WORLD

London, United Kingdom | AFP | There had never been much doubt that in London’s testosterone-fuelled financial sector female workers’ salaries lagged far behind those of their mostly male colleagues. Now this has been confirmed in black and white after the British government forced UK-based banks to publish their own so-called …

Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai returned to Pakistan Thursday, saying tearfully that it was “a dream” to come home for the first time since she was airlifted to Britain after being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman more than five years ago. The 20-year-old …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | A brewery in Windsor, the British town where Prince Harry will marry American Meghan Markle in May, believes it has concocted its own perfect pairing with a “royal beer” celebrating the occasion. The regal-themed brew, a pale ale named “Harry & Meghan’s Windsor Knot”, appropriately …

Athens, Greece | AFP | A Council of Europe project to help refugees to have their qualifications recognised abroad was extended to include more countries on Wednesday. France, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and Armenia will participate in the second phase of the three-year project, joining Greece, Norway, Italy and the United …

Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Pope Francis has declined to apologize for the abuse of indigenous Canadians at church-run boarding schools, drawing a polite rebuke Wednesday from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In an open letter, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote: “After carefully considering the request and extensive dialogue with …

United Nations, United States | AFP | US Ambassador Nikki Haley told countries at the United Nations on Wednesday they need to “step up” and pay a bigger share of the multi-billion-dollar bill for peacekeeping operations. The largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping, the United States last year negotiated a $600 …

United Nations, United States | AFP | Long-serving American diplomat Rosemary DiCarlo was on Wednesday appointed to become the first woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most high-profile positions at the world body. DiCarlo will replace Jeffrey Feltman, another American who held the post of under-secretary-general for …

Kemerovo, Russia | AFP | Russia on Wednesday held a national day of mourning and buried the first victims of a fire that ravaged a busy shopping centre and killed 64 people, most of them children. Flags were lowered and entertainment events cancelled three days after Sunday’s devastating blaze in …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump, who has agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un, said Wednesday there is a now a good chance the North Korean leader will give up his country’s nuclear weapons. “For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and …

New Delhi, India | AFP | An Indian billionaire who promised to help fund a rival to Facebook said Wednesday he had been “overwhelmed” with the response as the world grapples with concerns about data privacy. Anand Mahindra, whose Mahindra Group business empire spans everything from cars to real estate, …