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US freezes almost all aid except for Israel, Egypt: memo

The United States, the world's biggest donor, froze virtually all foreign aid on Friday, making exceptions only for emergency food, and military funding for Israel and Egypt.

Rubio clashes with China FM on Taiwan

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi over Taiwan on Friday, with Donald Trump's top diplomat denouncing Beijing's "coercive" moves.

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The four Israeli women hostages to be freed on Saturday

Four young women soldiers, abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023 while serving near the Gaza border, are set to be released on Saturday, according to a list provided by Hamas as part of its ceasefire agreement with Israel.

'We want peace': Colombians swept up in bloody guerrilla violence

The children of northeastern Colombia have a message for guerrillas blamed for the country's worst violence in over a decade -- as well as for rival militants tempted to take revenge.

Sudan army breaks paramilitary siege on Khartoum HQ, reclaims oil refinery

The Sudanese army said Friday it broke a siege of its headquarters in Khartoum by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which had encircled it since war broke out in April 2023.

Zelensky warns Putin wants to 'manipulate' Trump on Ukraine

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wanted to "manipulate" Donald Trump, after the Kremlin chief praised the US leader and said he was ready for talks with him.

Hamas says four women soldiers to be freed in next swap with Israel

Hamas on Friday said it would release the following day four Israeli women soldiers held hostage since October 7, 2023, in a second exchange under a ceasefire deal that has halted the Gaza war.

US anti-abortion rally celebrates Trump's return

Tens of thousands of anti-abortion activists, joined by masked neo-Nazis, converged in Washington on Friday to hear President Donald Trump address a rally.

Opening arguments expected in A$AP Rocky shooting case

Opening arguments were expected to begin Friday in the trial of rapper A$AP Rocky, who is charged with pulling a gun on a former friend during an argument in Hollywood.

Trump visits North Carolina and California disaster zones

US President Donald Trump visited disaster zones in North Carolina and California on Friday, using his first trip since his return to office to turn emergency aid into a political cudgel.

Migrants held in US sanctuary city as Trump moves army to border

The mayor of a major US city said Friday immigration officers raided a seafood business, detaining undocumented migrants alongside an American citizen as President Donald Trump pressed actions against undocumented people and deployed troops to the Mexican border.

Israel says Lebanon troop pullout 'will continue' beyond 60-day deadline

Israel announced on Friday that the withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon would continue beyond the 60-day period stipulated in a November ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

Hamas names hostages to be freed in next swap with Israel

Hamas named on Friday four Israeli "women soldiers" held hostage since October 7 whom it plans to release from captivity in a second exchange under a ceasefire deal that has halted the Gaza war.

Putin says he is ready for talks with Trump on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he was ready for talks with US counterpart Donald Trump on Ukraine, praising him as a "smart" leader who might have prevented the conflict from starting in 2022.

Sudan army breaks paramilitary siege on key base: military source

The Sudanese army broke a paramilitary siege on one of its key Khartoum-area bases on Friday, paving the way to also freeing the besieged military headquarters, a military source said.

DR Congo battles intensify, Western nations ask citizens to leave Goma

The DR Congo army and M23 on Friday clashed outside Goma as the UK, US and France urged citizens to leave the main city in DR Congo's volatile east, warning the situation could deteriorate rapidly.

Trump heads to disaster zones amid emergency funding row

US President Donald Trump made his first trip Friday since returning to power, heading to fire-scorched California and hurricane-hit North Carolina as a row blazed over disaster funding.

Hamas says to give names of hostages on Friday for next swap with Israel

A senior Hamas official told AFP that his group will provide on Friday the names of four Israeli women hostages to be freed the following day in the second exchange of a ceasefire agreement.

UN says more staff detained by Huthi rebels in Yemen

Yemen's Huthi rebels have detained another group of UN personnel, a United Nations statement said on Friday, after 13 staff were held last June.

400,000 displaced this year as conflict rages in DRC's volatile east

The DR Congo army and M23 on Friday clashed near the main city in the country's volatile east as the UN warned the raging conflict had displaced over 400,000 people this year and could spark a regional war.

Putin ready to talk to Trump, waiting for 'signals', Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to talk to US counterpart Donald Trump but is waiting for signals from Washington first, the Kremlin said on Friday, fuelling expectations the two would be in contact.

Global stock markets build on Trump rally

Global stock markets rose Friday after a record day on Wall Street in response to US President Donald Trump's tax-cut pledge and his more friendly comments with regard to China.

Philippines turns to comic book to assert South China Sea claims

The Philippine government launched a comic book Friday asserting its claims in the disputed South China Sea, amid rising tensions with Beijing over the strategic waterway.

Meta guru urges Europe to gamble more on AI

Europe should take greater risks and plough more money into artificial intelligence, Meta's chief AI scientist Yann LeCun told AFP at the World Economic Forum.

Trump's deportation operation underway, hundreds of migrants arrested: White House

Hundreds of migrants in the United States were arrested Thursday and others flown out of the country on military aircraft as President Donald Trump's promised mass deportation operation got underway, the White House said.

Frenchman on Indonesian death row to be sent home

A Frenchman on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for drug offences will be sent back to his home country, an Indonesian minister said Friday.

Stock markets build on Trump rally, yen climbs after BoJ cut

Markets rose Friday after a record day on Wall Street in response to Donald Trump's tax-cut pledge, while the yen strengthened after a widely expected interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan.

Taekwondo star Hamidi sacrifices her freedom to battle the Taliban

Afghan taekwondo star Marzieh Hamidi told AFP the death threats she has received, forcing her to live under French police protection, show how effective her stinging criticism of the Taliban has been.

Despite truce, Lebanese from devastated Naqura cannot go home

All signs of life have disappeared from the bombed-out houses and empty streets of the Lebanese border town of Naqura, but despite a fragile Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire that has held since November, no one can return.

Tax change sows anger on England farms

In a field in southwest England where his dairy cows graze, Adam Stanbury said he feared the government's new farm tax, coupled with existing economic headwinds, will ruin his family business and many others.

'Living in a cage': West Bank checkpoints proliferate after Gaza truce

Father Bashar Basiel moved freely in and out of his parish in the occupied West Bank until Israeli troops installed gates at the entrance of his village Taybeh overnight, just hours after a ceasefire began in Gaza.

Red herring: Why Trump wrongly blames a fish for LA wildfires

Donald Trump has derided the Delta smelt as a "worthless fish," blaming efforts to protect the species for the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on social media, in a press conference, and even a White House order.

Alien hunting? Look under sea, says Republican congressman

Is there anybody out there? Yes! says a Republican congressman: the aliens are right under the ocean.

Trump says will demand interest rates drop 'immediately'

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would seek to bring interest rates lower by unleashing energy production, and would speak to the Federal Reserve if needed.

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