WORLD

Tehran, Iran | AFP |  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that “terrorists” were applauding his US counterpart Donald Trump for launching a missile strike on an airbase of his Syrian government ally. But he backed calls for an independent inquiry into a suspected chemical weapons attack on a …

Montevideo, Uruguay | AFP | Uruguay will become the first country in the world to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in pharmacies, starting in July, the president’s office said Thursday. The South American country adopted a revolutionary law in 2013 that fully legalized the production, sale and consumption of marijuana. …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigerian airline pilot Ademola Odujinrin, known as “Lola”, has become the first African to fly solo around the world, his foundation Transcend said in a statement Thursday. The 38-year-old Nigerian left Washington in September last year abord a Cirrus SR22, a small, single engine airplane, …

Palm Beach, United States | AFP | The United States Thursday threatened Syria with military action as President Donald Trump warned “something should happen” following a suspected chemical attack that left at least 86 dead and provoked global outrage. An American decision to strike the regime in Damascus could hinge on …

Washington, United States | AFP | US Republicans ditched decades of tradition Thursday by changing Senate rules to ensure Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, bypassing the first-ever successful opposition blockade of a high-court nominee. President Donald Trump’s pick, embraced by conservatives but opposed by most Democrats, failed to …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Kremlin on Thursday said US allegations that Syrian forces carried out a deadly chemical attack are not based on “objective” information. “We consider a much more measured approach necessary and do not think it is possible to surrender oneself to hasty conclusions about what happened …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | War crimes judges will Friday hear why South Africa failed to arrest Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir during a 2015 visit, as they mull whether to report Pretoria to the United Nations for possible action. South Africa’s lawyers will defend the decision not to detain …

Our systems of government have been captured by the corrupting influence of vested interests in big oil deals By: Lili Fuhr and Simon Taylor Anti-corruption campaigners achieved a number of crucial victories in 2016, not least by ensuring accountability for one of Big Oil’s most crooked deals: the acquisition of …

Saint Petersburg, Russia | AFP | Alexander Kaverin, the driver of the Saint Petersburg metro train hit by a deadly explosion, has become an unlikely hero in a tragedy that has claimed 14 lives and injured dozens. The 50-year-old Russian appeared stunned in the spotlight of state television, describing how …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US government plans to stop funding the United Nations Population Fund because of the organization’s “coercive” family planning practices, including providing abortions, officials in Washington said late Monday. According to a State Department official, President Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson …