WORLD

Beijing, China | AFP |  Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “restraint” on North Korea in a phone call with Donald Trump Monday, as Japan joined drills with an American supercarrier heading to the Korean peninsula. The US leader has repeatedly called on China, the North’s sole major ally, to do …

Hong Kong, China | AFP |  The euro and most stock markets surged Monday after moderate candidate Emmanuel Macron won the first round of France’s presidential election and looked set to triumph in the run-off against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen next month. Investors globally had been fearful that a …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Alexis Sanchez earned Arsenal an FA Cup final showdown with Chelsea and gave Arsene Wenger renewed hope of salvaging a troubled campaign as the gritty Gunners fought back to beat Manchester City 2-1 on Sunday. When Sergio Aguero put City ahead in the second …

Djibouti, Djibouti | AFP |  US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived Sunday for a short visit to Djibouti, a strategic Horn of Africa nation which hosts Washington’s only permanent military base on the continent. Camp Lemonnier, home to some 4,000 US soldiers and contractors, is vital to US military operations …

Museveni pushes for home-based value addition on Africa’s minerals – they belong to country Bahir Dar, Ethiopia | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has urged African leaders to stop what he described as ideological meandering. Leaders, he said, should thoroughly discuss and distill positions which can help their people …

New Delhi, India | AFP |  The recent arrest of Vijay Mallya highlighted the problem of bad loans in India, but analysts say the tycoon’s unpaid debts are just the tip of an iceberg that is already holding back the country’s economic growth. The multimillionaire owner of a Formula One …

Paris, France | AFP | France was on edge Saturday on the eve of its most unpredictable presidential election in decades, which will take place under heightened security after the jihadist killing of a policeman. The shooting on Paris’s world-renowned Champs Elysees avenue on Thursday thrust questions of security to …

Doha, Qatar | AFP |  US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis met Qatar’s emir Saturday during a visit to the oil-rich Gulf state, home to the largest US air base in the Middle East. The visit to Doha is part of a regional tour that has included stops in Saudi Arabia, …

Chicago, United States | AFP |  Having largely remained silent since Donald Trump succeeded him as US president in January, Barack Obama will make his first public appearance on Monday in his adopted hometown of Chicago. The former president will participate in a discussion with students from Chicago schools on …

URGENT: 20 children killed in S.Africa bus crash: emergency services Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  At least 20 children were killed in a bus crash outside the South African capital Pretoria on Friday, emergency services said, as paramedics treated the injured at the scene. The minibus collided with a …