Pope Francis returned to Rome on Friday after a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific, defying health concerns to connect with believers from the jungle of Papua New Guinea to the skyscrapers of Singapore. The papal plane carrying the 87-year-old pontiff touched down in Rome shortly before 7:00 pm local time (17:00 GMT) — bringing to a successful close Francis’s longest …

Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at two major international Summits in Rome, Italy; and St Petersburg, Russia. Shettima, who left Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 3:00 pm on Sunday, will join other global leaders for the first Stocktaking Moment Summit themed, “Transforming Food Systems for People, Planet and Prosperity,” holding from …