WORLD

Paris, France | AFP | France’s economy grew 2.2 percent in 2017, according to revised figures published Tuesday — good news for President Emmanuel Macron as he pursues ambitious reforms designed to make the country more competitive. National statistics office INSEE revised its growth for last year up from 2.0 …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran said on Tuesday that Israeli officials should be tried as war criminals over the “brutal massacre” of Gazan protesters the previous day. “The killing of children, women and defenceless people of Palestine and the occupation of Palestinian lands has become the main strategy of …

Washington, United States | AFP | US First Lady Melania Trump had surgery Monday for what aides called a “benign” kidney condition, and will remain in hospital for the rest of the week. The Slovenia-born wife of Donald Trump underwent an embolization procedure, said her communications director Stephanie Grisham. “The …

Gaza, Palestinian Territories | AFP | At Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, people search desperately for loved ones. Some already know they are dead and grimly work their way through bodies. Others have received no news so scour the wards, before descending to the morgue. There a young man cries “Why are …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran does not want “new tensions” in the Middle East, President Hassan Rouhani told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, after Israel carried out strikes against what it called Iranian targets in Syria. “Iran has always sought to reduce tensions in the region, trying to …

New York, United States | AFP | The estranged British fashion designer wife of Harvey Weinstein claims she “never” suspected him of wrongdoing and was “so naive,” in her first interview since the Hollywood mogul’s downfall over sexual misconduct revelations. “There was a part of me that was terribly naive …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, Russia has positioned itself as a mediator between the Middle Eastern rivals as it has maintained good relations with both countries. “The Kremlin is sitting on two chairs,” Russian analyst Alexei Malashenko told AFP. “It is a …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump faced diplomatic isolation on Wednesday as world powers scrambled to save a landmark deal curbing Iran’s nuclear program that he has rejected. Trump’s decision to withdraw from the accord and reimpose sanctions on the Islamic republic overturns years of diplomacy, …

United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged the other signatories of the Iran nuclear deal to stick to their commitments after President Donald Trump announced the US exit from the accord. “I call on other JCPOA participants to abide fully by their respective …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed strong support for US President Donald Trump’s “bold” decision Tuesday to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, which the Israeli leader has repeatedly criticised. Israel’s army meanwhile asked authorities in the occupied Golan Heights to open and prepare missile shelters …