WORLD

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Queen Elizabeth II, the Head of the Commonwealth, opened the Commonwealth summit for what may be the last time on Thursday voicing hope that her son would be allowed to carry on her role. Queen Elizabeth, who turns 92 on Saturday, welcomed leaders from …

What is a reasonable tip at a restaurant? Chicago, United States | AFP | For most Americans, the answer is likely — at most — 20 percent. But how about 260 percent? For one patron at a Chicago restaurant, a normal tip was not enough to show his appreciation after …

Washington, US | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Monetary Fund is seeking a leading role in rallying the world’s central banks to get ahead of digital money and crypto currencies in the global financial system. The IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, wants authorities to “distinguish between real threats and needless …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A Japanese firm is poised to carry out what it hailed as the world’s first experiment to test for cancer using urine samples, which would greatly facilitate screening for the deadly disease. Engineering and IT conglomerate Hitachi developed the basic technology to detect breast or …

Zurich, Switzerland | AFP | Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Tuesday announced $100 million of funding over the next five years for research into new treatments for malaria, a mosquito-borne disease with a devastating impact that killed 445,000 people in 2016. There were some 216 million cases of malaria worldwide in …

Washington, United States | AFP | The World Bank fund dedicated to helping the world’s poorest countries on Tuesday announced it has raised $1.5 billion in its first-ever global bond issue, which enjoyed huge demand from investors. The International Development Association (IDA) issued a five-year AAA-rated bond which had nearly …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Russian government-sponsored hackers are compromising the key hardware of government and business computer networks like routers and firewalls, giving them virtual control of data flows, Britain and the United States warned Monday. The operation was “to support espionage, extract intellectual property, maintain persistent access to …

2364, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s hosting of this week’s Commonwealth summit was overshadowed Monday by a scandal involving longtime Caribbean immigrants threatened with deportation, distracting from an agenda of increased trade London hoped to promote ahead of Brexit. After initially turning them down, Prime Minister Theresa May is …

New York, United States | AFP | Donald Trump’s legal battle with his own Justice Department led to an extraordinary courtroom showdown Monday between his personal lawyer, one of America’s most prestigious prosecution offices and a lavender-clad porn star fueling the media circus. The high-stakes hearing before a federal judge …

New York, United States | AFP |  The New York Times and The New Yorker won the Pulitzer Prize for public service on Monday for explosive reporting that brought down Harvey Weinstein and spawned a cultural watershed on the issue of sexual harassment. The prestigious prize was awarded to the …