WORLD

Togo lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to a constitutional reform switching to a parliamentary system that opposition parties say will allow President Faure Gnassingbe to extend his grip on power.

The US House of Representatives is poised to hold a crucial vote on Saturday on a major aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan -- and a possible ban of TikTok.

A soaring wave of gang violence in Haiti left 1,660 people dead and some 850 injured in the first three months of 2024, a UN report said Friday.

The mayor of a mining town in violence-riddled Ecuador was shot dead Friday, the second such killing in days ahead of a weekend referendum on tougher measures against organized crime, police said.

Donald Trump's unprecedented criminal trial is set for opening arguments next week after final jury selection ended Friday in proceedings overshadowed by a man setting himself on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse.

Deeper integration of the European Union's internal market could prove crucial for boosting lackluster economic growth and productivity levels in the 27-member trading bloc, a senior IMF official told AFP Friday.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was set Saturday to retain his seat in elections, local media reported, paving the way for the pro-China leader to try to form a government.

French authorities Friday detained a man suspected of entering the Iranian consulate in Paris and falsely claiming to be armed with an explosive vest, police and prosecutors said.

US skiing great Lindsey Vonn has welcomed plans to use artificial intelligence to shield Olympic athletes from vicious online hate, recounting how she was "wildly harassed" before the 2018 Winter Games.

Three days after a fire which ravaged Copenhagen's historic former stock exchange broke out, emergency services said Friday that the situation was "unstable" due to equipment issues and a strong breeze.

In her photography studio in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Aku Sharsheeva, tried unsuccessfully to connect to TikTok this week.

Tesla is recalling 3,878 Cybertruck vehicles because of a defect that can cause unintentional vehicle acceleration, increasing crash risk, according to a US notice posted this week.

It's Day 196 of the Israel-Hamas war, but the world is bracing for further tensions to escalate in the greater Middle East after blasts were reported within Iranian territory following Tehran's aerial attacks toward Israel over the weekend.

The limited nature of Israel's reported strike on Iran and the restrained immediate Iranian reaction shows both sides, in particular Tehran, are looking to de-escalate after weeks of tensions but the situation remains dangerously explosive, analysts say.

Russian strikes on Ukraine in the early hours of Friday killed at least eight people, including two children, as Kyiv said it shot down a Russian strategic bomber for the first time.

General Francis Omondi Ogolla, the Chief of the Kenya Defense Forces (CDF), was killed when his helicopter went down shortly after takeoff in a remote area of northwestern Kenya on Thursday.

Ukraine said Friday that, for the first time since Russia's invasion, it had downed a Russian long-range bomber used to fire cruise missiles at cities across the war-battered country.

Emirates, Dubai's state-owned flagship airline, and sister carrier flydubai resumed check-ins after telling passengers to stay away on Wednesday, when thousands of delayed passengers clogged the airport.

Air defense systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan. There had been no reaction from Israeli or Iranian officials to the overnight strikes and the extent of the damage remained unclear.

In remote Indian forests home to a decades-old Maoist insurgency battling government rule, few in farmer Ajay Kumaroya's village had ever dared anger the guerrillas by voting.

The judge in Donald Trump's criminal trial will look to wrap up jury selection Friday before opening arguments start next week in a historic case being heard as the former president campaigns to win back the White House.

The husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon was on Thursday re-arrested and charged over alleged embezzlement as part of a probe into the pro-independence Scottish National Party's finances, police said.

Air defense systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan. ABC and CBS News reported the strikes had been carried out by Israel, quoting US officials. There was no immediate comment from the White House or Pentagon.

Qatar's warning that it was reassessing its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas has raised concerns about the prospects for a ceasefire and the return of hostages.

After seven years of investigations, crew members from migrant rescue ships accused by Italy of helping human traffickers in the Mediterranean hope to finally clear their names Friday.

Startled by nighttime pounding on his door, American political strategist Rick Wilson walked out in his underwear to find policemen with guns drawn.

The US House of Representatives on Saturday will vote on a major aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and on a possible ban of TikTok.

Netflix topped expectations Thursday as it reported 9.3 million new subscribers and profits of $2.3 billion in the first three months of the year.

Economies in the Middle East and North Africa face a "shadow of uncertainty" from ongoing tensions in the region, a senior IMF official told AFP on Thursday.