WORLD

Paris, France | AFP |  Humanity should brace for blowback from oceans and frozen zones increasingly addled by climate change, a major UN report will warn. Loading the atmosphere with CO2 and greenhouse gases has spawned a host of consequences, starting with irreversible sea-level rise, according to a draft Intergovernmental Panel …

Uganda improved by 35% percent over a 17-year-period  from 578 to 375 deaths for every 100,000 live births  Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Global child and maternal deaths have fallen sharply in recent decades, but new UN statistics released Thursday show unequal progress, with more than five childbirths a minute ending …

Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP |  Indonesia is set to vote on a plan to outlaw gay and pre-marital sex while beefing up its blasphemy laws in a shakeup fuelled by religious conservatism and slammed by rights groups Thursday. The proposed criminal law overhaul could affect millions in the world’s biggest …

Damning South Sudan Report focuses on regional players, including Uganda London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Hollywood star George Clooney’s investigative project The Sentry on Thursday urged the international community to act over alleged links between global corporations, tycoons and foreign governments and rampant corruption in South Sudan. The Sentry …

  Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz were in a standoff over calls for a unity government on Thursday as election results put the premier’s long tenure in office at risk. In a major development following Tuesday’s polls, Netanyahu said …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he was not embarrassed after being filmed lying to the father of a sick child angrily confronting him during a hospital visit on Wednesday. Johnson was stopped by the dad, whose daughter was being treated at the London facility, to hear complaints …

 Iranian FM warns US or Saudi attack would trigger ‘all-out’ war: CNN Tehran, Iran | AFP |  Iranian FM has warned that a US or Saudi attack would trigger ‘all-out’ war, CNN has reported. This came hours after Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Iran’s foes Thursday of agitating for war, as Washington and …

Halle (Saale), Germany | AFP | An enduring reminder of the communist era, the vast, concrete “Plattenbau” tower blocks that surround cities in eastern Germany are usually considered eyesores rather than works of art. Yet, a new urban culture project in the city of Halle, 170 kilometres (around 100 miles) southwest …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Chinese tech giant Huawei launches its latest high-end smartphone in Munich on Thursday, the first that could be void of popular Google apps because of US sanctions. Observers are asking whether a phone without the Silicon Valley software that users have come to depend on can …

Strasbourg, France | AFP | The European Union’s two top officials handling troublesome Brexit talks warned Wednesday the risk of a no-deal exit looms large unless Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government swiftly offers concrete proposals. “The risk of a no deal remains very real. That will maybe be the choice of …