WORLD

Hong Kong, China | AFP |  China’s President Xi Jinping said Saturday Hong Kong was freer than ever before but laid down an uncrossable “red line” for any challenge to Beijing’s authority as the city marked 20 years since it was handed back by Britain. Xi spoke in a televised …

  Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump declared that the US had run out of patience with North Korea over its nuclear drive Friday as he welcomed South Korea’s new leader Moon Jae-In to talks at the White House. While Moon has been arguing for greater engagement …

Hong Kong, China | AFP |China’s President Xi Jinping will want for nothing during his three-day visit to Hong Kong after taking over two entire luxury hotels with more than 1,300 rooms between them. The glitzy harbourfront Grand Hyatt and Renaissance, in the business and commercial district of Wan Chai, …

Rosario, Argentina | AFP | Football and showbiz stars gathered in Argentina for Latin America’s celebrity wedding bash of the decade as Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi prepared to marry his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo on Friday. Pop star Shakira and her husband, Messi’s teammate Gerard Pique, were expected among the …

Indian minister mocked for urinating in public New Delhi, India | AFP |  A government minister was mocked on social media for urinating in public despite the prime minister’s flagship public hygiene drive as pictures of the embarrassing incident were splashed over front pages Friday. The Times of India said …

Yogyakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Barack Obama took his wife and daughters to the ancient Borobudur temple on Java on Wednesday on a family vacation to Indonesia, where the former US president spent part of his childhood. The Obamas arrived in the city of Yogyakarta in central Java and headed …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Wednesday created five new cardinals in a Vatican ceremony that, while deeply traditional in form, also reflected his vision of a reshaped Church for the 21st century. Four of the five new cardinals come from countries that have never had …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Cardinal George Pell, one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican and Australia’s most senior Catholic, was Thursday charged with historical child sex offences, which he “strenuously denied”. Pell, the Vatican’s finance chief and the highest-ranking Catholic cleric to face such charges, had been …

Hong Kong, China | AFP |  President Xi Jinping arrives in Hong Kong on Thursday to mark 20 years since it was handed back to China by Britain, a trip that has already riled democracy activists in the politically divided city. The three-day visit is his first since becoming leader …

Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuela’s army has been put on alert after four grenades were hurled at the Supreme Court from a helicopter, President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday, in a potentially dramatic escalation of the violence gripping the oil-rich South American country. The helicopter assault comes a day after …