WORLD

New York, United States | AFP |  The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the most famous equity index benchmark on Wall Street shot above 20,000 for the first time at the open Wednesday. The blue-chip stocks index quickly blew through the much-anticipated milestone in the opening seconds of trading, culminating a …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  Controversial Roman Catholic organisation Opus Dei said Tuesday it had named Fernando Ocariz as its new chief following the death of its 84-year-old leader. Pope Francis officially named Ocariz, 72, as the organisation’s fourth leader, an Opus Dei statement said. He replaces bishop Javier Echevarria, …

  COMMENT: By Sundeep Waslekar Countries that share riparian systems need regional security arrangements to preserve it The changing of the guard on the 38th floor of the United Nations building in New York, with António Guterres taking over for Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General, has taken place at a …

Washington, United States | AFP |  US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a decree barring US federal funding for foreign NGOs that support abortion, relaunching a battle that has long divided Americans. It comes just two days after women led a massive protest march in Washington to defend their …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s first moves on trade have cast a pall over US trade relations and could hurt US businesses, trade experts say. Trump has begun his term by pulling out of one major agreement, vowing to renegotiate or exit another, and threatening to …

New York, United States | AFP |  Donald Trump took office vowing to rebuild industry. One where he has already achieved inadvertent success is political music, with songs against his presidency quickly proliferating. Trump’s idiosyncratic campaign, in which he denounced Mexican immigrants, Muslims and other minorities, set off a deluge …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Grace Matsiko A team of Ugandan engineers has invented a “smart jacket” that diagnoses pneumonia faster than a doctor, offering hope against a disease which kills more children worldwide than any other. The idea came to Olivia Koburongo, 26, after her grandmother fell ill, and …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Here are key quotes from US President Donald Trump’s inauguration address Friday. Power to the people “We are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another –- but we are transferring power from Washington, DC and giving …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The following is the complete text of Donald Trump’s inaugural address delivered Friday after he was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States: (download at bottom) Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people …

Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States Friday — capping his improbable journey to the White House and beginning a four-year term that promises to shake up Washington and the world. An estimated 800,000 people will gather …