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Republican speaker, Trump face test in Congress leadership fight
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson -- and incoming US president Donald Trump -- faced a test of political strength Friday as the party's hard right threatens to try to choose a new leader.
World food prices dip 2% in 2024: FAO
World food commodity prices declined by 2.1 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, the FAO said on Friday, but they remain considerably higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The horror of Saydnaya jail, symbol of Assad excesses
Saydnaya prison north of the Syrian capital Damascus has become a symbol of the inhumane abuses of the Assad clan, especially since the country's civil war erupted in 2011.
Top European diplomats urge inclusive transition in Syria visit
The European Union backs a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said Friday as they visited Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Beijing slams US over potential Chinese drone ban
China said on Friday it would take "all necessary measures" in response to the United States announcing it was considering restrictions on commercial Chinese drones for national security reasons.
Blinken to visit South Korea with eye on political crisis
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea for talks next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday, with the country mired in political turmoil as its impeached president resists arrest.
Top European diplomats in Syria for talks with leader Sharaa
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to meet the French and German foreign ministers on Friday, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers under the new authorities in Damascus.
Kim Jong Un's sister seen with children in state media images
South Korea's spy agency said Friday it was analysing rare state media footage showing the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with two children -- saying they could be hers.
Top US Republican fights for future in cliffhanger vote
US Republican leader Mike Johnson was set to face down critics Friday in a vote in Congress that could see him returned as one of the country's top statesmen -- or jettisoned to the back benches and political obscurity.
Spain's Canary Islands received record 46,843 migrants in 2024: ministry
A record 46,843 migrants reached Spain's Canary Islands illegally in 2024 via the increasingly deadly Atlantic route, the second consecutive year of unprecedented arrival numbers, official data showed on Thursday.
Panama says migrant jungle crossings fell 41% in 2024
The number of US-bound migrants passing through the Darien jungle fell by 41 percent in 2024, with around 302,000 attempting the dangerous journey from Colombia, Panama's president said Thursday.
27 sub-Saharan African migrants die off Tunisia in shipwrecks
Twenty-seven migrants, including women and children, died after two boats capsized off central Tunisia, with 83 people rescued, a civil defence official told AFP on Thursday.
Rival South Korea camps face off as president holds out
Rival camps of South Korean protesters faced off in chaotic scenes outside the presidential compound Thursday, some trying to protect the impeached president inside from arrest, as others called for his immediate detention.
South Korea's impeached president resists arrest over martial law bid
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remained defiantly inside his residence resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.
South Korea's Yoon resists arrest over martial law bid
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.
Syria FM hopes first foreign visit to Saudi opens 'new, bright page'
Syria's top diplomat said he hoped to open a "new, bright page" with Saudi Arabia upon arriving in the kingdom Wednesday, the first foreign visit for Syria's new rulers, who seized power last month.
Witnesses describe 'war zone' left in wake of New Orleans attack
Witnesses described terrifying scenes of "insanity" that they likened to being in a "war zone" after Wednesday's early morning vehicle-ramming attack in the US city of New Orleans that killed at least 10 people.
Migrants crossing Channel to UK in 2024 soar by 25 percent
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Israel threatens to step up Gaza strikes
Israel warned Wednesday that it will intensify its strikes in Gaza if Hamas keeps up its rocket fire, as Palestinian rescuers reported dozens of deaths from Israeli strikes on the first day of the New Year.
Gaza rescuers say 15 killed in Israeli New Year strike
Gaza's civil defence agency said Wednesday that an Israeli air strike in the territory's north killed at least 15 people, marking what the rescuers called the New Year's first deadly attack.
Moscow, Kyiv end Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine
Russia's gas transit to Europe via Ukraine stopped on Wednesday, Moscow and Kyiv said, ending a decades-long arrangement and marking the latest casualty of the war between the neighbours.
Carter's Middle East peace legacy survives, but mostly in name
US president Jimmy Carter, who died on Monday, left an enduring legacy when he brokered historic peace between Egypt and Israel -- tepid and shaky, but unbroken even by the nearly 15-month long Gaza war.
South Korea investigators vow to execute Yoon arrest warrant
South Korean investigators said Wednesday they would execute an arrest warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law by the deadline of January 6, as the impeached leader's supporters rallied outside his residence.
New year hope and joy reign in a Damascus freed from Assad
Umayyad Square in Damascus hummed to the throngs of people brandishing "revolution" flags as Syria saw in the new year with hope following 13 years of civil war.
Zelensky vows Ukraine will do everything in 2025 to stop Russia
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday vowed that his country would use 2025 to fight for an end to Russia's nearly three-year-long invasion by any means necessary.
Serbia enters New Year with student protests over train station tragedy
Thousands of students marched in Belgrade and two other Serbian cities during a New Year's Eve protest that went into Wednesday, demanding accountability over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November.
Romania, Bulgaria join borderless Schengen zone
Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen zone on Wednesday, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.
Venezuela opposition urges protests against Maduro's inauguration
Venezuelan opposition leaders called on their supporters Tuesday to prepare for mass protests against the start of President Nicolas Maduro's third term in office on January 10.
Suriname ex-dictator Bouterse to be cremated on Saturday
The remains of Suriname's former dictator Desi Bouterse, who led two coups and became a fugitive from justice for the killing of political opponents, will be cremated on Saturday, his party announced.
Gaza hospital chief held by Israel becomes face of crumbling healthcare
Israel's raid on a major Gaza hospital and the arrest of its director over alleged links to Hamas have drawn global attention to the war-ravaged territory's crumbling healthcare system.
Russian advances in Ukraine grew seven-fold in 2024, data shows
Russia advanced by almost 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 miles) in Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War showed Tuesday.
Ocalan: PKK chief held in solitary on Turkish prison island
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed founder of Kurdish militant group the PKK is hailed by many Kurds as an icon, but within wider Turkish society many see him as a terrorist who deserves to die.