WORLD

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday launched a controversial project to build a brand new opera house in Istanbul, saying the new building would be a symbol for the city. The 2,500-seat opera house, due to open in early 2019, will be built on the …

Paris, France | AFP | Two novels about the Nazis took France’s biggest literary prizes on Monday, with Eric Vuillard’s story of how German industry and finance backed Adolf Hitler winning the top Prix Goncourt. “L’ordre du jour” (in English “Agenda”) had been among the favourites for the Goncourt prize — …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia has arrested 11 princes, four sitting ministers and dozens of former ministers, in what authorities hailed as a decisive anti-corruption sweep. Separately, key security chiefs were replaced in high-profile sackings. Here are some of the high-profile names swept up in the purge: Prince …

Washington, United States | AFP | A new poll, released a year after Donald Trump’s stunning electoral victory, shows the US president suffering historically dismal approval ratings as the Russia investigation casts a continuing shadow. The Washington Post, which conducted the survey with ABC News, said Trump’s approval rating was “demonstrably …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia says it will take extraordinary measures to combat any terrorist threat when it hosts the World Cup next year, as its military campaign in Syria makes the country a prime target for jihadists. A bombing on the metro in Saint Petersburg in April that …

Washington, United States | AFP | A gunman killed 26 worshippers at a rural Texas church on Sunday. Here are some of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States in the past three decades. – Vegas concert: 58 killed – A 64-year-old man whose father had been on the …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Millions of pounds from the private estate of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II have been invested in offshore tax haven funds, a huge new leak of financial documents revealed on Sunday. Around £10 million ($13 million, €11.3 million) of the Queen’s private money was placed in …

In Germany, determined switch from fossil fuels to clean, low-carbon energy meets skeptical critics Drehnow, Germany  | RONALD MUSOKE | On the outskirts of Cottbus, a quiet small city in Germany’s northeastern state of Brandenburg is Drehnow, a village of about 800 people. On this warm October afternoon, one sees a …

Sutherland Springs, United States | AFP | A black-clad gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a small-town Texas church during Sunday morning services, killing 26 people and wounding 20 in the last mass shooting to shock the United States. Here’s what we know so far about the attack. …

Washington, United States | AFP | At least 20 people are dead after a shooting at a Texas church on Sunday, US media reported. ABC News cited a law enforcement official as saying 20 were killed and 30 wounded in the shooting. Other media outlets were citing unnamed officials who gave …