WORLD

Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar is to leave OPEC next month in order for the Gulf state to focus on gas production, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced on Monday. “Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019,” Kaabi said at a Doha press conference. He …

Washington, United States | AFP | Former US first lady Michelle Obama said Sunday she was canceling book tour visits to Paris and Berlin to attend the funeral of former president George H.W. Bush, who died Friday aged 94. “It’s important to me to join the Bush family in celebrating …

Dublin, Ireland | AFP | UEFA confirmed on Sunday the creation of a third European club competition from the 2021/22 season designed to offer more clubs and associations the chance to play European football. After approval from UEFA’s Executive Committee in Dublin, the Europa League will be cut from its …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Beyonce was leading an all-star line-up including Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The concert was the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela’s birth in 1918, …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A dead sperm whale that washed ashore recently in a national park in Indonesia had nearly 6kg of plastic waste in its stomach, park officials say. Items found included 115 drinking cups, four plastic bottles, 25 plastic bags and two flip-flops. The discovery has caused …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A 22-year-old female fan of the hit TV show “The Vampire Diaries” who considered herself the real-life vampire heroine Elena Gilbert was recently sentenced to two and a half years in prison after stabbing a man that she allegedly considered a werewolf. The bizarre attack …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Paying hundreds of dollars to attend the wedding of two total strangers in a foreign country may seem strange to some, but according to Join My Wedding, a company specializing in wedding tourism, it’s “the ultimate cultural immersion” for tourists looking to experience as many …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | An army of humans laid waste to an alien colony as South African video game maker Simon Spreckley enthusiastically controlled the action using his phone’s touch screen. “The penetration of mobile devices in Africa is huge. People often have two or three phones, which …

Washington, United States | AFP | Microsoft is back at the top of the technology world following an extraordinary comeback to close the gap with Apple, some three years into a transformation of the onetime leader by chief executive Satya Nadella. Microsoft regained its title as the world’s most valuable …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Hopes for a second referendum on EU membership are rising in Britain amid heightened uncertainty over Brexit, but big hurdles remain — from the timing to legal complexities on both sides of the Channel. Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to convince British lawmakers …