WORLD

Rome, Italy | AFP | Former pope Benedict XVI has asked that his name be removed from a controversial new book in which he comes down firmly against married priests, his secretary told Italian newswire ANSA. The book, excerpts of which were published on Sunday by French newspaper Le Figaro, set off a firestorm with …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran announced Tuesday its first arrests over the shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner last week, as it struggles to contain the fallout from the disaster that sparked three days of protests. The Ukraine International Airlines plane was brought down by a missile shortly after takeoff …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The Vatican was gripped Tuesday by a dispute over whether elderly ex-pope Benedict XVI was being used by the Catholic Church’s ultra-conservative wing to undermine his successor Pope Francis. At least three Vatican correspondents cited a source close to Benedict saying the former pontiff …

Paris, France | AFP | Three EU countries on Tuesday said they were launching a dispute mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran after accusing Tehran of repeated violations, but insisted they were committed to the agreement. The move by Britain, France and Germany comes as tensions soar between the West and Iran following …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Russian spies hacked a Ukrainian energy company at the center of the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump, a cybersecurity firm said Monday. Russia’s GRU spy agency launched a “phishing” attack in November to access the email of Burisma Holdings employees, California cyber firm …

Montreal, Canada | AFP |  The Canadian government has yet to decide whether it will assume the security costs associated with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to split their time between Canada and Britain, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday. “I think that is part of the reflection that… needs …

Madrid, Spain | AFP |  Spanish champions Barcelona have sacked their coach Ernesto Valverde and appointed Quique Setien as his replacement, the club announced on Monday. The decision to remove Valverde was confirmed following a board meeting that lasted more than four hours at Camp Nou on Monday afternoon. Barca are …

Iraq | AFP | Waves of ballistic missiles, soldiers hunkered down in bunkers for hours, intense shock waves — a top US commander said he reacted to Iran’s unprecedented attack against an Iraqi base with “disbelief”. In an exclusive interview with AFP at the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, Lt. …

Sandringham, United Kingdom | AFP |  Queen Elizabeth II on Monday said Prince Harry and his wife Meghan would be allowed to split their time between Britain and Canada while their future is finalised. The couple said last week they wanted to step back from the royal frontline, catching the …

Manila, Philippines | AFP | The eruption of a volcano near the Philippine capital has delivered a dazzling but highly dangerous spectacle since it began spewing superheated steam on Sunday. Taal volcano’s bursts of lightning and monster clouds of ash have drawn crowds of gaping observers, but also prompted thousands to …