Brazzaville, Congo | AFP | The US and French embassies in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, said Friday Congolese authorities had beefed up security at their buildings after receiving threats. The French embassy on its website said “a message relating to possible attacks” had been received overnight Wednesday. …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s former vice president, who was on a trip abroad during last month’s military takeover that led to Robert Mugabe’s resignation, has returned home, local media reported Saturday. Phelekezela Mphoko was the second deputy appointed in 2014 by longtime strongman Mugabe, along with current President Emmerson …

Dhaka, Bangladesh | AFP | Pope Francis wrapped up a high-stakes Asia tour Saturday after meeting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in a highly symbolic gesture of solidarity with the Muslim minority fleeing violence in Myanmar. The Catholic leader visited a hospital in Dhaka run by the order of Mother Theresa on …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | As many as 512 died in an October truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an emergency committee investigating the terrorist atrocity has found. An earlier death toll of 358 already made the October 14 bombing the deadliest terrorist attack in Somalia’s history. No group claimed …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Bosnian Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak likely died from heart failure after swallowing potassium cyanide, Dutch prosecutors said Friday, two days after his dramatic courtroom suicide in front of UN judges. “The preliminary results of the toxicological test showed that Mister Praljak had a …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday tried to shut down reports that he is on the verge of sacking or forcing out his chief diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Trump took to Twitter to brand reports of Tillerson’s imminent replacement “FAKE NEWS!” — although …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia breathed a collective sigh of relief on Friday after avoiding Spain and looking like favourites to make it out of their group in their first home World Cup. “The ideal group,” the government-run R-Sport news agency shouted in a banner headline on its website …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday stepped up his demands for a wall to stem illegal immigration from Mexico after an undocumented migrant was acquitted of murdering a woman in California — in a dramatic conclusion to a polarizing case. “His exoneration is a complete …

Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East peace envoy Jared Kushner will make a rare public appearance on Sunday, as the president mulls whether to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. The coincidence of a policy forum, the embassy decision and an imminent trip to …

Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Arctic and major fishing nations, including China, announced Friday that they have agreed to a moratorium on commercial fishing in Arctic waters before a fishery in the icy region is even feasible. The far north is warming at nearly twice the global average rate, causing …