WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | For many, the New Year presents an opportunity for introspection and vows of self-improvement. Not so for US President Donald Trump, who kicked off 2019 in characteristically belligerent fashion, tweeting an all-caps message to his critics, telling them to “CALM DOWN AND ENJOY THE …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel’s centre-left opposition dramatically split on Tuesday ahead of an April 9 election, with leader Avi Gabbay announcing he would no longer partner with veteran politician Tzipi Livni as she sat stone-faced next to him. The announcement means the end of their Zionist Union alliance, …

Perth, Australia | AFP | Serena Williams has posted an inspirational New Year message to mums and dads juggling parenthood with work, saying “anything is possible”. The 23-time Grand Slam champion began 2019 in Perth at the mixed teams Hopman Cup, with baby Alexis Olympia in tow. She posted a …

Tijuana, Mexico | AFP | Around 100 Central American migrants made a failed attempt on New Year’s Eve to cross over from Mexico into the United States. They were among 1,500 migrants who have remained in Tijuana after a once-5,000-strong caravan of travelers largely gave up and dispersed. An AFP …

Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician vowing a crackdown on crime and corruption, was sworn in Tuesday as Brazil’s new president in front of Congress in Brasilia. The 63-year-old former paratrooper and deputy for the past 27 years pledged to uphold the constitution as he embarked …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Arab countries viewed Israel as an “indispensable ally” fighting Iran and the Islamic State group. That evaluation, he told Brazil’s Globo TV during a visit to Rio, has caused “a revolution in relations with the Arab …

Washington, United States | AFP | US Strategic Command apologized Monday for a joke in “bad taste” after tweeting it was ready to drop something “much bigger” than the traditional Times Square crystal ball at New Year. In a message posted, and later deleted, on Twitter, the military force that …

Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | A Thai man who felt slighted by his in-laws shot dead six family members including his two young children at a New Year’s Eve party before turning the gun on himself, police said Tuesday. The mass shooting took place 10 minutes after midnight as Sucheep …

Washington, United States | AFP | Defense Secretary Jim Mattis bade farewell to the Pentagon on Monday, telling the US military to “hold fast” after he quit over a series of fundamental differences with President Donald Trump. Mattis resigned December 20, after Trump stunned the US establishment by ordering a …

Paris, France | AFP | The French government “can do better” at improving citizens’ lives, President Emmanuel Macron said in his New Year’s Eve address as “yellow vest” protesters again took to the streets across the country. “We can do better and must do better,” Macron said in a 16-minute …