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More arrests as Turkey escalates crackdown over protests
Turkey intensified its crackdown over ongoing anti-government protests Friday, arresting the lawyer of the jailed Istanbul mayor and two more journalists in connection with the country's biggest wave of unrest since 2013.
China's top diplomat Wang Yi to visit Russia for Ukraine talks
Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi will visit Russia next week for talks on issues including the resolution of the war in Ukraine, both countries said on Friday.
Music scene offers release for stifled Belarus youth
Gleb Gurami believes the parties he organises in a Minsk nightclub are an outlet for young Belarusians, reeling from the exodus that followed mass protests and a political crackdown in 2020.
China's Xi warns foreign executives of 'severe' trade headwinds
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday warned of "severe challenges" to global trade, vowing to open the country's door "wider and wider" to foreign firms as Beijing faces down a mounting trade war with the United States.
China's Xi vows deeper cooperation in meeting with Bangladesh leader
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday pledged deeper cooperation with Bangladeshi counterpart Muhammad Yunus in a meeting that came as Dhaka seeks new friends to offset frosty ties with India.
Duterte clan rallies as ex-Philippine leader marks 80th in jail
Family and supporters of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will rally Friday to mark his 80th birthday and protest his detention in The Hague on a charge of crimes against humanity.
Asian markets mixed as autos suffer more tariff-fuelled losses
Asian markets were mixed Friday as traders brace for next week's expected wave of US tariffs, while auto firms extended their painful losses following President Donald Trump's announcement of steep levies on vehicle imports.
US defence chief visits Philippines dogged by scandal at home
US defence chief Pete Hegseth met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Friday, saying the two countries must stand "shoulder to shoulder" in the face of the threat represented by China.
France's Le Pen faces verdict that could end presidential hopes
A French court on Monday will rule in the trial of far-right leader Marine Le Pen over an alleged fake jobs scam at the EU parliament, a verdict which could ruin her chances of standing for president in 2027.
Vance due in Greenland as anger mounts over Trump takeover bid
US Vice President JD Vance is on Friday due to tour a US military base in Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation amid President Donald Trump's bid to annex the Danish territory.
Time to stop changing clocks? Not so fast, say EU states
The saying goes that time is money but in the European Union, time is political too.
Bolsonaro trial: A political reset for Brazil?
With far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro headed for trial on coup charges, Brazilians are starting to contemplate a future without the polarizing populist in the picture.
Australian PM calls general election for May 3
Australia will hold a general election on May 3, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday, locking in a showdown over climate action, nuclear power and a runaway housing market.
Journalism under threat in Turkey, says AFP photographer
Yasin Akgul, a photojournalist for Agence France-Presse who was arrested this week after covering the huge protests rocking his native Turkey, said after his release on Thursday that the profession is under threat in the country.
Thousands protest against new Israel law expanding control over judicial appointments
Thousands protested Thursday after Israel's parliament passed a law expanding the power of politicians over the appointment of judges pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
Iran says it has responded to Trump's nuclear talks letter
Iran has sent a response to a letter from US President Donald Trump that called for nuclear talks and warned of possible military action if it refuses, its foreign minister said Thursday.
Sudan paramilitaries vow 'no surrender' after Khartoum setback
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces vowed on Thursday there would be "no retreat and no surrender" after rival troops of the regular army retook nearly all of central Khartoum.
Trump withdraws UN envoy pick amid Congress majority fears
President Donald Trump withdrew right-wing firebrand Elise Stefanik as his nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations Thursday, as Republican concerns mount about holding their narrow majority in Congress.
At Jerusalem meet, Netanyahu warns of rising anti-Semitism
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday warned "the fate of free societies" was linked to their fight against anti-Semitism, at a conference in Jerusalem, where the attendance of far-right European politicians has divided the international Jewish community.
Trump's auto tariffs spark global outcry as price hikes loom
World powers on Thursday blasted US President Donald Trump's steep tariffs on imported vehicles and parts, vowing retaliation as trade tensions intensify and price hikes appear on the horizon.
Sudan paramilitaries vow 'no surrender' after Khartoum reverses
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces vowed on Thursday there would be "no retreat and no surrender" and said they had "repositioned" forces, after rival army troops recaptured nearly all of central Khartoum.
Paris summit rejects Russia sanctions relief, mulls Ukraine force
European countries agreed at a summit in Paris Thursday to ramp up rather than lift sanctions on Russia over its war against Ukraine, as Britain and France began sketching out plans to send a "reassurance" force after any peace.
Mexico seeks 'preferential treatment' on US tariffs
Mexico said Thursday that it wanted preferential treatment if US President Donald Trump goes ahead with steep car tariffs, vowing a "comprehensive response" to Washington's duties.
Top US senators demand probe into chat scandal
Senior Republican and Democratic US senators issued a bipartisan call Thursday for a probe into a scandal over an accidentally leaked chat between top officials on Yemen air strikes that has engulfed Donald Trump's White House.
AFP journalist Yasin Akgul leaves jail, but lawyer says charges remain
AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, who was arrested this week covering Turkey's worst unrest in more than a decade, was freed Thursday from an Istanbul jail, AFP correspondents said, though his lawyer said the charges against him remain.
Trump tariffs to hit European automakers hard
President Donald Trump's tariffs on auto imports will deal a heavy blow to European carmakers, especially German manufacturers, which rely on the US markets for a big chunk of their profits.
Myanmar junta chief to make rare trip abroad to Bangkok
Myanmar's junta chief will attend a regional summit in Bangkok next week, a spokesman said Thursday, a rare foreign trip outside close allies Russia and China, as he struggles to tame a spiralling civil war.
Paris summit rejects Russia sanctions relief, sketches Ukraine force
European countries agreed at a summit in Paris Thursday to ramp up rather than lift sanctions on Russia over its war against Ukraine, as Britain and France began sketching out plans to send a "reassurance" force after any peace.
Turkey escalates media crackdown over protest coverage
Turkey on Thursday stepped up a crackdown on media coverage of mass protests since the arrest of Istanbul's popular mayor, deporting a BBC journalist and imposing a 10-day broadcast ban on an opposition TV channel.
Israel parliament expands political control over judicial appointments
Israel's parliament on Thursday passed a law expanding the power of politicians over judge appointments in defiance of a years-long protest movement against the judicial reforms pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Three years on, families still mourn relatives drowned in Channel
Mohammed Hussein Mohammedie was just 19 when he left Iraq and attempted the perilous English Channel crossing in November 2021.
S.Sudan peace deal unravelling after vice president arrest
A fragile peace deal in South Sudan was collapsing on Thursday after the arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar, long-time rival to President Salva Kiir, threatened to throw the country back into war.