Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christmas cannot just be about swapping presents and indulging in a massive consumer binge, urging the faithful to remember its original purpose to mark Christ’s birth. “The advertising machine tells us we have to exchange more and more …

New Delhi, India | AFP | An Indian journalist has been jailed for a year after he criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook, in the latest example of what critics claim is a clampdown on free speech. Kishorechandra Wangkhem was arrested last month in the remote northeastern state of …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Alexander Salazar over his “misconduct” with a minor, the Vatican said Wednesday. The case is the latest in a litany of child sexual abuse scandals to have rocked the Roman Catholic Church …

Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German carmakers Daimler and BMW said Wednesday they had won final approval to merge their car-sharing services Car2Go and DriveNow, paving the way for the creation of a European giant to challenge the likes of Uber. In a joint statement, the companies said …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania’s opposition parties on Wednesday declared they would join forces in a campaign against the “dictatorship” of President John Magufuli. “The government has launched a war against opposition parties,” six groups said in a joint statement issued after a four-day meeting. “We declare the year …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United’s decision to sack Jose Mourinho brought an abrupt end to his troubled reign but the fallout at Old Trafford will linger for months to come. United have appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager to see them through to the end of …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer etched himself into Manchester United folklore in the manic closing seconds of their Champions League win against Bayern Munich in 1999. Alex Ferguson’s team had wrapped up the Premier League title and won the FA Cup but their dreams of a …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African police said Wednesday an arrest warrant had been issued for Grace Mugabe, wife of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, after she allegedly assaulted a model in Johannesburg in 2017. “The police investigated and we made an application to the courts and the …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascans voted on Wednesday in a run-off election between two rivals who have waited years to come face-to-face in a fiercely personal battle for power in the Indian Ocean island. The clash between Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina could revive instability in the impoverished country …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ten people were killed and one was injured when their minibus was struck by a roadside bomb in a troubled region of western Ethiopia, local television reported Wednesday. The blast occurred on a highway near the border between the regions of Oromia and Benishangul …