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Over 3,000 Europe-bound migrants lost at sea in 2021: UN
More than 3,000 people died in the Mediterranean and Atlantic while trying to reach Europe last year -- double the toll from 2020, the United Nations said Friday.
EU border agency boss quits over alleged mismanagement
Fabrice Leggeri, a figurehead for impenetrable European frontiers who was frequently accused of tolerating illegal "pushbacks" of migrants, offered his resignation Friday as head of the Frontex border agency.
Libya losing $60 million a day in oil shutdown: minister
Libya is losing tens of millions of dollars a day from the shutdown of its oil facilities, while global prices are at their highest in years, the country's oil minister told AFP.
Man Utd manager Ralf Rangnick named Austria coach
Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has been appointed coach of Austria's national team, the federation said Friday, but he will continue in a consultancy role at the club.
ExxonMobil earnings double to $5.5 bn on higher oil prices
ExxonMobil's first-quarter profits more than doubled to $5.5 billion, the company reported on Friday, as higher oil prices offset costs connected to exiting its Sakhalin project in Russia.
Eurozone stocks edge higher as weak data offsets China support
Eurozone stock markets rose only slightly Friday as the bloc's weak economic data offset hopes China would ease its long-running crackdown on the tech sector -- news that sent Asian equities soaring.
In western Ukraine, displaced children play to forget war
Inside a play tent for displaced children in western Ukraine, 12-year-old Natan said his cat Marquisa was not acting normally, sleeping all day and staying awake all night.
Gunmen steal hundreds of holiday outfits from Pakistan tailor
Gunmen have robbed a Pakistani tailor of more than 200 outfits made for customers ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, tying up and beating his staff.
UAE to send astronaut on six-month ISS mission
The United Arab Emirates announced Friday it will send an astronaut on a six-month mission to space, as it seeks to become a major player in the industry.
Russia admits striking Kyiv during UN chief's visit
Russia confirmed Friday it carried out an air strike on Kyiv during a visit by the UN chief, the first such attack on the Ukrainian capital in nearly two weeks and one that killed a journalist.
Tearful goodbyes in Ukraine town as Russian forces approach
Pavel Borlatschenko wept as he saw his wife Marina leave on one of the last buses evacuating people from Lyman in eastern Ukraine, which is expected to fall imminently to Russian troops.
World champion Yamaguchi powers into Badminton Asia semis
Top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan surged into the Badminton Asia Championships semi-finals after fighting back to defeat Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong on Friday.
Paris suspends electric bus fleet after fires
Dozens of electric buses will be taken off the streets of Paris temporarily "as a precaution" after two of the vehicles caught fire, public transport operator RATP said Friday.
Mohamed Salah and Sam Kerr win English football writers' awards
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been voted footballer of the year by sportswriters in England, while Chelsea's Australian striker Sam Kerr won the women's award.
Niger to vaccinate children against malaria
Niger has approved the vaccination of children under the age of five against malaria with a ground-breaking British vaccine, the health minister has told AFP.
Dozens hurt in fresh clashes at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa site
Fresh clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound injured 42 people on the last Friday of Ramadan, following weeks of violence at the flashpoint religious site.
Eurozone economy hit by Ukraine war fallout
The eurozone economy felt the fallout from the Ukraine war as output slowed and inflation stayed at record levels in the first quarter, official data showed Friday, imperilling Europe's recovery from the pandemic.
Hong Kong student gets five-years for Telegram 'secession' messages
A Hong Kong judge increased a university student's jail sentence to five years on Friday for messages sent on Telegram advocating the city's independence from China and calls to resist communist rule.
French growth crashes to zero in first quarter
The French economy flatlined in the first quarter as households reduced their consumption due to rising inflation and the war in Ukraine, the national statistics agency said Friday.
Man Utd's Greenwood to remain on bail over rape allegations
Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood will remain on bail until mid-June over allegations he raped and assaulted a young woman.
Bucha survivors haunted by 'nightmare' of Russian occupation
When Vitaliy Zhyvotovskyi closes his eyes, he sees captives wearing white bags over their heads just like the people that Russian troops led into his house at gunpoint.
Tesla recalls second batch of cars in China on safety concerns
US car giant Tesla has recalled more than 14,600 cars in China over a software fault that could lead to safety risks, the country's market regulator said Friday, the firm's second callback in a month.
Death on Yablunska: Four lives that ended in Bucha
They all had different paths to death on Yablunska Street in Bucha: A risky evacuation, a borrowed bicycle, a wounded parent. One among them was even Russian born.
Markets rally as China tech share surge lifts sentiment
Hong Kong and Shanghai led a rally across Asian and European markets Friday on hopes Beijing is set to ease its long-running crackdown on the tech sector.
Choking and sweating around Delhi's burning hill of trash
Living in a slum by one of New Delhi's trash landfills, Pramod is used to the stench, flies, government apathy and occasional fires. But this week's inferno as India wilts in a heatwave came too close for comfort.
China digs in on zero-Covid strategy despite public's frustrations
China must press ahead with its "magic weapon" zero-Covid strategy, health officials said Friday, despite mounting economic costs and more signs of public frustration in locked-down Shanghai.
Asian markets rally as China tech share surge lifts sentiment
Hong Kong and Shanghai led a rally across Asia on Friday on hopes Beijing is set to ease its long-running crackdown on the tech sector.
Taliban supreme leader urges world to recognise government
Afghanistan's supreme leader called again Friday for the international community to recognise the Taliban government, saying the world had become a "small village" and proper diplomatic relations would help solve the country's problems.
Marcos Jr rejects debate challenge ahead of Philippine presidential poll
Philippines presidential election frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Junior rejected on Friday a challenge to debate rival Leni Robredo one-on-one, as the country heads into the final week of campaigning for the May 9 polls.
Vienna show spotlights Rothschild dynasty conspiracy theories
From 19th-century anti-Semitic caricatures to disinformation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rothschild international banking dynasty has been a favourite target of conspiracy theorists blaming it for the world's ills.
42 hurt in clashes at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound: Red Crescent
Fresh clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound injured 42 people on Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, following weeks of violence at the flashpoint site.
Russia accused of stoking divisions in Bosnia amid war in Ukraine
As war rages in Ukraine, more than a thousand miles away in Bosnia observers are warning that Russia is fanning the embers of separatism which could spell trouble for the deeply divided Balkan country.