WORLD

  Washington, United States | AFP | The US economy grew at its fastest pace in more than two years in the second quarter, hitting President Donald Trump’s goal for the first time since he took office, according to data released Wednesday. Higher consumer spending and business investment prompted a sharp …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | A former South Korean spy chief was jailed for four years Wednesday for leading an online smear campaign against the man who is now president, Moon Jae-In, during the 2012 election. Won Sei-Hoon, who led the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from 2009 to 2013, orchestrated …

Mecca, Saudi Arabia | AFP | More than two million Muslims from around the world began the hajj pilgrimage at Islam’s holiest sites Wednesday, a religious duty and an epic multi-stage journey. This year sees pilgrims from Shiite Iran return to Mecca in Saudi Arabia after a hiatus following a diplomatic …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US military shot down a medium-range ballistic missile target off the coast of Hawaii early Wednesday, in a successful test of a missile interception system Japan is seeking to bolster its defense against North Korea. The test was performed by the US Missile Defense …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday dismissed the idea of inspections at its military sites, reportedly floated by the United States, saying they were not required under a nuclear deal with world powers. “Our commitments to the world are clear… our relations with the IAEA (International …

Washington, United States | AFP | First Lady Melania Trump is making waves … for her flood fashion. The former model is always elegantly turned out and perfectly coiffed, and Tuesday was no exception as she left the White House with her president husband for storm-ravaged Texas. Trump was photographed walking …

Miami, United States | AFP | Hurricane Harvey has set what forecasters believe is a new rainfall record for the continental United States, officials said Tuesday. Harvey, swirling for the past few days off Texas and Louisiana — at times as a hurricane and at times a tropical storm — has …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea defended its right to take “tough counter-measures” in response to what it called US aggression, after firing a ballistic missile over Japan which sparked fear and fury in Tokyo Tuesday. The test launch by the nuclear-armed nation was seen as a major escalation …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that “all options” remained under consideration after North Korea launched a missile over Japan. “Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world,” the White House …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia has sent two large newly-upgraded submarines to reinforce its naval presence in the Mediterranean, where it has a Syrian base, the defence ministry said Monday. “The Black Sea fleet’s new large diesel and electric submarines, Kolpino and Veliky Novgorod… have arrived in the Mediterranean,” the …