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US State Department begins mass layoffs
More than 1,300 State Department employees were fired Friday in a downsizing ordered by President Donald Trump and touted as cutting bloated government -- but which critics predict will hamstring US influence around the world.
PKK militants want to enter Turkish politics: top commander
Kurdish militants want to return to Turkey and enter mainstream politics, one of the PKK's joint leaders told AFP on Friday after the group's fighters began destroying their arms at a ceremony in Iraq.
France probes X over claims algorithm enabled 'foreign interference'
French police are investigating claims that social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, skewed its algorithm to allow "foreign interference", the Paris prosecutor said Friday.
Three Cambodia genocide sites added to UNESCO register
Three notorious Cambodian torture and execution sites used by the Khmer Rouge regime to perpetrate genocide 50 years ago were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List on Friday.
Trump's tariff threats and delays: state of play
US trading partners braced for a volley of tariff hikes this week, but a deadline for their imposition came and went as President Donald Trump delayed them again until August -- but unveiled new copper duties and increased levies on Canada and Brazil.
Kurdish PKK fighters destroy weapons at disarmament ceremony
Thirty PKK fighters destroyed their weapons at a symbolic ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan on Friday, two months after the Kurdish rebels ended their decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state.
Trump threatens Canada with higher tariff, mulls further global levies
Canada will face a 35 percent tariff on exports to the United States starting August 1, President Donald Trump said in a late-night letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney that upends negotiations between the neighbors and close allies.
Stocks mostly fall as Trump ramps up tariff threats
Stock markets mostly retreated Friday as US President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war, threatening a higher blanket tariff and a 35-percent levy on Canada.
EU blasts Russia's latest Ukraine attacks, threatens new sanctions
The EU's top diplomat on Friday slammed Russia's latest blitz on Ukraine as "unacceptable", saying the 27-nation bloc was pondering a new raft of sanctions against Moscow.
Kurdish PKK fighters destroy weapons at key ceremony
Thirty PKK fighters destroyed their weapons at a ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan on Friday, two months after the Kurdish rebels ended their decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state.
Cambodia to pass laws allowing for citizenship to be stripped
Cambodian lawmakers amended the constitution Friday paving the way for people charged with foreign collusion to be stripped of their citizenship, despite concerns such a law could be used to silence government critics.
Rubio meets China's Wang on sidelines of ASEAN talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi Friday on the sidelines of ASEAN talks in Malaysia, where Washington's tariffs are in sharp focus.
Honduran teen deported by US feels like foreigner in native country
Emerson Colindres had just finished high school when he was sent back to Honduras by the United States, a country that he had called home since he was eight years old.
China crackdown on gay erotica stifles rare outlet for LGBTQ expression
Chinese women who publish homoerotica online say they are being threatened with fines and jail time, as increasing enforcement of vague obscenity charges targets a rare space for LGBTQ identity and feminism.
Traders brush off new Trump threats to extend stocks rally
Stocks mostly rose Friday in Asia, tracking records in New York and London, as investors absorbed US President Donald Trump's latest tariff salvos amid optimism that most countries will strike a deal to avoid the worst of his levies.
Venezuelans deported from US demand return of their children
Hundreds of people protested in Caracas Thursday demanding the return of at least 30 children who remain in the United States after being separated from their Venezuelan parents during deportation.
Rubio to meet China's Wang on sidelines of ASEAN talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of ASEAN talks in Malaysia where Washington's tariffs are in sharp focus.
Trump threatens Canada with 35 percent tariff rate starting Aug 1
Canada will face a 35 percent tariff on exports to the United States starting August 1, President Donald Trump said Thursday in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Bosnia commemorates Srebrenica genocide 30 years on
Thousands of people are expected to gather in Srebrenica on Friday to commemorate the genocide committed 30 years ago by Bosnian Serb forces, one of Europe's worst atrocities since World War II.
'Hurting more than ever': Immigration raids paralyze LA Fashion District
At Cuernavaca's Grill, a Mexican restaurant in the Fashion District of downtown Los Angeles, owner Nayomie Mendoza is used to seeing customers line up for lunch.
Argentine ex-president Fernandez ordered to stand trial for graft
An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered ex-president Alberto Fernandez to stand trial for alleged corruption relating to insurance policies taken out by government departments during his 2019-2023 term.
Global stocks mostly rise, shrugging off US tariff threats
Stocks largely rose on Thursday, with London striking a record high and US indices also edging to fresh new peaks, as investors looked past US President Donald Trump's plethora of tariff threats.
Gaza civil defence says Israeli strike kills children at clinic
Gaza's civil defence agency said eight children -- killed as they queued for nutritional supplements outside a health clinic -- were among 66 people who died in Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territory Thursday.
Israel PM sets out red lines for lasting end to war in Gaza
Israel is ready to negotiate a lasting deal to end the war with Hamas in Gaza when a temporary halt to hostilities begins in the Palestinian territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
Russia and US hold 'frank' talks on Ukraine war
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US top diplomat Marco Rubio held "frank" talks on the Ukraine war during a meeting Thursday, both sides said, as Washington hit out at Moscow's lack of "flexibility".
Europe court says S.African Semenya's gender eligibility trial wasn't fair
A top European court ruled Thursday that the Swiss judiciary did not give double Olympic champion Caster Semenya a fair trial when she contested a rule forcing her to lower her testosterone levels to be able to compete as a woman.
Ten rescued after deadly Huthi ship sinking off Yemen
Ten people have been rescued after Yemen's Huthis sank a cargo ship, an EU naval force said Thursday, with three killed and 12 missing in one of the rebel group's deadliest Red Sea attacks.
Rubio says Asia might get 'better' tariffs than others
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Asian nations might get "better" tariff rates than the rest of the world, as he attended ASEAN talks focused on Washington's trade war.
Russia says holds 'frank exchange' with US on Ukraine war
Russian and American top diplomats held a "frank exchange" as they met in Malaysia on Thursday, Moscow said, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had shared a "new idea" on Ukraine.
Europe court says S.African athlete's gender eligibility trial wasn't fair
A top European court ruled Thursday that the Swiss judiciary did not give double Olympic champion Caster Semenya a fair trial when she contested a rule forcing her to lower her testosterone levels to be able to compete as a woman.
Iran threats in UK 'significantly increased': Intel watchdog
A UK parliamentary committee on Thursday blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts to kill or kidnap British-based individuals since 2022, saying the threat from Iran had "significantly increased".
EU chief von der Leyen comfortably survives confidence vote
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday comfortably saw off a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament -- but the rare challenge has exposed frictions between her backers and complaints about her leadership style.