Francis’s 12-hour journey from Rome was the first time the pope’s words have been reported direct from his plane. Bogota, Colombia | AFP | Pope Francis landed in Colombia Wednesday to promote peace after decades of war. Here are three highlights from day one of the Argentine pope’s fifth papal …

Chiba, Japan | AFP |  Japanese giant Nissan Wednesday unveiled a new electric car with an extended range and semi-autonomous driving functions, as it seeks to battle off competitors in a sector it once pioneered. The second-generation Nissan Leaf has a potential range of 400 kilometres (250 miles) between charges, …

  Mexico City, Mexico | AFP |  Mexico condemned US President Donald Trump’s decision to end an amnesty for thousands of people brought illegally to the United States as children, expressing “deep worry” for the uncertainty they now face. “Mexico deeply regrets the cancellation” of the program known as DACA, …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP |  Brazilian officials said that the country’s Olympics chief was the “lynchpin” in a plot to bribe the International Olympic Committee into awarding Rio de Janeiro last year’s Games. Brazilian police said in a statement they were probing “an international corruption scheme” aimed at …

New York, United States | AFP |  New York turns fashion hub of the world for a week starting Thursday, as top designers do battle for the hearts and minds of millennials in a social-media whirlwind of models and celebrities. US designer Tom Ford — fresh back from a stint …

  Berlin, Germany | AFP | A German intelligence agent said he pretended to be a jihadist planning an attack in online chatrooms because he was bored, as he went on trial for attempted treason. The 52-year-old suspect, named as Roque M., made headlines when he was arrested last November in …

Paris, France | AFP |  Homemade explosives ready for use were found Wednesday in an unoccupied flat near Paris, judicial sources said. Gas canisters and electric wiring were also found in the flat in Villejuif, a suburb south of the French capital, and two men were arrested nearby, the sources …

Washington, United States | THE INDEPENDENT |  The United States  Department of the Treasury on Wednesday announced targeted sanctions on Gen. Paul Malong Awan, former South Sudan’s army chief of general staff, and two other Sudanese officials for their “roles in threatening the peace, security, or stability of the country.” The sanctions will also …

Maseru, Lesotho | AFP |  Southern Africa’s regional body on Wednesday said it was sending a rapid-response team to probe the assassination of Lesotho’s army commander, a killing it lashed as “barbaric” and a blow to peace efforts. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been trying to foster peace …

  Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Egypt’s military will host a biennial exercise with the US army next week for the first time since 2009, it said in a statement on Tuesday. The Bright Star exercise, scheduled every two years since 1981, will take place this year from September 10 …