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Colombia FARC dissidents optimistic for peace
Living under plastic tents in the Colombian jungle, a group of rebel fighters has high hopes for peace talks with the government of President Gustavo Petro, who as a former guerrilla himself, "inspires confidence," they say.
US high court asked to weigh in on trans athletes
A transgender child's desire to join her school's female running team could be decided by the US Supreme Court after West Virginia on Friday asked the high court to rule on the controversial case.
Biden, EU chief signal thaw on trade tensions
President Joe Biden and top EU official Ursula von der Leyen announced progress in defusing a transatlantic trade dispute Friday and renewed their commitment to back Ukraine against Russia.
Colombian government, ELN agree to start ceasefire talks
Colombia's government and the country's last recognized guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), said Friday they had agreed to begin negotiating a ceasefire, as the two sides wrapped up a second round of peace talks in Mexico.
US closes Silicon Valley Bank in biggest collapse since 2008
US regulators pulled the plug on Silicon Valley Bank on Friday in a spectacular move that sent global banking shares into turmoil, as markets fretted over possible contagion from America's biggest banking failure since the 2008 financial crisis.
Two Palestinians killed in West Bank, one by Israeli settler
Two Palestinians were killed in the West Bank Friday, one of them by a settler, after a shooting hit Tel Aviv, as a surge of Israeli-Palestinian violence shows no letup.
'Step by step': Young Georgians shun Moscow, push for EU dream
Georgia's young protesters, having forced parliament into a U-turn on controversial new legislation, are determined to maintain the pressure on the government, which they believe is steering the country away from Europe.
Biden, EU chief meet on trade tensions
President Joe Biden and top EU official Ursula von der Leyen meet Friday to try to defuse a transatlantic trade dispute over subsidies for the green economy, as well as bolster cooperation on confronting Russia.
Blinken to press for Ethiopia peace progress on top US visit since war
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will tell Ethiopia next week that it needs to move forward on a fragile peace process if it wants to restore once warm ties when he pays the highest-level US visit since the brutal civil war, officials said Friday.
Ukraine mourns 'Da Vinci' war hero killed in battle for Bakhmut
Thousands of mourners, including Ukraine's armed forces chief, knelt on Kyiv's main square on Friday at the funeral of a war hero nicknamed "Da Vinci", who was killed by Russians in the battle for Bakhmut.
Made in China: Saudi-Iran deal goes beyond Middle East, say analysts
A surprise deal to restore ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran will reverberate across and beyond the Middle East, analysts said Friday, touching everything from Yemen's war to China's regional engagement.
Italy races to save 1,300 migrants in Mediterranean
Italy's navy and coastguard said Friday they were racing to save some 1,300 migrants in difficulty in the Central Mediterranean, nearly two weeks after a deadly shipwreck killed more than 70 people.
'Le bromance'?: Macron, Sunak revive France-UK relations in Paris
They have similar backgrounds, similar ages, even similar sartorial style: the UK and French leaders did not lack for common ground as they escaped domestic crises for a day of diplomatic pomp.
Iran, Saudi to restore ties in major step for Middle East
Regional powerhouses Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions in a surprise, Chinese-brokered announcement that could have wide-ranging implications across the Middle East.
Macron, Sunak agree UK-France migrant deal in reset summit
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday agreed a new pact to stop illegal cross-Channel migration after a summit in Paris aimed at overcoming years of Brexit tensions.
Blinken to assess Ethiopia peace drive on top US visit since war
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Ethiopia next week to push forward a fragile peace process, the State Department said Friday, on the highest-level US visit since the brutal civil war shook ties between the longtime allies.
Fierce fighting close to DR Congo's Goma, EU mercy flight lands
Fighting erupted on Friday between M23 militiamen and government troops near the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, where a European mercy flight arrived in the afternoon, sources said.
PSG in the race to buy Stade de France
French champions Paris Saint-Germain on Friday confirmed it is in the race to buy the Stade de France, the centre piece for next summer's Olympics.
