WORLD

Paris, France | AFP |  Pulling on makeshift roped hooks along a sun-drenched bank of the Seine River in Paris, Youva Hadjali and Edison Gompo fish out two electric scooters — not the most ecological fate for devices billed as a carbon-free fix for strained urban transport systems. As city officials …

Washington, United States | AFP | It started with a shadowy diplomatic campaign as Donald Trump bypassed official channels on Ukraine, and the unusual foreign policy bid has now triggered public hearings on impeachment — the ultimate indignity for a US president. The spark that lit the Ukraine affair, according to …

Canberra, Australia | AFP | Disgraced Catholic Cardinal George Pell was handed a final chance to clear his name Wednesday, when Australia’s top court agreed to allow his appeal against convictions for child abuse. The 78-year-old former Vatican treasurer is currently serving a six-year jail sentence for molesting two 13-year-old choirboys …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump will leap from the frying pan of impeachment into the fire of foreign policy controversy when he hosts his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Wednesday. On the day that the impeachment process shifts to the dramatic phase …

Prague, Czech Republic | AFP |  Three decades after staging mass protests that freed them from communism, Czechs and Slovaks are hitting the streets again, bitter over pervasive corruption and politicians with roots in that era. The Velvet Revolution of 1989 saw unprecedented protests and a general strike end four decades …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Tuesday took credit for an American economic renaissance but was greeted by another salvo from US industries that blame his trade wars for jeopardizing employment, wounding business and burdening consumers with higher costs. But Trump doubled down, threatening to jack up …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said it had prequalified an Ebola vaccine for the first time, hailing a “critical step” towards its licensing, access and roll-out in countries most at risk of outbreaks. “This is the fastest vaccine prequalification process ever conducted by WHO,” …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  British billionaire and Virgin founder Richard Branson apologised on Tuesday for posting a picture on Twitter he admitted “clearly lacked diversity” as he launched his new entrepreneurship development centre in South Africa. On Monday he tweeted a picture of himself and eight others captioned …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Hillary Clinton said Tuesday it was “shameful” that the British government had not published a delayed parliamentary report into possible Russian interference in British politics ahead of December elections. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has previously rejected claims it was suppressing the report to avoid a scandal ahead of …

Akranes, Iceland | AFP |  After more than half a century, revving engines in the tough off-road sport known locally as “torfaera” still draw crowds who love the noise and daring drivers. It’s late summer and Akrafjall mountain, which looms over the small town of Akranes, has been turned into a …