WORLD

Copenhagen, Denmark | AFP | They recount tales of Viking raids, Norse history, kings and gods: a priceless collection of mediaeval manuscripts, bequeathed by an Icelandic scholar to the University of Copenhagen in the 18th century, that Iceland now wants back. The UN cultural organisation UNESCO has called them “the single …

Athens, Greece | AFP |  Chinese investor Jiang Rungong, who moved to Greece three years ago, says he and his family could not be happier in their new home on the Athens coast. “We chose Greece because of its cultural heritage, its history, the democracy, the freedom. We really like its …

  Moscow, Russia | AFP | More than a hundred Russian schoolchildren were taught to assemble AK-47s in a Moscow park on Saturday as the country this weekend celebrates the centenary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the legendary rifle. On Sunday, the 100th anniversary of Kalashinkov’s birth …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and incoming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen issued stark warnings Friday that the West faces new  challenges from Russia and China, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall. Urging Western allies to defend hard-won …

Atlanta, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday sought to crack Democrats’ solid hold on black voters, telling a gathering of African-Americans in Atlanta that the left has taken them for granted. Trump hammered home his platform of fighting illegal immigration and using trade wars to rebuild the …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Friday he has not agreed to roll back tariffs on Chinese imports, dampening recent optimism for a major de-escalation in the US-China trade war. Amid a steady stream of conflicting reports, Trump’s remarks appeared to push back against Beijing’s claims that …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Germany on Saturday marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall that ushered in the end of communism and national reunification, as the Western alliance that helped secure those achievements is riddled with divisions. Two days before the date that brought epochal change, France’s …

La Paz, Bolivia | AFP |  Police in three Bolivian cities joined anti-government protests Friday, in one case marching with demonstrators in La Paz, in the first sign security forces are withdrawing support from President Evo Morales after a disputed election that has triggered riots. The defense minister said the …

Paraiesti, Romania | AFP |  With a religious icon pinned to a wall, washing hung out to dry, and a table and two chairs standing on a terrace, Paraiesti looks like almost any other village in rural Romania — at least at first glance. But Paraiesti is actually more of a …

Beijing, China | AFP | China’s exports suffered their third month of decline in October, and while the drop was less than expected there were warnings Friday of more pain to come as the US trade war rumbles on. While tensions between the world’s top two economies are beginning to ease, …