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Added on the 01/02/2023 09:55:54 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Belgium's King Philippe arrives in Kinshasa for his first official visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), against a backdrop of remembrance work and reconciliation between Belgium and its former colony. IMAGES
Pope Francis is greeted by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Greek Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and representatives of civil and religious society as he begins a landmark trip to Greece with the first visit to Athens by a pontiff in two decades, aiming to improve historically fraught relations with the country's Orthodox Church and highlight the plight of refugees. The 84-year-old's visit to the Greek capital is the first by a pope since John Paul II in 2001, which in turn was the first papal visit to Athens since the 1054 Schism between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. IMAGES
The United Nations begins withdrawal of MONUSCO peacekeeping forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo by handing over a first UN base to the national police. During an official ceremony at the Kamanyola base, close to the Rwandan and Burundian borders, the flags of the United Nations and Pakistan, the countries of origin of the peacekeepers in charge, were replaced by those of the DRC. IMAGES
The United States warns Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo at the UN that they "must walk back from the brink of war" as tensions between the neighbors ratchet up. "Regional diplomatic efforts, not military conflict, are the only path to a negotiated solution and sustainable peace," says American envoy to the UN Robert Wood during a UNSC emergency meeting. SOUNDBITE
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said building six new nuclear reactors is the "biggest industrial challenge of our time for France". Le Maire spoke outside nuclear power plant of Gravelines in northern France. French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to have six EPRs or third generation pressurised water nuclear reactors, by 2035. SOUNDBITE
Supporters of DR Congo president Felix Tshisekedi celebrate his re-election in front of his party's headquarters in Kinshasa after provisional results declared by the country's electoral commission showed that Tshisekedi had won 73 percent of the vote. Tshisekedi, 60, first came to power in January 2019 after a disputed election that many observers said he had in fact lost, and the opposition have dismissed the latest vote in the central African country as a "sham". IMAGES