WORLD

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prince Harry voiced his “great sadness” at bowing out entirely from representing the British monarchy as newspapers said Monday it was the best viable compromise on his desire to step back. Harry said he and his wife Meghan did not want to quit their royal …

  Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Patients who stop smoking at least four weeks before an operation significantly reduce the risk of having postsurgical complications because their blood flow improves, according to a study published Monday. The World Health Organisation (WHO) study argued that minor or non-essential operations on regular smokers …

Beijing, China | AFP | A new SARS-like virus has killed a third person, spread around China and reached a third Asian country, authorities said Monday, fuelling fears of a major outbreak as millions begin travelling for the Lunar New Year in humanity’s biggest migration. The new coronavirus strain, first …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson told African leaders Monday that Britain would be more open to migrants from their continent after Brexit as he hosted a summit intended to boost trading ties. He also promised an end to direct UK state investment in thermal coal mining …

Vancouver, Canada | AFP | A senior Huawei executive whose arrest in Vancouver led to a breakdown in Canada-China relations headed to court on Monday to fight extradition to the United States. Meng Wanzhou, the company’s chief financial officer and eldest daughter of its founder Ren Zhengfei, is wanted by …

 Moscow, Russia | AFP |  President Vladimir Putin has said he does not want Russia to return to the Soviet-era practice of rulers dying in office without a succession plan, as speculation swirls over his future after he unleashed a political upheaval this week. The 67-year-old Russian leader said a transition …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will give up their royal titles and public funding as part of a settlement with the Queen to start a new life away from the British monarchy. The historic announcement from Buckingham Palace on Saturday follows more …

Libya ‘needs foreign interference to stop’: UN envoy Berlin, Germany | AFP |  International players must stop meddling in the Libyan conflict, the UN’s special envoy told AFP on Saturday, on the eve of a summit of world powers to try to bring peace to the North African nation. “All …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  From grumpy bee-keepers dumping honey on politicians’ doorsteps to furious farmers holding up traffic, increasing tensions between farmers and environmentalists have overshadowed the opening of the biggest show on Germany’s agriculture calendar. Thousands of tractors descended on cities across Germany on Friday at the opening of …

Vienna, Austria | AFP |  Every morning Abulrahman leaves his normal primary school lessons in Vienna and joins about 20 other children for three hours to learn to read, write and speak German. Only when his level is deemed good enough will the eight year-old, who arrived from Yemen in July, …