WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Friday welcomed news of a sharp drop in Chinese trade with North Korea, saying it would help put pressure on the regime of Kim Jong-Un. China reported earlier that its imports from North Korea plunged 33 percent last year — …

Washington, United States | AFP | Healthy retail sales in 2017 are another sign of the growing strength of the US economy, but inflation was slower than expected, according to the latest government data released Friday. This combination of solid economic growth and consumer spending, that has come with falling …

Santiago, Chile | AFP | Three Catholic churches were firebombed in the Chilean capital Santiago on Friday, days before the start of a visit to the country by Pope Francis. President Michelle Bachelet condemned the incidents, which happened during the night and caused minor damage. “It’s very strange, because it’s …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Facebook took part this week in key talks with European police agencies on how to stop and eliminate violent and terror-related Islamic jihadist posts, in an evolving battle against such propaganda. Representatives from the giant social network travelled to The Hague for Thursday’s unprecedented …

New York, United States | AFP | Americans may love Oprah Winfrey, but most don’t want the chat show queen to run for president, although if she did she would beat Donald Trump, a poll revealed Friday. Winfrey’s rousing speech at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony ignited speculation that the billionaire …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The British government blamed the threat of mass protests for President Donald Trump’s decision Friday to cancel a visit to London to open the new US embassy, and warned that criticism of the White House risked harming US-UK relations. Trump said he was abandoning next …

Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he was “happy and very satisfied” that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had achieved a breakthrough with the Social Democrats on her bid to form a coalition. Macron, who had pressed the Social Democrats (SPD) to return to a grand coalition …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Africans reacted angrily Friday after US President Donald Trump reportedly referred to their nations as “shithole countries”, with many lashing the US president for racism and ignorance. The 55-nation African Union condemned the remarks while the southern African state of Botswana hauled in the US …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump was set Friday to decide whether to jeopardize the 2015 Iran nuclear deal by re-imposing American sanctions, against the wishes of European leaders who say the agreement is working just fine. Washington agreed to sanctions relief under the terms of …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump reportedly lashed out in a Thursday meeting with lawmakers about immigration reform, demanding to know why the US should accept citizens from what he called “shithole” countries. The comments, first reported by The Washington Post, sparked anger among Democrats and Republicans …