WORLD

Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said he would seek a new six-year term in March elections, a move that would make him the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin. Putin, who has run Russia both as president and prime minister for the past 18 years, …

New York, United States | AFP | Time magazine named as Person of the Year Wednesday “the silence breakers” who triggered a national reckoning by revealing the pervasiveness of sexual harassment, assault and abuse in US life. President Donald Trump was runner-up in the prestigious ranking, ahead of his Chinese …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | A former master at a top British Catholic school was convicted Wednesday of raping and sexual abusing boys in crimes dating back to the 1970s. Andrew Soper, 74, fled to Kosovo in 2011 to avoid prosecution over charges he molested boys at St Benedict’s …

Washington, United States | AFP | A recap of key developments in Israeli-US relations, after President Donald Trump on Wednesday recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in a major break with his predecessors. – Recognition, despite divergences – On May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion founds the Jewish state of Israel, …

Ramstein, Germany | AFP | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met US military officers on Wednesday to prepare for a trip to better coordinate American security and diplomatic strategy in Africa. Tillerson plans to make the trip in the first quarter of 2018, the State Department said, after he dismissed …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday as “historic” and a “courageous and just decision”. Netanyahu also pledged no change to the status quo at Jerusalem’s highly sensitive holy sites in the city sacred to …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday branded as “regrettable” his US counterpart Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, calling for efforts to “avoid violence at all costs”. Addressing a press conference during a state visit to Algeria, Macron affirmed “the attachment of …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The world’s nations vowed Wednesday to curb plastic and chemical contamination of the air, soil, rivers and oceans, calling for a steep change in how goods are produced and consumed. Government envoys issued a political declaration outlining the path to “a pollution-free planet” at the third …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump recognized the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday, a historic decision that overturns decades of US policy and risks triggering a fresh spasm of violence in the Middle East. “Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia on Wednesday reacted with disappointment but no great surprise after the country was banned from the Winter Olympic Games, while President Vladimir Putin was yet to comment on a possible boycott. Russia was banned Tuesday from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee …