WORLD

New Year fireworks, smoke and tear gas as decade begins with a bang Sydney, Australia | AFP | Smoke-choked Sydney ushered in the New Year with a huge fireworks display while police in Hong Kong fired tear gas at protesters, as crisis clouded some of the first celebrations to ring …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Tuesday he expects Iraq to “use its forces” to protect the US embassy in Baghdad after pro-Iran protesters breached the outer wall of the compound. “We expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!” Trump tweeted. …

Kiev, Ukraine | AFP |  Moscow and Kiev on Monday signed a five-year agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine, after months of difficult talks but just ahead of a looming New Year deadline. The current gas transit deal between the two ex-Soviet countries expires Tuesday and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Liverpool appear to have the Premier League title wrapped up with a 13-point advantage over second-placed Leicester but the fight to avoid relegation looks like being a down to the wire tussle. Just nine points separates ninth-placed Crystal Palace and third from bottom Aston Villa. …

Nanterre, France | AFP |  A Paris court will rule Tuesday on whether the Michelin restaurant guide must hand over its reasons for stripping a French chef of his third star, a move that could prove a watershed moment for the world of fine dining. Marc Veyrat known as much for …

Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei said Tuesday that “survival” was its top priority after announcing 2019 sales were expected to fall short of projections as a result of US sanctions. The global leader in telecom networking equipment has been effectively banned by the United States from …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia Tuesday, as blazes ripped through popular tourist areas leaving no escape by land. Four thousand people were trapped on the foreshore of the town of Mallacoota and many others sought …

Beijing, China | AFP | A Chinese court on Monday sentenced the doctor who claimed to be behind the world’s first gene-edited babies to three years in prison for illegal medical practice, state media reported. He Jiankui, who shocked the scientific community last year by announcing the birth of twins …

Kramatorsk, Ukraine | AFP |  Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian separatists in the war-torn east of the country are expected Sunday to swap dozens of prisoners in a frontline operation that stirred controversy in Kiev. As part of the swap, Kiev is expected to hand over to separatists several riot policemen suspected …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Multiple people were stabbed at a Jewish place of worship in upstate New York late Saturday night, a public affairs group said. “At 9:50 this eve, a call came in about a mass stabbing… It’s the house of a Hasidic Rabbi. 5 patients with …