Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran has sentenced a 74-year-old man to death for hosting “mixed and half-naked parties”, the head of Tehran’s judiciary said on Tuesday. Chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the man led “a corruption gang” which held parties with drugs and alcohol, and where women were “sexually …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |British jeweller Graff said Tuesday it has purchased the world’s largest uncut diamond — roughly the size of a tennis ball — for $53 million (44.5 million euros). Canadian miner Lucara Diamond sold to Graff the 1,109-carat gem, the Lesedi La Rona, which was found …

Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | One week before the announcement of the 2017 Nobel prizes begins, the Nobel Foundation said Monday that this year’s winners will receive a larger monetary award worth over a million dollars. “The Board of Directors of the Nobel Foundation decided at its meeting on September 14 …

Kanuma, Japan | AFP | A series of fatal crashes caused by elderly drivers in Japan has left authorities desperately grappling for ways to clamp down on a problem that experts warn is only going to get worse as the population ages. Drivers over 65 were responsible for 965 deadly accidents …

Washington, United States | AFP | US rights groups on Monday pledged to keep fighting the new, open-ended version of President Donald Trump’s controversial travel restrictions, insisting they remain a disguised Muslim ban. Despite the removal of Sudan from the block on travelers from six mainly-Muslim countries, and the addition of …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Bayern Munich play Paris Saint-Germain away in a blockbuster Champions League clash on Wednesday with the old ‘FC Hollywood’ nickname having returned to haunt the Bavarian giants. In the 1990s, Bayern earned the ‘FC Hollywood’ tag when the off-field antics of stars like Lothar Matthaeus and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsene Wenger has criticised the gruelling schedule that forces Arsenal to play three games in the space of just seven days. Wenger’s side eased to a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Monday thanks to Alexandre Lacazette’s brace at the …

  November event expected to attract 500 high profile delegates | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda’s national flag carrier, RwandAir, has finalised preparations to host the 49th Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Summit of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) this November. The three-day event from Nov.12 to 14 will be held …

Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angola’s incoming president Joao Lourenco faces a slew of challenges that include dwindling oil prices, rampant poverty, soaring unemployment and the long shadow cast by his predecessor and his family. These are the key tasks that will confront him on his first day in the job …

Fall armyworms are back, but government’s help isn’t Kampala, Uganda | Andrew S. Kaggwa | The rains are back but so is the dreaded fall armyworm. This time it is attacking maize at a much younger stage – meaning it will be more costly for the farmers than last season. …