WORLD

Caracas, Venezuela | AFP Venezuelan workers will get Fridays off for the next two months as part of an emergency plan to save electricity, the president said. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves but its economy is a mess, with rampant inflation, shortages of goods as basic as …

Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis will on Friday issue new guidelines on the Church’s approach to love, sex and marriage in what is being billed as one of the defining moments of his tenure. Is he gay-friendly and relaxed about divorce and cohabitation? Or is the pontiff a conservative …

Paris, France | AFP Almost half of all natural World Heritage Sites, including the Great Barrier Reef and Machu Picchu, are threatened by industrial activities such as mining, oil exploration and illegal logging, conservation group WWF warned Wednesday. The 114 threatened sites, virtually half the total listed by UNESCO, provide …

Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP Four decades after his brother was killed during a rescue operation in Uganda, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embarking on an African mission of his own — but with very different aims. Galvanised by a growing demand for Israeli security assistance and his government’s search …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP    War crimes judges on Tuesday threw out charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto over his alleged role in post-election bloodshed in 2007-2008, but left the door open to a possible new trial. In a fresh blow to the prosecution, the …

  New #Commonwealth Sec-Gen @PScotlandCSG welcomed by #Commonwealth community in #London: https://t.co/EAKcAEBdwD pic.twitter.com/RYqmZ4raA0 — The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec) April 4, 2016 Patricia Scotland QC has outlined her priorities as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations – including tackling violence against women. She highlighted tackling domestic violence as one of her top …

Vienna, Austria | AFP | The UN atomic agency said Monday it will provide Brazil with equipment to help prevent any attempted terrorist attacks with nuclear material at this year’s Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it will loan Brazil selected types of radiation detection …

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has urged members of the Lord’s Resistance Army to defect, as they will not be charged once they surrender. The ICC also clarified that only the cases of Joseph Kony or Dominic Ongwen are before the ICC. No other LRA member is subject to ICC …

Nicosia, Cyprus | AFP | The Cypriot ex-wife of an Egyptian accused of hijacking a plane in a bid to see her has said their marriage was hell and he had shown no interest in her or their children since they separated. Marina Paraschou told the Phileleftheros newspaper that she …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | The Vatican committee that approves elevations to sainthood will meet Tuesday to consider a recommendation that Mother Teresa of Calcutta becomes Saint Teresa, the Holy See announced on Monday. With the long-awaited decision seen as a formality, Pope Francis is expected to sign …