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Gunshots at Philippine Senate as lawmaker wanted by ICC holds out
Multiple gunshots sent Philippine senators into hiding in their offices late Wednesday, AFP journalists said, as a legislator wanted by the International Criminal Court has sought refuge in the building.
Warsh set to take over a divided Fed facing Trump assaults
The US Senate is expected to confirm Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chairman on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump applies unprecedented pressure on the central bank to cut rates despite stubbornly high inflation.
Shots heard at Philippine Senate as lawmaker wanted by ICC holds out: AFP
Multiple gunshots were heard late Wednesday inside the Philippine Senate, where a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court has sought refuge, AFP journalists said.
Africa must drop 'victim mentality': mogul Tony Elumelu
Africans should welcome all foreign investors and put colonial hang-ups behind them, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist Tony Elumelu told AFP.
'Ungovernable' Britain? Once-stable politics in freefall
For years, under long-serving leaders such as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, the worst mid-term challenge a British prime minister might face was a rowdy jeering in parliament.
Besieged Starmer seeks to heal Labour divisions in King's Speech
King Charles III will on Wednesday outline UK leader Keir Starmer's next legislative plans, during a pomp-filled ceremony that could have huge repercussions for the embattled prime minister's future.
Trump vows to push Xi to 'open up' China at superpower summit
US President Donald Trump said he would ask Xi Jinping to "open up" China to American firms as he headed to Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit that will also bring up the Iran war.
'Not my son's fault': The women bearing the children of Sudan's war rapes
The baby bouncing on Nesma's lap has his mother's smile and her curious eyes, but nothing she says of the three paramilitary fighters who gang raped her two years ago in Sudan's capital.
Tens of thousands demonstrate in Argentina over Milei university cuts
Tens of thousands of Argentines took to the streets Tuesday in Buenos Aires to protest libertarian President Javier Milei's deep cuts to the budgets of public universities, according to AFP reporters.
Iran says US must accept its peace plan or face 'failure'
Iran's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran's latest peace plan or face failure, after US President Donald Trump warned the truce in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse.
Rubio, with new Chinese name, heads to Beijing despite sanctions
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was heading Tuesday to Beijing with President Donald Trump despite being under Chinese sanctions -- a breakthrough apparently made possible after China changed his name's transliteration.
Stars descend as Cannes Film Festival opens without Hollywood backing
Celebrities from Demi Moore to "The Lord of the Rings" star Elijah Wood headed up the red carpet for the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, where the impact of AI and the absence of Hollywood studios are major talking points.
Trump heads to China for superpower summit
Donald Trump was due in Beijing Wednesday on the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, as he seeks to ramp up trade despite potential friction over Taiwan and Iran.
Brazil's Lula launches plan to fight organized crime ahead of elections year
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday launched a new plan to combat organized crime as he faces mounting pressure over security, five months ahead of elections.
Trump announces departure of food and drug regulation chief
President Donald Trump said Tuesday his US Food and Drug Administration chief, Marty Makary, is leaving his post, a departure that follows weeks of political tumult at the powerful agency.
Russia demands closure of high representative post in Bosnia
Russia on Tuesday called for the immediate closure of the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia the day after German diplomat Christian Schmidt resigned from the post.
Pentagon says US cost of Iran war nearing $29 billion
The Pentagon said Tuesday the cost of the war with Iran had climbed to nearly $29 billion, as President Donald Trump faced mounting scrutiny over the conflict and its impact on US military readiness.
Former Ecuadoran top diplomat enters race for UN chief
Ecuadoran former foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa has become the fifth candidate to enter the race for the next head of the United Nations, the UN General Assembly spokesperson told AFP on Tuesday.
Russia tests long-range missile after US nuclear treaty expires
Russia on Tuesday tested a new long-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, months after the last treaty with the United States limiting their atomic arsenals lapsed.
UK PM Starmer resists calls to quit as Labour divided
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was battling to remain in his job Tuesday, as four junior ministers resigned their posts and dozens of lawmakers called for him to step down.
'Shame on Hollywood': Cannes-winning writer rails at stance on Gaza
Hollywood should be ashamed of the way it has treated stars like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo for opposing Israel's war in Gaza, a member of the Cannes Film Festival jury said Tuesday, with big studios conspicuously absent this year.
Georgia enthrones new leader of powerful Orthodox Church
Georgia on Tuesday enthroned a new patriarch of its powerful Orthodox Church in a ceremony attended by the ex-Soviet country's top political leaders and hundreds of believers.
Iran says US must accept peace plan or face 'failure'
Iran's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran's latest peace plan or face failure, after US President Donald Trump warned the truce in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse.
UK PM Starmer defiant as calls to quit grow
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his top team Tuesday that he was getting on with governing the country, defying mounting calls from ministers and MPs to step down.
Kremlin says no 'specifics' on ending Ukraine war despite Putin's words
The Kremlin said Tuesday there was no concrete plan to end the Ukraine war, days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin had suggested Europe's worst conflict since WWII could be winding down.
Australia's economy 'hostage' to Mideast war: treasurer
Australia will avoid recession even if a prolonged Middle East war pushes the oil price to $200 a barrel, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Tuesday, outlining a national budget "heavily hostage to events overseas".
WHO chief says 'work not over' after hantavirus evacuation
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday "our work is not over" to contain hantavirus after evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of the illness.
UK PM Starmer defiant as quit calls grow
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his top team Tuesday that he was getting on with governing, defying mounting calls from ministers and MPs to step down.
Russia, Ukraine end US-brokered truce with fresh attacks
Russia ended a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine on Tuesday by launching a wave of more than 200 attack drones that damaged energy facilities and apartment buildings, killing one person, Ukrainian officials said.
Over 370 Afghan civilians killed in Pakistan conflict in three months: UN
At least 372 Afghan civilians were killed in conflict between government forces and Pakistan in the first three months of the year, the United Nations reported on Tuesday, with more than half the deaths attributed to airstrikes on a drug rehab facility in Kabul.
Even DJs don't escape junta's 'revolution' in Burkina Faso
A DJ mixing tracks at a lively bar in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso's economic capital, found himself suddenly confronted by the military-led country's culture minister.
'Big hug' or colder shoulder? Xi-Trump talks spotlight contrasting styles, expectations
Donald Trump has said he expects a "big, fat hug" from China's Xi Jinping when they meet in Beijing this week, though multiple thorny issues between the two sides could see the US president kept at arm's length.