Erdogan: Turkey's mercurial 'chief' in fight of political life
Transforming society in his image over two tumultuous decades, Recep Tayyip Erdogan enters the fight of his political life in a May election overshadowed by the pain and suffering of Turkey's deadliest earthquake in centuries.
Russia denounces Georgia protests as coup attempt
Moscow on Friday accused foreign countries of fomenting days of mass protests in Georgia, likening them to an attempted coup designed to sow tension on Russia's borders.
Iran, Saudi to restore ties in China-brokered deal
Regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions in Chinese-brokered talks, they said in a joint statement, seven years after relations were severed.
Belgian government bans TikTok on official phones
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Friday banned federal officials from using TikTok on their work phones, making his the latest country to take steps against the Chinese app.
Erdogan sounds starting gun to sombre election campaign
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday banned music from his campaign stops and vowed to heal the earthquake-stricken nation's wounds as he formally set the next election for May 14.
Fierce fighting close to DR Congo's Goma
Fighting erupted Friday between M23 militiamen and government troops near the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, where a European mercy flight arrived in the afternoon, sources said.
Israeli settler kills suspected attacker in West Bank
A settler killed an alleged assailant in the occupied West Bank on Friday after a gunman wounded three people in Tel Aviv, as a surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence shows no signs of abating.
Fierce fighting close to key DR Congo city
Fighting erupted Friday between M23 militiamen and government troops near the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, sources said, hours before the expected arrival of a European mercy flight.
Georgians rally even as parliament scraps 'foreign agent' bill
Hundreds of anti-government demonstrators rallied on Friday outside Georgia's parliament as lawmakers formally withdrew legislation reminiscent of Kremlin-designed rules used to hush dissent and which had sparked days of protests.
British, French leaders seek migration deal in reset summit
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for a bridge-building summit, aimed at overcoming years of Brexit tensions and agreeing a new pact on cross-Channel migration.
Micronesia president accuses China of bribery, 'political warfare'
Micronesia's president has accused China of bribery, harassment and "political warfare", in an explosive letter to his country's legislature obtained by AFP on Friday.
Ukrainian choir lifts spirits at London's 'actor's church'
In the heart of London's central Covent Garden district, the small church of St Paul's is unusually bustling for a midweek evening.
Chinese security vessel orders Philippine plane carrying media to 'leave'
As a Philippine Coast Guard plane carrying journalists flew over the Spratly Islands in the hotly disputed South China Sea, a Chinese voice issued a stern command over the radio: "Leave immediately."
What to expect from Xi's next five years as Chinese president
Xi Jinping on Friday sealed a historic third term as China's president.
Popular but facing opposition, Francis marks 10 years as pope
Pope Francis marks 10 years as head of the Catholic Church on Monday, hugely popular but facing internal dissent after a decade of reform, even if he has left basic doctrine intact.
North Korea's Kim orders intensified 'real war' drills
Kim Jong Un ordered North Korea's military to intensify drills for a "real war", state media reported Friday, as the leader oversaw a fire assault drill with his daughter in tow.
20 years after US invasion, Iraq far from 'liberal democracy'
Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam Hussein, the oil-rich country remains deeply scarred by the conflict and, while closer to the United States, far from the liberal democracy Washington had envisioned.
China's Xi handed historic third term as president
Xi Jinping was handed a third term as Chinese president on Friday, capping a rise that has seen him become the country's most powerful leader in generations.
Russia pounds Ukraine with barrage of rare hypersonic missiles
Nine people were killed across Ukraine on Thursday, as Russia unleashed a barrage of high-precision missile and other attacks that triggered a wave of power cuts, including at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant.
Iran FM welcomes Arab outreach to Syria after quake
Iran's Foreign Minister welcomed during a trip to Damascus on Thursday Arab outreach to Syria's internationally-isolated government after an earthquake struck Turkey and the war-torn country last month.
China's Xi set to be handed third term as president
Xi Jinping is set to be handed a norm-busting third term as president on Friday, capping a rise that has seen him become China's most powerful leader in generations.