WORLD

Winchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Two hundred years after Jane Austen’s death, Britain is celebrating one of its best-loved authors, who combined romance with biting social commentary that still speaks to fans around the world. The author of classic novels “Pride and Prejudice”, “Emma” and “Sense and Sensibility” had …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | New images of North Korea’s main nuclear facility show that the isolated regime has apparently produced more plutonium for its weapons programme than previously thought, a US monitor said, as tensions soar over Pyongyang’s ambitions. The respected 38 North website, a monitoring project linked …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Visitors will not be allowed to set foot on a men-only UNESCO World Heritage island in Japan from next year, an official said Saturday. The tiny landmass of Okinoshima, where women are banned and male visitors must bathe naked in the sea before visiting its …

Shenyang, China | AFP | The ashes of China’s late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo were scattered in the sea Saturday after a controversial funeral, as his friends worried about the fate of the democracy advocate’s widow. Officials showed a video in which his wife, Liu Xia, and others lowered a …

  Istanbul, Turkey | AFP |  Turkey on Saturday holds an intense series of events to celebrate the first anniversary of the defeat of last year’s attempted coup, showcasing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s grip on power on the heels of a new purge of state employees. The authorities have declared …

Shenyang, China | AFP |  The body of China’s late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo was cremated Saturday after a private ceremony attended by his family, as Beijing faces international pressure to let the dissident’s wife leave the country. Liu’s remains were incinerated “in accordance with the will of his family …

  New Delhi, India | AFP |  India’s next president will emerge from the Dalit caste — a community so marginalised they were once known as “untouchables” — with the victory of the ruling party candidate set to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s grip on power. Ram Nath Kovind, 71, …

Paris, France | AFP | US President Donald Trump is willing to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the White House, but not yet, according to official remarks released on Thursday. During a conversation aboard Air Force One flying into Paris, Trump said he was willing to engage the Russian leader …

Washington, United States | AFP |A federal judge in Hawaii ruled Thursday that grandparents, grandchildren and other relatives of people in the United States should be exempt from the Trump administration’s travel ban targeting travelers from six majority-Muslim countries. The decision by Judge Derrick Watson was a victory for opponents …

Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump’s eldest son Don Jr may be in the media spotlight over his notorious Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. But the latest revelation in the burgeoning scandal has added to the pressure on another family member …