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Prison looms for Brazil's Bolsonaro after court rejects his appeal
Brazil's far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro is running out of options to avoid prison, after judges on Friday rejected his appeal against a 27-year sentence for a botched coup bid.
UN Security Council to vote Monday on Trump Gaza plan
The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, diplomats said.
China tells citizens to avoid Japan travel as Taiwan row grows
China has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by comments by Tokyo's new premier about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
'Desperation in the air': immigrant comics skewer Trump crackdown
Lucie Pohl opened a night of comedy with a stab at President Donald Trump's migration crackdown.
Russia strike on Kyiv apartment block kills six, Ukraine says
A barrage of Russian missiles hit Kyiv on Friday, killing six people in one apartment block, attacks that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced as a "heinous" bid to spread terror.
At COP30, senator warns US 'deliberately losing' clean tech race with China
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, one of only a handful of senior US political leaders attending this year's UN climate summit, told AFP Friday that President Donald Trump's America is "deliberately losing" the clean tech race to China.
Bulgaria names manager to take over Russia's Lukoil refinery after US sanctions
Bulgaria on Friday nominated a senior government official to take control of a major Lukoil refinery in the east of the country following US sanctions against the Russian oil giant.
Water shortage pushes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan into energy crisis
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are facing an energy crisis as water levels have plummeted at the reservoirs powering their largests hydropower stations, officials said this week.
Russia strikes on Kyiv apartment blocks kill six, Ukraine says
Russia struck residential parts of Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Friday, Ukraine said, killing six people in a single apartment block in attacks President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced as "heinous" and aimed at civilians.
Tanzania president announces inquiry into protest deaths
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Friday announced an inquiry into the killings that occurred during the election that returned her to power, and called for leniency for some protesters charged with treason.
Indigenous protest blocks entrance to UN COP30 climate summit
Dozens of Indigenous protesters blocked the main entrance to the UN COP30 climate summit Friday in the Brazilian city of Belem, in a peaceful demonstration.
'Time is running out': Serbia eyes winter energy crisis
Serbia's diplomatic balancing act has left it teetering on the brink of a winter energy crisis, analysts warn, as US sanctions on its only oil refinery, the EU's phaseout of Russian energy, and Moscow's gas supply hardball hit home.
Four killed in 'heinous' Russian attack on Ukraine: Zelensky
Russia struck apartment blocks across the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv overnight, killing at least four people in what President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed as a "heinous attack" that deliberately targeted civilians.
Taiwan star Chen Bolin charged in conscription evasion probe
Taiwanese star Chen Bolin and 11 others were charged Friday as part of an investigation into military draft dodgers.
Over 500 economists, top experts call for G20 inequality panel
More than 500 economists and other leading experts, including a Nobel laureate and a former United States treasury secretary, on Friday urged G20 leaders to establish an international panel to tackle extreme wealth disparities.
Four killed in 'calculated' Russian attack on Ukraine: Zelensky
A Russian attack overnight, mostly targeting the capital Kyiv, killed four people and damaged buildings across the city, Ukrainian authorities said Friday.
Ecuador to vote on foreign troops, constitutional reform
Ecuadorans will vote Sunday on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country's Trump-friendly president more power.
China retail sales grew at slowest pace in over a year
Retail sales in China grew last month at the slowest pace in over a year, official data showed Friday, highlighting the battle facing authorities' efforts to counteract persistent consumer malaise.
Tobacco conference to weigh up stubbing out cigarette butts
Next week's global conference on tobacco control will consider what to do about the sheer volume of cigarette butts trashing the planet, with some recommending banning them completely.
Ukrainian capital comes under 'massive' attack
Almost every district in Kyiv came under "massive" attack Friday morning, the Ukrainian capital's mayor said, with a death reported hours after AFP journalists heard explosions in the city centre.
MAGA civil war: How a white nationalist blew up the American right
It began as a simple stunt -- a long, provocative chat between two lightning rods of the American right. The goal: spark debate, go viral and maybe boost their brands.
Asian markets sink on concerns over tech rally, Fed rates
Asian markets sank Friday, tracking a selloff on Wall Street as worries over next month's Federal Reserve interest rate decision and persistent speculation about a tech bubble dampened sentiment.
Ukraine capital under 'massive' attack: Kyiv mayor
Almost every district in Kyiv was under a 'massive' attack Friday morning, the Ukrainian capital's mayor said, with AFP journalists reporting explosions in the city centre as Russia intensifies its attacks on infrastructure.
Brazil rebuts UN complaint about COP30 security, but boosts presence
Brazil has pushed back against a complaint by the UN's climate chief over a security breach at the COP30 summit in Belem, saying responsibility for safeguarding the venue's interior lies with the world body itself.
Palestinian Authority says Israel killed two teens in West Bank
The Palestinian Authority said Thursday that Israeli soldiers had killed two 15-year-olds in the occupied West Bank, while Israel called them "terrorists" attempting to carry out an attack.
Stocks slide despite end of US government shutdown
Global stocks slid back sharply on Thursday, dashing hopes that US President Donald Trump's signing of a spending bill to end a record government shutdown might enliven trading floors.
25 oil-supplying states accused of 'complicity' in Gaza war
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and the United States shipped vast amounts of oil to Israel during its two-year Gaza offensive, according to a report by Oil Change International, which says the same fossil-fuel system driving climate change is also enabling "genocide."
'My whole life is here': migrants in Chile fear far-right rule
At an informal settlement near a disused landfill, a group of migrants anxiously await the outcome of Chile's presidential election, in which many voters are baying for them to be thrown out.
'Like a horror movie': 770 km of fear for those fleeing Sudan's El-Fasher
Survivors of the bloody takeover of El-Fasher walked for days through the desert, past bodies and armed men who humiliated them, desperate to escape the Sudanese city now overrun by paramilitary forces.
Zelensky sanctions associate as fraud scandal rocks Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday ordered sanctions on a former business partner at the heart of a corruption scandal that has sparked outrage in a nation exhausted by nearly four years of war.
Right-tilting EU parliament backs unpicking green business rules
European lawmakers voted Thursday to back the weakening of landmark EU environmental and human rights rules, as part of a business-friendly drive to slash red tape pushed through with far-right support.
Zelensky sanctions associate as corruption scandal engulfs Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday ordered sanctions on an associate and former business partner at the heart of a massive corruption scandal that has sparked outrage in a nation exhausted by nearly four years of war.