Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Pilgrims on Saturday thronged Bethlehem for Christmas Eve as Europeans worked up some holiday spirit despite tight security in the shadow of the Berlin market attack. Crowds of Palestinians and tourists flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity, ahead of …

Paris, France | AFP |  Pregnancy causes “long-lasting” physical changes to a woman’s brain, with significant, but seemingly beneficial, grey matter loss in parts of the crucial organ, a study said. Some alterations lasted at least two years, they reported, but did not appear to erode memory or other mental …

VIDEO: Uganda has become the latest country in the region to experience the wave of easy taxi services following an influx of several service providers. After the entry of Uber, a technology company that connects riders and drivers at the touch of a button in Uganda early this year, followed …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  West Ham fans were so relieved by their team’s 1-0 win over Hull last Saturday that they named a goalpost as man of the match after the woodwork saved the Hammers three times. A Mark Noble penalty gave Slaven Bilic’s side the three points …

Putin warms to Trump, flexes muscles on Syria Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday appeared to cosy up to US President-elect Donald Trump while asserting his authority as the key powerbroker in Syria. At his annual end-of-year press conference, the confident Kremlin strongman praised Trump …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Friday rejected a US-drafted resolution on imposing an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan amid divisions over how to pressure leaders to end the three-year war. The measure presented by the United States garnered only seven votes …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP |  Israel lashed out at US President Barack Obama over a UN Security Council resolution passed Friday demanding it halt settlements in Palestinian territory, while vowing it would not abide by it. “Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  Italy on Friday hailed its police officer heroes who caught Berlin truck attack suspect Anis Amri on the streets of Milan, with high praise for the rookie who shot him dead. Tributes flooded in for Luca Scata, the 29-year-old Sicilian trainee who fired off two …

Moscow, Russia | AFP |  Russian President Vladimir Putin called Syria’s Bashar al-Assad Friday to congratulate him on completing the “liberation” of Aleppo, the Kremlin said. “Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and congratulated him with the end of the operation of liberation of Aleppo from …

Milan, Italy | AFP | Italian police on Friday shot dead the prime suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack, ending a frantic four-day hunt for Europe’s most wanted man. But just as German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed relief that suspected attacker Anis Amri no longer posed a threat, she …