WORLD

Moscow, RUSSIAN FEDERATION | AFP | President Vladimir Putin in an interview aired Sunday called US President-elect Donald Trump intelligent and predicted he would quickly grasp his new level of responsibility and act accordingly. “Since he managed to achieve success in business, that shows he is a clever person,” the …

Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | AFP | Fidel Castro’s ashes were entombed in a massive stone next to national heroes on Sunday, as Cuba opens a new era without the communist leader who ruled for decades. The cedar urn was placed inside the tall round stone near the mausoleums of …

Killing Castro: Poisoned cigars, explosive seashells Havana, Cuba | AFP | Mobsters, poisoned cigars, exploding seashells, a contaminated diving suit: The CIA’s imagination ran wild in its plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. As the late Cuban leader’s ashes are laid to rest in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba …

Chengalpattu, India | AFP | A small scythe, a crowbar and a bundle of canvas bags are all that Kali and Vedan carry when they venture into the fields of southern India to catch some of the world’s deadliest snakes. Their skills, passed from generation to generation of the Irula …

Washington, United States | AFP |  President-elect Donald Trump sent a dismissive tweet in response to a comedy sketch that mocked his penchant for sending tweets. Trump again lambasted the show “Saturday Night Live,” on which he is played by actor Alec Baldwin. But whereas on other occasions Trump has …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Three officials of the World’s Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) are expected in Kenya on Monday to begin audit of the country’s anti-doping programme. The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) was formed in January 2015, but its laws only came into force in June this year after …

Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | AFP | The convoy carrying the ashes of Cuba’s late communist leader Fidel Castro capped an island-wide journey on Saturday, reaching the cradle of his revolution for a final rally before burial. Tens of thousands of people cheered as the olive-green jeep that has pulled …

Nassau, Bahamas | AFP | Tiger Woods sizzled early but fizzled late in firing a two-under-par 70 in Saturday’s third round of the Hero World Challenge, his first event after a 16-month injury layoff. It was no day at the beach for the former world number one, but Woods did …

New York, United States | AFP | US President-elect Donald Trump broke with decades of foreign policy to speak with the president of Taiwan, prompting Beijing Saturday to accuse Taipei of a ploy but saying the move would not affect US-China ties. It was not immediately clear whether Trump’s telephone …

Monaco, Principality of Monaco | AFP | Sprint king Usain Bolt won an unprecedented sixth IAAF male Athlete of the Year award on Friday, Ethiopian Almaz Ayana picking up the female award after her record-setting 10,000m gold in Rio. “I live for the moments I walk into the stadium,” said …