Paris, France | AFP | Paris city authorities said Thursday they aimed to phase out the use of diesel cars by the time the French capital hosts the Olympics in 2024, and petrol cars by 2030. Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s office said the goals — which are more ambitious time-wise than a …

Midrand, South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | African Legislators are concerned that given the slow pace of ratification of the Malabo Protocol, the Pan African Parliament might never acquire full legislative authority and only remain as an advisory organ. With only five ratifications since its adoption in 2014,out of 28 …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | A shallow 2.9-magnitude earthquake struck near North Korea’s nuclear test site before dawn on Friday, weeks after Pyongyang’s biggest detonation, but South Korean experts said the tremor did not appear to be man-made. The tremor hit at 01:41 am (1641 GMT Thursday) with a depth …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger conceded on Thursday he may have no option but to sell star players Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the January transfer window. The pair are both out of contract at the end of the season and are yet to agree …

Rabat, Morocco | AFP | A Moroccan appeals court has struck down a ruling that for the first time recognised a man as the father of a child born outside of marriage. The decision by the Tangiers appeals court sparked anger among human rights activists. A lower Tangiers court had …

Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Pope Francis will push for peace during his visit to mainly-Buddhist Myanmar, a church official said Thursday, a trip that plunges the pontiff into the centre of a simmering religious conflict which has sparked an exodus of Muslim Rohingya. Myanmar’s western Rakhine state has been torn …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain celebrated its national day Thursday with a show of unity in the face of Catalan independence efforts, a day after the central government gave the region’s separatist leader a deadline to abandon his secession bid. The country is suffering its worst political crisis in a …

Dublin, Ireland | AFP | Ireland on Thursday gave the green light for tech giant Apple to build an 850-million-euro ($1.0-billion) data centre following a battle with conservationists who were seeking to preserve a forest. High Court judge Paul McDermott dismissed the appeals brought by three campaigners, who were concerned about …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Switzerland has opened a criminal probe targeting Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain, and FIFA’s former secretary general Jerome Valcke, over alleged corruption in the sale of World Cup media rights. “The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has opened a criminal proceeding against …

Dhaka, Bangladesh | AFP | Bangladesh has banned three Islamic charities from working with Rohingya refugees, a lawmaker said Thursday, amid concerns displaced Muslims in camps along its border could be radicalized. Mahjabeen Khaled, an MP from the ruling Awami League, said the international charities Muslim Aid and Islamic Relief, and …