WORLD

Houston, United States | AFP |  Joe Biden’s presidential hopes received a huge shot in the arm Monday after former rivals Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the Democratic race and endorsed the former vice president ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday primaries. The dramatic turn comes at …

Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | Iraqi protesters had been rallying against government incompetence, poor public services and foreign political meddling for months. Then the novel coronavirus hit and fuelled their grievances. “The real virus is Iraqi politicians,” said Fatima, an 18-year-old protester and medical student from Baghdad. “We are immune to …

Washington, United States | AFP | Vice President Mike Pence defended Sunday the US administration’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic after two confirmed deaths on American soil and rising criticism of the state of US preparedness. Pence and Health Secretary Alex Azar made the rounds of Sunday talk shows with the …

Washington, United States | AFP | Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay US presidential candidate, on Sunday ended his campaign to be the Democratic nominee — giving a major boost to fellow centrist Joe Biden. The 38-year-old Buttigieg’s surprise decision was set to shake up the race this week when 14 states …

Bratislava, Slovakia | AFP |  A self-proclaimed “man of the people”, the 46-year-old media-savvy Igor Matovic propelled his centre-right anti-graft party to victory in Slovakia’s general election, beating the governing populists on a strident anti-graft platform. While supporters view him as a maverick with a knack for self-promotion, critics accuse Matovic of …

Paris, France | AFP |  Markets have shuddered as the coronavirus spreads worldwide, but analysts doubt it will plunge economies into a crisis like the one that followed the 2008 Lehman Brothers investment bank failure. Where will the market slide end? Stock markets held up fairly well in the first weeks …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP |  The unveiling on Monday of Pope Pius XII’s archives has been demanded for decades by Jewish groups and historians. They comprise 120 fonds — archival documents of the same origin — and are split into 20,000 units. They add up to millions of pages …

Moscow, Russia | AFP |  Russia’s opposition on Saturday holds its first major protest since President Vladimir Putin in January announced plans which critics fear will help him stay in power after his mandate ends in 2024. The rally marks five years since the assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The White House won a key victory for presidential power Friday when an appeals court rejected a lawsuit over President Donald Trump’s blocking his former legal advisor from honoring a Congressional subpoena. The Washington appeals court ruled two-to-one the US judicial branch has no power …

New York, United States | AFP | UN chief Antonio Guterres Thursday called for an end to gender inequality which he said “should shame us all in the 21st century because it is not only unacceptable, it is stupid.” Comparing it to past “stains” of slavery and colonialism, he said discrimination against women and girls …