WORLD

Beijing, China | AFP |  Hundreds of photos and videos of naked women used as collateral for loans on a Chinese online lending service have leaked onto the web, highlighting regulatory problems in the fast-growing peer-to-peer marketplace. A 10-gigabyte file posted on the internet exposed the personal details of more …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Relatives of missing MH370 passengers launched their own campaign to search for crash debris in Madagascar on Monday, hoping to solve the mystery of how the plane disappeared in 2014. Families from Malaysia, China and France gathered in the capital Antananarivo as frustration grows over …

Essen, Germany | AFP | Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday lashed populists seeking to exploit Germany’s refugee influx, but set down a tough line on integration — including a ban on the full-face veil — as she launched into election campaign mode. Outlining a strategy to counter populism that has consumed …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to become the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor, announcing Monday a trip to the site of his country’s surprise attack that launched World War II in the Pacific. News of the journey comes just two days ahead of …

Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | AFP |  Cuba will respect Fidel Castro’s dying wish that no statues be erected in his honor and no streets be named after him, President Raul Castro said. The national assembly will introduce legislation at its next session later this month so that “his wish …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced early Monday that he would be stepping down after losing a referendum on constitutional reform. “My experience of government finishes here,” Renzi told a press conference after the No campaign won what he described as an “extraordinarily clear” victory …

Moscow, RUSSIAN FEDERATION | AFP | President Vladimir Putin in an interview aired Sunday called US President-elect Donald Trump intelligent and predicted he would quickly grasp his new level of responsibility and act accordingly. “Since he managed to achieve success in business, that shows he is a clever person,” the …

Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | AFP | Fidel Castro’s ashes were entombed in a massive stone next to national heroes on Sunday, as Cuba opens a new era without the communist leader who ruled for decades. The cedar urn was placed inside the tall round stone near the mausoleums of …

Killing Castro: Poisoned cigars, explosive seashells Havana, Cuba | AFP | Mobsters, poisoned cigars, exploding seashells, a contaminated diving suit: The CIA’s imagination ran wild in its plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. As the late Cuban leader’s ashes are laid to rest in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba …

Chengalpattu, India | AFP | A small scythe, a crowbar and a bundle of canvas bags are all that Kali and Vedan carry when they venture into the fields of southern India to catch some of the world’s deadliest snakes. Their skills, passed from generation to generation of the Irula …