Kirikhan, Turkey | AFP | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to press Turkey’s offensive against a Kurdish militia in Syria until “the last terrorist” was killed, as the US ramped up its concerns over the campaign. Turkey on Saturday launched operation “Olive Branch” together with Syrian rebels and Turkish …

Jalalabad, Afghanistan | AFP | Save the Children suspended operations across Afghanistan on Wednesday as Islamic State militants terrorised staff trapped inside one of its offices in an hours-long attack, the latest assault on a foreign charity. Gunmen blasted their way into the British aid group’s compound in the eastern city …

Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP | A copy of a report seen by AFP into the state of FIFA commissioned by Gianni Infantino after his election as president shines a light on the murky ways of the old regime at world football’s governing body. The 98-page “Progress at FIFA – Status Report” …

Davos, Switzerland | AFP | Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, said Wednesday that the country would go to the polls before July, in the first elections since Robert Mugabe was ousted after 37 years in power. Mnangagwa, who took office in November after a shock military takeover led to Mugabe’s ousting, …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | LeBron James made NBA history on Tuesday, hitting the final shot of the first quarter to become the youngest player ever to reach the 30,000 career regular season point milestone. James, who turned 33 on December 30, surpassed Kobe Bryant as the youngest player …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | After years of futile efforts, a fresh hunt for MH370 has set off for the remote Indian Ocean — and the top Australian scientist who helped pinpoint the new search zone is hopeful the missing jet can be found within weeks. Armed with oceanographic analyses and …

Paris, France | AFP | Two dozen countries agreed Tuesday to push for sanctions against perpetrators of chemical attacks in Syria, with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying Russia “ultimately bears responsibility” for such strikes. Twenty-four nations approved a new “partnership against impunity” for the use of chemical weapons, just …

People are increasingly acknowledging that the global economy is stronger than they thought COMMENT | JIM O’NEILL | In February 2017, I wrote an optimistic commentary called “The Global Economy’s Surprising Resilience.” The piece came as a surprise to those who saw only bleak prospects for Western countries, not least the …

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang, Africa’s longest-serving leader, dismissed the country’s ambassador to Chad on Tuesday, weeks after authorities said they had thwarted an attempted coup. Ambassador Enrique Nsue Anguesomo was removed due to “irregularities committed in the exercise of his functions,” and stripped him …

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | The Gates Foundation will invest $45 million in nutrition and family planning programs in Burkina Faso, Melinda Gates said on Tuesday during a visit to the capital Ouagadougou. “The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest $45 million (23.5 billion FCFA) over three years in …