Washington, United States | AFP | The Trump administration on Friday rejected a capital increase by the World Bank, which the Bank says is necessary to expand its global anti-poverty mission. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the huge Washington-based institution is inefficient and can be more effective in the nearly $60 …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea is believed to be preparing to launch a ballistic missile ahead of an upcoming joint naval drill by the US and South Korea, a news report said Saturday, citing a government source. The US navy said Friday that a US aircraft carrier …

United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “very much hopes” the nuclear deal with Iran can be salvaged, a spokesman said Friday, as President Donald Trump was set to de-certify the 2015 agreement. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres considers the deal to be a “very important …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Military intervention against North Korea would have “devastating consequences”, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday, after US President Donald Trump said diplomatic efforts had failed. Tensions over North Korea’s weapons programmes have soared in recent months, with Pyongyang launching a flurry of missiles and conducting its …

Luanda, Angola | AFP | Nearly a fourth of the estimated 30,000 refugees sheltered in Angola’s northeast have returned to their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive Kasai region, an Angolan official said Friday. “Of the 31,240 refugees from DRC hosted by the Angolan government in the Lunda …

Paris, France | AFP | Rafael Nadal is seeking 100,000 euros ($118,000) in damages from former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot after she accused the Spanish tennis legend of a dope test cover-up. Nadal is suing Bachelot, who served as sports minister between 2007 and 2010, over remarks in March …

United Nations, United States | AFP | With 500 attacks on schools documented in just six months, 2017 is shaping up as a record year for the number of schools bombed and destroyed in war zones like Yemen, South Sudan and Syria, a UN official said Friday. Last year, the …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | The biggest game of the La Liga season so far is shrouded in political tension as Barcelona visit Atletico Madrid on Saturday in their first trip to the Spanish capital since a Catalan independence referendum marred by violence. Barca played their last match behind closed doors …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Bayern Munich will play their first game under returning coach Jupp Heynckes when they host Freiburg this Saturday. The 72-year-old, who won the treble with the club in 2013, is tasked with reviving Bayern’s stuttering season after his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti was dismissed two weeks …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho takes high-flying Manchester United to Liverpool for a searching test of their title credentials this weekend as the Premier League returns with a bang after the international break. United are level with Manchester City at the top of the table on 19 points, …