WORLD

Nasiriyah, Iraq | AFP | Iraq hanged 38 jihadists belonging to the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda for terrorism offences on Thursday in the southern city of Nasiriyah, provincial authorities said. It was the largest number of executions in Iraq on a single day since September 25 when 42 people …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN’s top expert on torture on Wednesday said reports from sources indicated at least one inmate was still being tortured at the US detention centre in Guantanamo Bay and reiterated his request to visit. Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture, said he had …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | United Nations chief Antonio Guterres Thursday warned the world against “sleepwalking into war” over North Korea, as he called for diplomatic efforts to banish nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula. Speaking on a visit to Japan, Secretary-General Guterres said: “The worst possible thing that could …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The Confederation of African Football (CAF) club season will run between September or October and May from 2019 to bring it in line with most African leagues, the organisation said Wednesday. Currently, CAF Champions League and second-tier CAF Confederation Cup fixtures are played between February …

Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Brazilian President Michel Temer will undergo urological tests Wednesday, his office said, following a series of concerns over his health. He will be examined at the Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo, the statement said. In October, the 77-year-old Temer underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate …

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged the world to recognise occupied East Jerusalem as the “capital of Palestine”, as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas warned there could be no peace in the Middle East until such a step was made. Erdogan convened in Istanbul an …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Palestinians have the right to Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, Saudi King Salman said Wednesday, echoing calls at an Islamic summit in Istanbul from which he had stayed away. “The kingdom has called for a political solution to resolve regional crises, foremost of which …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump sought Wednesday to distance himself from an embarrassing defeat in Alabama, saying he had been right all along that Republican senate candidate Roy Moore could not win. The former judge faced damaging accusations he had preyed on teenage girls as a …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald on Tuesday signed a massive defense policy bill that he said would help America bolster its military might and modernize the services. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) calls for nearly $700 billion of military spending for the coming fiscal year, but Congress …

Strasbourg, France | AFP | The EU on Tuesday warned Britain against “backtracking” as it rounded on a top minister for suggesting that London could back out of its Brexit divorce promises if it does not get a trade deal. Britain’s Brexit minister David Davis caused alarm by saying that a …