WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP |  US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel next week to Kenya, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia on a three-nation tour focused on counterterrorism, the State Department said Thursday. The top US diplomat arrives in Nairobi on Monday for talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta …

  Miami, United States | AFP | Soaring temperatures worldwide made July the Earth’s hottest month in modern times, setting a new high mark for global heat in 137 years of record-keeping, US government scientists said Wednesday. The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration came just two days …

Gonzales, United States | AFP | The death toll from historic flooding in Louisiana climbed to 11 on Tuesday as the expanding flood zone prompted authorities to declare disasters in 20 parishes of the southeastern US state. While flooding receded in parts of southern Louisiana, other areas saw rising waters. …

Montreal, Canada | AFP |  US R&B star Usher and Canadian indie rock groups Metric and Half Moon Run will headline a free concert in Montreal next month aimed at ending AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Advocacy group Global Citizen, the concert sponsor, said the September 17 show would be held …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Joao Havelange, who has died at 100, was the man who made FIFA a global powerhouse, only to resign under a cloud of corruption that has darkened the world footballing body’s reputation. His death was confirmed Tuesday by the Samaritano Hospital in Rio …

New York, United States | AFP | Donald Trump on Monday laid out a US blueprint for defeating global terrorism in partnership with NATO and Middle East allies, demanding extreme restrictions on immigration and likening the fight to the Cold War. The Republican nominee, who is tanking in the polls …

Washington, United States | AFP | Donald Trump, clearly angered by news reports that he has grown depressed and sullen over his fading presidential prospects, has issued some of his sharpest attacks on the media. “I am not running against Crooked Hillary Clinton,” the Republican presidential candidate said in a …

Historic leader Fidel Castro turns 90 in new Cuba Havana, Cuba | AFP |  Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro turned 90 on Saturday in an island transformed from the one he led for half a century. Both loved as a hero and hated as a dictator, Castro is one of …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana brushed off doping suspicions about her astonishing world record-breaking Olympic 10,000m victory here Friday, attributing her performance to hard work and religious devotion. The 24-year-old smashed one of the longest-held records in athletics as she romped to victory in an …

  Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis surprised 20 former prostitutes on Friday by knocking on their door in Rome and popping in for a chat. The Argentine, who has repeatedly described the human trafficking behind much prostitution as “a crime against humanity”, sat down with the …