World News

Nigeria is setting up special courts to speed up the trial of corruption cases and give a boost to President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to fulfill an electoral pledge to stamp out graft in Africa’s biggest oil producer, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said. “The chief justice has given the directive to …

Cameroonian soldiers are using “extreme physical violence” to force tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the Boko Haram insurgency to return to northeastern Nigeria, Human Rights Watch has warned. In a report released today, the rights group said Cameroon’s security forces have used torture and assault to drive a t …

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, to the joy of activists. The Gulf kingdom is the only country in the world that bans women from driving. Until now, only men were allowed licences and women who drove in public risked …

An Italian woman has married herself in a ceremony complete with white dress, three-layer wedding cake, bridesmaids and 70 guests. “I firmly believe that each of us must first of all love ourselves,” said Laura Mesi, a 40-year-old fitness trainer. “You can have a fairytale even without the prince.” The …

Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been found guilty of criminal negligence and sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. The Supreme Court convicted her of mishandling a rice subsidy scheme which allegedly cost Thailand at least $8bn. Ousted in 2014, weeks before a military coup, and later …

Chad has called on the US government to reverse its decision to include the country on its travel ban list. Foreign Minister Madeleine Alingué said in a statement that the decision undermined the image of Chad and good relations between the two countries. She added that Chad was a partner …

North Korea’s foreign minister has accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war on his country. Ri Yong-ho told reporters in New York that North Korea reserved the right to shoot down US bombers. This applied even when they were not in North Korean airspace, the minister added. The world …

Scientists have engineered an antibody that attacks 99% of HIV strains and can prevent infection in primates. It is built to attack three critical parts of the virus – making it harder for HIV to resist its effects. The work is a collaboration between the US National Institutes of Health …

Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress to cosmetics firm L’Oreal, has died aged 94, her family has confirmed. A statement said she had died at home “peacefully” overnight. With an estimated 2017 net worth of 33bn euros (£30bn; $40bn), she was the world’s richest woman. She left the company’s board in 2012 …

Donald Trump’s first major speech at the United Nations has been denounced by some of the member nations he singled out for criticism. The US president included Iran among “a small group of rogue regimes”, and said the US would “totally destroy” North Korea if forced to do so. Iran’s …