VATICAN CITY: St. Peter’s Basilica reopened its doors on Thursday, after a brief pause in the early hours of the day, to welcome thousands of worshippers from around the world who want to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.
Almost 50,000 people have flooded the basilica to pay homage to the late pontiff, laid out since Wednesday in an open coffin ahead of his funeral on Saturday, Vatican media said.
Given the size of the crowds, the church, which was initially scheduled to close at midnight, was kept open until 5:30 a.m. (03:30 GMT), before it reopened at 7 a.m. The body of the 88-year-old pope, who died on Monday in his rooms at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse after suffering a stroke. Francis, a groundbreaking reformer, had an often turbulent 12-year reign in which he repeatedly clashed with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.
DUBAI: Iranian and US negotiators wrapped up a fifth round of talks on Friday, with mediator Oman saying there was...
SEOUL: South Korea said on Friday there have been no talks with Washington about the United States pulling troops from...
GENEVA: Dire humanitarian conditions in Myanmar and Bangladesh are driving more Rohingya to risk dangerous boat...
ISTANBUL: Turkiye arrested 65 soldiers and police officers early on Friday over alleged ties to the late preacher...
PARIS: A Paris court on Friday handed jail sentences of up to three years to a gang of robbers who stole $10 million...
LONDON/AMSTERDAM/HEMHOFEN, Germany: Thousands of foreign students at Harvard University were stuck in administrative...
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia needs to strengthen its position in the global arms market...
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates registered a sizzling 50.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, the highest on record for May,...