King Charles hosts first state visit for S.Africa’s Ramaphosa

Pretoria's Western allies are upset by South Africa hosting upcoming joint naval exercises with Russia and China. Historical ties between Moscow and the ruling ANC may explain President Ramaphosa's stance.

A Russian ship loaded with hypersonic missiles will take part in joint naval drills with China off South Africa's eastern coast this week. But a Russian commander denied there were plans to fire the weapons.

South Africa captivated a home crowd with their run to the Women's T20 World Cup final. With women's cricket on the rise around the world, the time is now for Cricket South Africa to finally get on board.

South Africa's police service is coming under intense criticism for allegedly doing little to tackle the country's rampant gun violence. But the police say that they are taking citizens' concerns seriously.

Conspicuous by its absence at the coronation of Britain's King Charles III on May 6 will be the Koh-i-Noor diamond. In this edition of Coronation Countdown, FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Philip Turle explains why the decision has been made not to use a crown featuring the diamond – a choice taken for the sake of international relations.

Continued mass strikes and protest action have forced King Charles to postpone his planned visit to France on Sunday. It would have been his first official trip as king.

Just like his mother before him, King Charles II is not only head of state of the United Kingdom, but also of 14 Commonwealth countries. For years however, rumours have been circulating that after Queen Elizabeth II passed away, several of those nations would announce their decision to become a republic. So is it true? Our international affairs editor and royal watcher Philip Turle investigates in this edition of Coronation Countdown.

Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was denied parole on Friday, according to local authorities who said he has yet to complete his minimum sentence. Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed in the home of star Olympian Oscar Pistorius on Thursday, February 14, 2013.

Buckingham Palace released on Tuesday the artwork of the invitation for the King's coronation on May 6. The artwork, designed by heraldic artist Andrew Jamieson, was hand painted in watercolor and gouache.

South Africa rolls back a state of disaster over a national power crisis, even though rolling blackouts are still crippling the country's economy. Also, the WTO says goods exports are declining in Africa even though the continent has absorbed the shocks from Covid and the war in Ukraine better than expected. Finally, we report on how Tunisia takes pride in its varied use of orange blossom.

Pressure is mounting on South Africa to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he sets foot in Durban later this year. However, due to Pretoria's close ties with Moscow, surrendering Putin to the International Criminal Court remains highly unlikely. Legal experts are now speculating that South Africa may withdraw from the Rome Statute to avoid legal, political and diplomatic challenges.

Explaining the British monarch's wealth. This week, an investigation by the Guardian newspaper revealed that King Charles III and his late mother Queen Elizabeth II received around £1 billion from a number of estates.