WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | Russian military spies hacked hundreds of computers used by Winter Olympics organizers and tried to make it look like the work of North Korea, the Washington Post reported Sunday, quoting US intelligence sources. South Korea had previously announced that it was investigating the failure of …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US on Sunday said talks with North Korea could lead to a “brighter path” for the isolated regime but cautioned any dialogue must result in its denuclearization. The White House issued a statement after a North Korean delegation to the neighboring South reportedly expressed …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to be questioned as a suspect in a further case of alleged corruption and as a witness in another, Israeli media reported Sunday. The police, who have questioned the prime minister seven times since the beginning of 2017, in mid-February …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea early Monday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake’s epicentre was around 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Porgera in Enga province, according to USGS, and hit at a depth of 35 kilometres. USGS said …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Sunday called for an immediate end to violence in Syria to allow aid deliveries, especially in the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta which has been hit by regime bombardment. “This February has been one of the most violent (periods) in …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Christian leaders took the rare step on Sunday of closing Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built where tradition holds Jesus was buried, in protest at Israeli tax measures and a proposed property law. It was not clear how long the closure of the church, …

Douma, Syria | AFP | New regime air strikes and heavy clashes shook Syria’s rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Sunday despite a UN demand for a ceasefire to end one of the most ferocious assaults of Syria’s civil war. After days of diplomatic wrangling, the Security Council on Saturday …

Beijing, China | AFP | The Chinese Communist Party’s leadership has called for the removal of presidential term limits, opening the door for China’s most powerful leader in decades, Xi Jinping, to remain in office beyond 2023. The party’s Central Committee has proposed deleting from the constitution the stipulation that …

Kampala, Uganda | TEREZA PULTAROVA | Researchers have developed a new blood test that can detect eight common types of cancer, including the notoriously elusive liver and pancreatic cancers. Some day, doctors may be able to use this method to spot cancers in their early stages — before the onset of …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously demanded a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, as new air strikes on the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta took the civilian death toll from seven days of bombing to more than 500. With support from Russia, the …