WORLD

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP |  US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Islamic leaders to take a stand against violence done in the name of religion, describing the struggle against extremism as a “battle between good and evil”. In a highly anticipated speech in Saudi Arabia, Trump lashed out …

Sydney, Australia | AFP |  Australia Sunday gave 7,500 boatpeople until October to prove they are genuine refugees or be kicked out, declaring the “game is up” for illegal arrivals ripping off taxpayers. Before the conservatives took power and adopted a tough line on the issue in 2013, an estimated …

Moscow, Russia | AFP |  Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on his re-election Saturday, calling for deeper ties between Moscow and Tehran. In a telegram to Rouhani, Putin “confirmed the readiness to continue active joint work to further develop the Russian-Iranian cooperation partnership,” the Kremlin …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP |  Saudi Arabia said it shot down a ballistic missile, fired by Yemeni rebels, southwest of the capital Riyadh late Friday, ahead of US President Donald Trump’s arrival in the Sunni-led kingdom. Air defence units “intercepted a ballistic missile that was launched by Huthi militias”, …

Washington, United States | AFP |  James Comey, the former FBI chief fired by President Donald Trump, has agreed to publicly testify about Russian interference in the US elections, as fresh allegations increased pressure on the American leader. In an Oval Office meeting with senior Russian officials last week, Trump …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gave a clenched fist salute Friday after Swedish prosecutors dropped a seven-year rape allegation against him, but he insisted the “proper war” over his future was just beginning. Assange stepped into the daylight on the balcony of Ecuador’s London embassy, …

Stockholm, Sweden | AFP |  Swedish prosecutors said Friday that they had closed a seven-year rape investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. “Director of Public Prosecution, Marianne Ny, has today decided to discontinue the investigation regarding suspected rape by Julian Assange,” it said in a statement. BREAKING: Sweden has dropped …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP |  Thousands of men in their Sunday best and women in colourful traditional dress lined the streets of Pyongyang to give the scientists and workers behind North Korea’s latest missile test a hero’s welcome, state media reported Friday. “People’s enthusiastic welcome for defence science warriors,” …

Washington, United States | AFP |  President Donald Trump charged Thursday that the stepped-up probe into whether his campaign colluded with Russia to tilt last year’s election was dividing the country. “I respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt,” the US leader said when asked …

New York, United States | AFP | A car struck pedestrians in New York’s Times Square on Thursday, causing a death and multiple injuries in one of the most popular tourists spots in Manhattan, police and an AFP photographer said. New York police confirmed one dead, 12 injured in the …