WORLD

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday slammed Russia and its President Vladimir Putin over two aerial attacks that killed at least 12 people.

Prosecutors with a special international court in The Hague on Friday charged Kosovo's former president Hashim Thaci, who is on trial for war crimes, with obstruction and contempt of court.

Thousands of defiant pro-EU protesters in Georgia staged a fresh rally Friday after the prime minister claimed victory in a "battle" against the opposition, amid a deepening post-electoral crisis.

The IRS released its annual criminal investigation report, with its chief comparing this year's successes as significant as their infamous takedown of Al Capone.

Iran plans a major increase in the production rate of highly enriched uranium, the UN nuclear watchdog said Friday in a confidential report seen by AFP. An updated design of Iran's Fordo plant showed that the effect of the change "would be to significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent", the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report said.

President Joe Biden is considering preemptive pardons for several prominent names facing possible retribution from the incoming Trump administration, US media has reported.

Britain's Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have joined a growing VIP guestlist for the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral on Saturday, with the latter expected to seek talks with US president-elect Donald Trump over Kyiv's faltering war effort.

The image is particularly symbolic: A statue of former President Hafez al-Assad, the father of Syria's current ruler Bashar, was toppled in Hama after Islamist-led rebels overran the country's fourth-largest city, video authenticated by AFP showed.

Iran's launch of the Simorgh rocket, capable of carrying heavier payloads, raises concerns about its dual-use potential as a ballistic missile.

The Russian Embassy in Syria has urged its citizens to leave, after rebel forces advanced into Homs, the country's third largest city.

Pouria Zeraati, who works for Iran International, was attacked outside his London in March.

A filmmaker accused of sexually assaulting French actor Adele Haenel when she was a minor goes on trial in Paris Monday, five years after her allegations fired France's #MeToo movement.

In the Romanian village of Mihai Viteazu, where far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu performed particularly well in the first-round election in which he stormed to a surprise lead, businessman Ciprian Gavrila explained why.

Mask-wearing arsonists set a synagogue ablaze in a pre-dawn attack Friday in the Australian city of Melbourne, police said, sparking widespread condemnation.

Notre Dame's famed 8,000-pipe organ, known as the voice and soul of the beloved cathedral, will be "revived" after a five-year absence in one of the highlights of this weekend's reopening ceremony at the landmark.

Indonesian fruit seller Budi was seeking better prospects when he signed up for an IT job in Cambodia.

Asian markets mostly fell Friday at the end of a volatile week, with South Korean stocks and the won still under pressure with the president's job hanging by a thread as he faces impeachment.

Taiwan's largest coast guard patrol ship took part in a joint rescue drill in Palau on Friday, as visiting President Lai Ching-te fortifies ties in the Pacific where China has been poaching its allies.

Alicia Ceresoli yearns for the smell of new leather shoes and her mouth waters when she imagines sinking her teeth into a succulent steak, two indulgences the 80-year-old Argentine can no longer afford.

South Korea's ruling party chief demanded Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol stand down over his martial law attempt, warning he posed a great danger to the country.

Coty, Inc. and Swarovski have signed a long-term licensing agreement which will launch Swarovski into the fragrance market, with their first products slated for 2026.

Tsunami waves were expected to start hitting the California coast Thursday after a powerful earthquake struck offshore, US seismologists said.

Cardholders of Chase credit cards can look forward to accessing three new pop up airport lounges that opened this week in the western part of the country.

India on Thursday successfully launched into space a pair of European satellites that will create artificial solar eclipses to help scientists catch a rare glimpse of the Sun's mysterious atmosphere.

The Bahamas on Thursday said it had rejected a proposal from the incoming Trump administration to take in deported migrants, as the next US president seeks to follow up on pledges to slash immigration.

The airline will also reduce service from JFK to Austin, Texas and end its second daily flight from JFK to Paris.

The European Commission on Thursday said it had stepped up its monitoring of TikTok, after receiving information about possible Russian interference in Romania's presidential election.

A South Korean politician who grabbed a soldier's gun in a tense standoff during President Yoon Suk Yeol's abortive attempt at martial law told AFP she was scared but that democracy was worth fighting for.