WORLD

Washington, United States | AFP | First Lady Melania Trump made a very visible return to the public stage Tuesday by attending her husband’s maiden State of the Union address, her first official appearance since accusations of infidelity surfaced about the president. The enigmatic wife of Donald Trump emerged publicly …

Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook says it is banning all ads related to cryptocurrencies in an effort to fight scams. The social media giant said it is barring ads for “financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, …

Marrakesh, Morocco | AFP | IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned Tuesday that “public dissatisfaction is bubbling up” in the Middle East and North Africa, calling for reforms that “respond faster to the expectations and sometimes to the frustration of the people”. Speaking at a conference in Morocco’s Marrakesh, the head of …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis will send the Vatican’s top expert on sex abuse to Chile to hear from witnesses in the case of a Chilean bishop accused of covering for a paedophile priest, the Vatican announced Tuesday. The pope’s decision was taken on the basis of …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday laughed off a US list of Russians tapped for possible sanctions, joking that he was offended his name was not on it, but nevertheless branded it an “unfriendly act”. The 65-year-old Russian leader — who spoke before the US Treasury said …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Kremlin on Tuesday said it would take its time to study a new US Treasury list of Russian officials and business leaders eligible for sanctions, while refraining from giving into “emotions”. “We have to analyse this publication, analyse specifically this list that includes members …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US Treasury released a long-awaited list of Russian officials and business leaders eligible for sanctions under a law designed to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the election that brought Donald Trump to power. The list published shortly before midnight Monday features …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia on Tuesday warned athletes planning to compete in the Commonwealth Games this April that anyone caught overstaying their visas after the event will be dealt with firmly. The warning, two months before athletes and support staff from around the world flood to the Gold …

Bogota, Colombia | AFP | Colombia’s president on Monday froze peace negotiations with the ELN rebel group after weekend bomb attacks blamed on the guerrillas killed seven police officers. The developments threw into peril efforts to definitively end Colombia’s half century of conflict that recently had looked close to resolution. …

Kingston, Jamaica | JIS NEWS | The Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness says the decision to declare a State of Public Emergency in St. James wasn’t unilateral, but one that was endorsed by a wide cross section of the society. He made the remarks as he addressed the …