WORLD

Beijing, China | AFP |  China said Monday it had lodged a complaint against the United States with the World Trade Organization (WTO), one day after new tariffs imposed by Washington on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods came into force. The world’s two biggest economies have been embroiled …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised the stakes Monday in a pivotal week of the Brexit saga by threatening to purge ruling party lawmakers who try to block a no-deal divorce with the EU. The warning came as heavyweights from the governing Conservatives such as …

  Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Sunday he was late to his weekly Angelus prayer because he had been stuck in a Vatican elevator and had to be freed by firemen. He followed the tale of his rescue with a surprise announcement about the creation …

Miami, United States | AFP | Hurricane Dorian roared Sunday towards the Bahamas as the island chain braced for a devastating direct hit, before the monster storm churns up the US coast from Florida towards the Carolinas. Barreling in from the Atlantic Ocean, the core of the extremely dangerous Category 4 …

Washington, United States | AFP | Washington moved ahead Sunday with new tariffs on Chinese imports as it stepped up a high-pressure campaign aimed at coercing Beijing to sign a new trade deal even amid fears of a further slowing of US and world growth. The additional 15 percent tariffs, affecting …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Protesters wielding pro-democracy placards and EU flags rallied on Saturday in dozens of British cities against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial move to suspend parliament just weeks before Brexit. In the biggest demonstration, thousands of whistle-blowing, drum-banging people gathered raucously outside the gates of Downing …

  Goma, DR Congo | AFP |  UN chief Antonio Guterres started a three-day tour of the Democratic Republic of Congo Saturday, expressing “solidarity” with a region ravaged by violence and an Ebola epidemic. The secretary general first visited Goma, the capital of North Kivu province which is trying to …

Miami, United States | AFP | Hurricane Dorian strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” storm on Friday as it bore down on the Bahamas and the east coast of the US state of Florida. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis urged residents of the Atlantic Ocean archipelago in the path of the “very …

Lacroix-Saint-Ouen, France | AFP |  Equipped with powerful magnets, history enthusiasts and environmentalists scour France’s rivers, pulling out bits of scrap metal, bikes, scooters and the odd kitchen appliance. Sometimes, too, they fish other more unexpected objects out of the water, such as unexploded munitions. Magnet fishing has fast become a …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Huawei’s upcoming flagship Mate 30 smartphone will launch next month without key Google apps, creating a disadvantage for the Chinese tech giant hit by US sanctions. A Google spokesperson confirmed Thursday that the California firm won’t be able to deliver licensed applications such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube …