Beijing, China | AFP | One of China’s largest state-owned automakers has said it will phase out sales of all petrol vehicles by 2025, as Beijing considers taking all fuel-burning cars off the country’s roads. Beijing Automotive Group Co (BAIC) chairman Xu Heyi said over the weekend the company will phase …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | As soon as Ethiopian opposition activist Henok Gabisa read the email, he knew something was not right. With the subject line “Democracy in Ethiopia: Can it be saved?”, the message seemed tailor-made for him. Yet the US-based academic, who teaches law at Washington and Lee …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | The runoff in Liberia’s presidential elections will be held on December 26, the country’s electoral overseer announced on Tuesday, clearing a last hurdle in a protracted saga. It means the final round of voting between the two leading candidates — ex-footballer George Weah and Vice …

Paris, France | AFP | UEFA and the United Nations will team up to stage a charity match in Geneva on April 21 next year, European football’s governing body said on Tuesday. Two star-studded teams, managed by Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti and France coach Didier Deschamps and captained by Luis …

Paris, France | AFP | Major investors vowed Tuesday to move away from Earth-warming fossil fuels as world leaders met in Paris seeking to unlock new cash to save humanity from climate “doom”. Two years to the day since 195 nations sealed the Paris Agreement to avert worst-case-scenario climate change, …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump directed NASA on Monday to send Americans to the Moon for the first time since 1972, in order to prepare for future trips to Mars. “This time we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint,” Trump said at …

Driffield, United Kingdom | AFP | At a brewery nestled in rolling farmland in northern England, the process of making beer begins with dropping dozens of unwanted loaf ends, thrown away by a sandwich factory, into a large stainless steel tank. Add water, hops and yeast, and out comes the unmistakable …

Washington, United States | AFP | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressed confidence Tuesday that Washington is doing all it can to force North Korea to negotiate its nuclear disarmament. And he added that if diplomacy and sanctions fail and the US military is forced to take pre-emptive action, it will …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | The Tasmanian tiger was doomed long before humans began hunting the enigmatic marsupial, scientists said Tuesday, with DNA sequencing showing it was in poor genetic health for thousands of years before its extinction. Scientists genetically mapped the animal — also known as a thylacine — using …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United players will have to motivate themselves at home to Bournemouth on Wednesday after manager Jose Mourinho suggested their Premier League title challenge was probably over. The 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester City on Sunday leaves United second in the table but a …