WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | A top Republican senator joined other members of his party in criticizing US President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying he had not displayed the stability or competence needed to lead the country and risks putting it in “great peril.” Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, chairman of …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | After North Korea and the United States traded bellicose threats of nuclear conflagration, all eyes will be on an annual war game in the South next week that could send tensions spiralling back upwards, analysts say. Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) last month …

Washington, United States | AFP | The ghostwriter who penned Donald Trump’s 1987 memoir “The Art of the Deal” thinks the US president will throw in the towel before the end of his term. Writer Tony Schwartz tweeted that “Trump is going to resign” before investigators probing alleged ties between the …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | A group of Californians has submitted yet another initiative to secede from the United States as the country is gripped by one of its worst political crisis in recent history. The new “Calexit” ballot proposal put forward on Thursday by a fringe political group …

Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Drivers ploughed into pedestrians in two quick-succession, separate attacks in Barcelona and another popular Spanish seaside city Thursday and Friday, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100 others. In the first incident which police qualified as a “terrorist attack,” the driver of a white van …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia on Thursday ordered the reopening of its border with Qatar to Muslim pilgrims, a move which Doha said was welcome but too little to heal relations between the feuding Gulf neighbours. The Salwa border crossing, also known as Abu Samrah, a key passage …

Paris, France | AFP | Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, said she will adopt the role of first lady, but only in an informal capacity after opposition to plans to give her an official status. Speaking to Elle magazine in her first interview since her husband’s election …

Narita, Japan | AFP | The new US ambassador to Japan on Thursday reassured the country of an “ironclad” commitment to their security alliance, but urged Tokyo to step up its role in the pact, amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s missile threats. Tokyo remains on alert against potential military provocations …

New Delhi, India | AFP | India approved a $650 million purchase of six attack choppers Thursday from US aviation giant Boeing, officials said, as it boosts its military might amid border tensions with China and Pakistan. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which approves big-ticket purchases, gave the green light to …

Paris, France | AFP | Ignore the snobs, because most experts agree: a few drops of water enhance the taste of whiskies, from well-rounded blends to peat bombs redolent of smoke, tobacco and leather. The only real question is, why is this true? The answer, a pair of biochemists in Sweden …