WORLD

Thousands of people turned out on Friday for the last campaign rally of Comoran President Azali Assoumani, who looks poised to win re-election on Sunday against a divided opposition.

Archaeologists have discovered the largest and oldest network of pre-Hispanic cities ever found in the Amazon rainforest, revealing a 2,500-year-old lost civilisation of farmers.

Venezuela is putting an end to the petro cryptocurrency that President Nicolas Maduro launched six years ago to sidestep US sanctions, but which never took off and became embroiled in a graft scandal.

Global shark populations are plummeting despite worldwide efforts to curb mass killings for their fins, researchers said in a new report showing that more needs to be done to protect one of the ocean's apex species.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Friday a new multibillion-dollar aid package for Ukraine during a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he vowed British support for a decade.

Ukraine's military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview published Friday that Kyiv's attacks in Russian-annexed Crimea were set to intensify, adding that Moscow's economy was proving surprisingly resilient despite sanctions.

The deadly Hamas attack on Israel may have taken the limelight from the Islamic State group, but the jihadists are seeking to capitalise on anger over the bombardment of Gaza to rally followers, analysts say.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday asked ministers to be "revolutionaries", after a government reshuffle that left many of the same faces in place and raised doubts over gender equity and policy priorities.

A second judge's resignation from Pakistan's Supreme Court was accepted Friday, amid concerns of a growing rift in the judiciary ahead of general elections next month.

A defiant Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, defended his hard line against illegal migration in court on Friday, saying he had done a "useful service" in blocking migrants from disembarking at an Italian port in 2019.

Tens of thousands of supporters flocked to noisy, colourful rallies for Taiwan's three main political parties on Friday, as the candidates made a last push for votes in an election that China has warned could take the island closer to war.

Israeli strikes killed dozens in Gaza overnight Thursday-Friday, sources on both sides said on the 98th day of the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The delay in Mr. Kwon's extradition proceedings in Montenegro was a direct result of an appeal made by his legal team, which successfully gained the court's approval.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit Kyiv on Friday to launch "a major new package of support" for Ukraine and increase military funding for this financial year to GBP2.5 billion ($3.2 billion), his office said.

Troops patrolled the streets of Papua New Guinea's capital on Friday, under a state of emergency following riots that killed 16 across the country's two largest cities.

Israel will on Friday hit back at what it describes as "atrocious" allegations it is committing "genocide" in Gaza, in a closely watched landmark case before the UN's top court.

Day 98 of the Israel-Hamas war signals a wider conflict, as the U.S. and the U.K. attacked Houthi assets in Yemen following the Yemeni rebel militia's rampage in the Red Sea. The South Africa vs. Israel hearing is on its second day.

President Joe Biden said Thursday that US and British air strikes against Yemen's Huthis were "defensive" and warned of further measures if the Iran-backed rebels keep attacking ships in the Red Sea.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet a senior Chinese official in Washington on Friday on the eve of Taiwan's elections, as the United States seeks to discourage Beijing from taking action against Taipei.

Dramatic drone footage showing Indian commandos hunting pirates after an attack in the Arabian Sea illustrates New Delhi's "significant" expansion of a muscular maritime force reflecting global ambitions, analysts say.

Guatemala's president-elect Bernardo Arevalo has faced a judicial onslaught seen as an attempt by the country's powerful economic and political elite to perpetuate rampant corruption.

Bullfighting will make a comeback in Mexico City this month after a legal tussle led to a more than one-year suspension at the world's largest bullring, organizers announced Thursday.

President Joe Biden said Thursday that US and British forces had launched air strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen in "defensive action" after attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Guatemala's highest court issued an order Thursday shielding vice president-elect Karin Herrera from arrest amid rumors she could be detained in a move that would derail her inauguration and that of president-elect Bernardo Arevalo this weekend.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday replaced his foreign minister but maintained other key figures in their posts in a reshuffle that tilted his cabinet to the right and left all top ministries in the hands of men.

Ecuador's armed forces were engaged in a brutal standoff with organized crime Thursday, deploying more than 22,400 soldiers to put down a campaign of terror waged by gangs that has claimed 16 lives.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Warsaw Thursday to protest reforms by the pro-EU Polish government as the country suffers post-election turmoil.

The Pentagon's independent inspector general will investigate US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's failure to report his hospitalization to the rest of the government, a memo released Thursday said.

The past 12 months marked a "formidable" year for suppression of human rights, with world leaders ignoring violations in Sudan and Gaza, and against marginalized groups like the Uighurs, a monitor said Thursday.