Kemerovo, Russia | AFP | Russia on Wednesday held a national day of mourning and buried the first victims of a fire that ravaged a busy shopping centre and killed 64 people, most of them children. Flags were lowered and entertainment events cancelled three days after Sunday’s devastating blaze in …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump, who has agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un, said Wednesday there is a now a good chance the North Korean leader will give up his country’s nuclear weapons. “For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and …

New Delhi, India | AFP | An Indian billionaire who promised to help fund a rival to Facebook said Wednesday he had been “overwhelmed” with the response as the world grapples with concerns about data privacy. Anand Mahindra, whose Mahindra Group business empire spans everything from cars to real estate, …

Washington, United States | AFP | Global consumption of antibiotics has soared since the year 2000, stoking calls for new policies to rein in usage — and fueling fears that the worldwide threat posed by drug-resistant superbugs will spiral out of control, researchers say. A study in the Proceedings of …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Liverpool goal machine Mohamed Salah sat on the bench as Egypt barely created a chance when losing 1-0 to Greece Tuesday on a mixed night for African World Cup hopefuls. Tunisia and Morocco won for the second time during the FIFA international window, but Senegal …

Goma, DR Congo | AFP | Sexual and ethnic violence are alarmingly on the rise in Democratic Republic of Congo’s lawless east, spawning a humanitarian catastrophe with millions forced to flee their homes. At least 13.1 million Congolese need humanitarian aid, including 7.7 million who are severely food insecure, the …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Gabriel Jesus struck the winner as Brazil put memories of their 2014 World Cup mauling by Germany behind them with a 1-0 friendly win in Berlin on Tuesday. Jesus’ first-half goal at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, packed with a 72,717-strong crowd, saw Brazil end Germany’s unbeaten …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | England manager Gareth Southgate believes a lack of clarity over the video assistant referee (VAR) system could blight the 2018 World Cup. Southgate’s side were denied another impressive World Cup warm-up friendly result as Lorenzo Insigne’s penalty three minutes from time salvaged a 1-1 …

Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Moroccan police on Tuesday announced an investigation into a video showing a teenage girl being pinned down, stripped and assaulted in broad daylight after it stirred a wave of anger. In the footage circulated online an assailant kneels on top of the teen touching and …

Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique’s three main political parties agreed Tuesday to go ahead with constitutional reforms that will decentralise power as part of efforts to consolidate peace between the government and former rebels. “We have made significant strides,” said Margarida Talapa of the ruling Frelimo party after it …