WORLD

Carpentras, France | AFP |  Temperatures in France surpassed 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) Friday for the first time on record as Europe sweltered in an early summer heatwave that has caused several deaths. With France, Spain, Italy and parts of central Europe hard hit by the record-breaking temperatures, officials …

Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP |  The US-organised economic workshop in Bahrain failed to deliver tangible results over the long-awaited Middle East peace plan but it opened the door for closer Israeli-Gulf ties, analysts say. Despite this, the normalisation of ties between the Gulf oil monarchies and the Jewish state …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Birds tweet and shears snip as one of Berlin’s many urban gardeners tends her city centre allotment, but behind the tranquil scene a battle is raging over the real estate. “Schrebergaerten”, or allotments, offer city dwellers a chance to grow plants and vegetables in small, private …

Osaka, Japan | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Friday struck a conciliatory tone with fellow world leaders at one of the most high-stakes G20 meetings in years, despite deep divisions on trade and climate change. Host Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, appealed for unity among bickering world leaders …

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP |  An economic conference intended to kickstart a Middle East peace initiative by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law has failed to convince Palestinians, who boycotted it and treated it with disdain or disinterest. In a rare show of unity, all Palestinian factions condemned the conference in …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  OPEC is on red alert over escalating US-Iran tensions that fuelled strong oil-price gains — but the cartel and other crude-producing nations are unlikely to end output cuts at a meeting Tuesday. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a cartel of 14 countries pumping …

Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter announced Thursday it would add warning labels to tweets from officials and politicians that violate its rules — a move potentially affecting the prodigious output of US President Donald Trump. The new policy will also “deprioritize” inappropriate comments and enables Twitter to move …

Manama, Bahrain | AFP |  Jared Kushner said Wednesday that Palestinians were still welcome to engage in his peace initiative, and accused their leaders of not caring about their own people for rejecting his $50 billion economic plan. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law launched a long-awaited Middle East initiative with …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  Europe’s record-breaking heatwave was forecast to intensify  Thursday, with authorities on alert as temperatures threaten to surpass 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. The stifling heat has prompted traffic restrictions in France, sparked forest fires in Spain and fanned debate in Germany over public nudity as …

Paris, France | AFP |  Long dismissed as a symptom of narcissistic youth culture, the not-so-humble selfie has become big business. As hotels vie to become the next viral hotspot and new technology is developed to cater to those searching for that perfect picture of themselves, here are five things to …