AFP news

With Portugal already qualified from Group H, Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea are battling for the other last 16 place in Qatar.

Asked why he'd invited Macron before any other foreign leader for the first state visit of his presidency, Biden answered without hesitation: "Because he's my friend."

Janusz Walus, a far-right immigrant from Poland who shot Hani dead in 1993, had been due to be released by Thursday after he was granted parole by the country's top court.

The rebel group issued a statement late Thursday denying the alleged massacre of civilians.

Four people were killed on Friday last week when the military thwarted an attempt to seize power, according to the authorities.

It will be the pontiff's fifth visit to the African continent since being elected head of the worldwide Catholic church in 2013.

The envelope, "containing pyrotechnic material" and addressed to Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, arrived by regular mail on November 24, the interior ministry said in a statement.

National Prosecuting Authority said it had finalised a settlement agreement with Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) to pay over more 2.5 billion rand ($144,000) in "punitive reparations" to South Africa.

Four people were killed last Friday when the military thwarted an attempt to seize power, according to the authorities.

An independent panel set up by parliament concluded on Wednesday that Ramaphosa "may have committed... serious violations" of the constitution and anti-corruption laws.

Research has shown restoring so-called "keystone" species -- those with an outsized impact on their environment -- is vital for the health of ecosystems, and can come with unexpected benefits for humans.

Wang Dan, who was jailed and then exiled after the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement was crushed, told reporters in Japan that the string of protests also proved that younger Chinese are not politically apathetic.

The lawsuit was filed in California by 13 El Faro journalists and two administrative staff, represented by lawyers from the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

Pressure has mounted on the president after a special panel probing a burglary scandal at Ramaphosa's farm concluded that there was enough evidence to warrant a parliamentary debate on whether he should be removed.

Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu said dealing with the impact of global warming was a major challenge facing Vanuatu's 300,000 inhabitants who live on a chain of islands strung out between Australia and Fiji.

They were to give a joint press conference ahead of winding up the day with a lavish dinner featuring French favorites of wine and cheese -- but in both cases American-made.

The number of Rastafarians in Sudan is unknown, and the community had largely lived underground under the autocratic rule of Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in April 2019 following mass protests against his regime.

The meeting follows crucial climate change talks in Egypt in November, where leaders failed to forge any breakthroughs on scaling down fossil fuels and slashing planet-warming emissions.

The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said Hashimi had been killed in an operation carried out by rebels of the Free Syrian Army in Daraa province in southern Syria in mid-October.

Second-half goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez secured victory for Mexico at Lusail Stadium but they finished third behind Poland after Salem Al-Dawsari's late strike.

Judge Efigenio Baptista started reading out the verdicts for the 19 high-profile defendants, who include the son of a former president.

Ruto said the fund was part of his government's plan "to create opportunities for millions at the bottom of our economic pyramid to work their way up and fulfil their aspirations."

There have been dozens of blasts and attacks targeting civilians since the Taliban returned to power in August last year, most claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group.

On Wednesday, the South African Communist Party (SACP), which Hani used to head, said it was petitioning the court to go back on its ruling.

Ukraine has long been pushing for such a specialised tribunal, with its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, saying Russia must be brought to justice for its "atrocities".

Swedish truck maker Scania is not the only auto manufacturer developing autonomous vehicles, but it recently became the first in Europe to pilot them while delivering commercial goods.

Jiang took power in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and led the world's most populous nation towards its emergence as a powerhouse on the global stage.

This week investigators working off a database of criminal messages seized from a cracked communications app once favoured by gangs busted one major smuggling network.

The country faces political polarisation, institutional dysfunction and threats to civil liberties, according to the report.