens of people died in airstrikes in Nigeria’s northeastern Yobe state as military aircraft hunted Boko Haram jihadists, local residents and Amnesty International said on Sunday.

Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues, urging all parties to respect international law and protect civilians.

At the annual festival, the archipelago’s brightest musical talents not only showcase their art, but also perform an essential service to Cape Verde’s culture and identity by keeping traditional music alive.

South Africa’s second-largest party, the Democratic Alliance, elected Cape Town’s mayor Sunday to lead it into the 2029 national polls, stepping up a drive to take votes away from the faltering ANC.

Benin’s president Patrice Talon said “the best is yet to come for Benin” before casting his vote in Sunday’s presidential election that will decide who will be his successor.

Despite a relative decline in international attention, the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains severe and largely ignored. 2.3 million people – 35 percent of the population – live in extreme vulnerability.

The news agency Reuters said on Sunday that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was recovering from severe and disfiguring wounds from the airstrike that killed his father, Ali Khamenei. Iran’s leader has not been seen in public since his appointment.

Benin will vote for a new president on Sunday, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni a shoo-in after overseeing a decade of economic growth in the west African country despite jihadist attacks in the north.

Marathon negotiations between the United States and Iran in the Pakistani capital ended early Sunday without a breakthrough, with both sides failing to bridge deep differences over nuclear issues, the Strait of Hormuz, and sanctions relief, officials said.

Libya’s rival eastern and western legislative bodies have signed a US-mediated agreement to unify public spending across the divided country for the first time in over a decade, the central bank said Saturday.

A court in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Friday convicted more than 300 terrorism suspects in a mass trial that spanned four days.

As millions of Ethiopians marked Good Friday in the capital, Addis Ababa on Friday, many were continuing to suffer the impacts of the Middle East crisis, which has sparked chronic fuel shortages and rising costs of basic commodities.

US and Iranian officials held separate talks with Pakistan’s prime minister on Saturday amid a ceasefire made fragile by deep disagreements and unabated fighting in Lebanon. International media reported that the two countries had also started direct talks in the afternoon.

A Turkish drilling ship docked at the port of Mogadishu on Friday ahead of Somalia’s first offshore oil drilling project, the two countries announced.

An elated NASA late Friday was celebrating its successful voyage around the Moon, after four astronauts safely returned to Earth having completed the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years.

Djibouti’s veteran leader Ismail Omar Guelleh won the country’s presidential election with 97.8 percent of the vote, according to official results on Saturday.

A charity co-founded by Prince Harry in Africa to honor his late mother, Princess Diana, has sued him for defamation after he stepped down as a patron last year.

Benin Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, who is the favourite in this weekend’s presidential election, tells supporters he will do “even better” than the government already has done if elected