WORLD

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Priests should not be forced to report child sexual abuse revealed in the confessional, top Australian Catholics said Tuesday, adding they would rather risk jail than break the sacramental seal. The comments follow a national inquiry set up by the government into institutional child sexual …

Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro ordered the army to conduct a round of military drills later this month in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat of military action in the crisis-stricken nation. Maduro’s embattled government — facing a deepening economic emergency and swelling street protests — …

Beijing, China | AFP | China said Tuesday that the North Korean nuclear crisis had reached a “turning point” and it was time to enter peace talks. The comments by foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying came as the verbal sparring between the United States and North Korea took a less bellicose …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | President Hassan Rouhani warned on Tuesday that Iran could abandon its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers within hours if the United States keeps on imposing new sanctions as he outlined plans for his new term. In a speech to parliament, he also hit out at …

SEPT-SORTS, France | AFP | The driver who rammed his car into a pizzeria near Paris, killing a girl and injuring 13 people, had consumed large quantities of medication before setting off, a legal source told AFP on Tuesday. The incident on Monday night initially raised fears it was a new …

Beijing, China | AFP | Trade tensions between the United States and China heated up on Tuesday as Beijing warned that it “will not sit idle” if a US probe into its intellectual property practices leads to sanctions. President Donald Trump’s decision to order the investigation comes on top of strains …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Australia’s “accidental Kiwi” deputy prime minister renounced his New Zealand citizenship Tuesday amid sheep jokes, Hollywood taunts and conspiracy theories about a left-wing plot to topple Canberra’s conservative government. Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce revealed his New Zealand connection on Monday, sparking calls for him to stand …

Beijing, China | AFP | A Chinese teen has died after spending less than 48 hours at a centre that treats internet addicts, shining a spotlight on the controversial facilities that seek to unlatch people from their screens. The first country to declare internet addiction a clinical disorder, China is estimated …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been briefed on a plan to fire missiles near Guam but hinted that he would hold off on the launch, Pyongyang’s state media said Tuesday. Kim “examined the plan for a long time” and “discussed it” with commanding officers …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump, under pressure to explicitly condemn a weekend rally by white supremacists that ended in bloodshed, on Monday denounced racism and slammed the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis as “repugnant.” Trump had taken heat from Democrats and Republicans alike for his response …