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Hitmen mow down cartel-busting colonel in violence-torn Ecuador
Hitmen on Friday gunned down an Ecuadoran colonel in charge of anti-drug operations in a city hard-hit by the narco crime that has plunged this once-peaceful South American country into violence.

Los Angeles fire zones hit by mudslides after heavy rain
Mudslides blocked roads around Los Angeles on Friday after heavy rain pounded areas burned by last month's wildfires, sending denuded hillsides tumbling.

Washington air disaster probe uncovers instrument, comms issues
Faulty instruments and communication problems may have caused a passenger jet and army helicopter to collide in the worst US air disaster in two decades, flight safety investigators said Friday.

Islamist motive suspected after Munich car ramming
Police believe an Afghan man suspected of driving a car into a group of people in Munich may have had Islamist extremist motives, authorities said Friday as German leaders paid tribute to the dozens wounded in the attack.

Two dead, dozens injured as bridge collapses, bus crashes into river in Peru
A double-decker bus and a car crashed into a river when a bridge collapsed in northern Peru Friday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens, authorities said.

Pique summoned in probe over Spanish Super Cup move to Saudi
Barcelona and Spain legend Gerard Pique will appear in court on March 14 in a corruption investigation into the Spanish Super Cup's move to Saudi Arabia, a legal document seen by AFP on Friday showed.

Trial of Spain's ex-football chief over forced kiss ends
The trial of Spain's former football chief Luis Rubiales over the forced kiss he gave star forward Jenni Hermoso wrapped up Friday, with a verdict expected in several weeks.

Drugs, weapons in Syria borderland where Hezbollah held sway
In a desolate area of Syria where Lebanese militant group Hezbollah once held sway, security forces shot open the gates to an abandoned building and found a defunct drug factory.

Pope Francis hospitalised with bronchitis
Pope Francis was admitted to hospital in Rome on Friday for tests and treatment for bronchitis, the Vatican said, the latest in a series of health problems for the 88-year-old pontiff.

Scam centre survivors tell of beatings, abuse in Myanmar
At a scam compound in Myanmar, Filipina worker Pieta had just days to romance strangers online and trick them into investing in a fake business -- failing which she would be beaten or tortured with electric shocks.

Writer Kamel Daoud sued in France over prizewinning book
Acclaimed writer Kamel Daoud is being sued in France for invasion of privacy by an Algerian survivor of a 1990s massacre in the north African country, a source close to the case said on Friday.

After the party, Mexican agave farmers face tequila hangover
From George Clooney to LeBron James, American celebrities have cashed in on tequila's soaring popularity. But in Mexico, producers of the agave plant used to make the country's most famous liquor are nursing a nasty hangover.

In Rio de Janeiro, a wrong turn leads from paradise to peril
One victim was visiting Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. Another hopped into an Uber for a night out in the seaside city.
Convicted murderers executed in Florida, Texas
Two men convicted of murder, including one who spent more than 25 years on Death Row, were executed by lethal injection in the southern US states of Florida and Texas on Thursday.
Convicted murderer executed in Florida
An inmate who spent more than 25 years on Death Row for murder was executed by lethal injection in the southern state of Florida on Thursday, with another convict due to be put to death within hours in Texas.

Los Angeles girds for floods, landslides as rain pounds fire zones
A monster rainstorm was drenching southern California on Thursday, with officials in Los Angeles readying for flooding and landslides in areas burned by last month's huge wildfires.

Chelsea to take no action against Kerr after court acquittal
Chelsea women's manager Sonia Bompastor is "really happy" for Sam Kerr following her acquittal on charges of racially aggravated harassment and says there will be no disciplinary action taken against the Australia captain by the club.

Swedish video game maker wants industry to stop chasing money
Swedish-Lebanese filmmaker-turned-game-developer Josef Fares is on a mission to put storytelling first in video games, slamming money-driven designs for stifling creativity.

Ubisoft revenue drops after game flops, 'Assassin's Creed' delays
A run of new-release flops and the delay of the latest “Assassin’s Creed” instalment sent revenue at French games giant Ubisoft plunging in its third quarter, the company reported Thursday as it continues to weigh its future.

Sexual violence against children soars in DR Congo: UNICEF
Rape and other violence against children in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has soared to unprecedented levels, the head of the United Nations children's agency warned Thursday.

Convicted murderers to be executed in Florida, Texas
Two men convicted of murder, including one who has spent more than 25 years on Death Row, are to be executed by lethal injection in the southern US states of Florida and Texas on Thursday.

Facebook, TikTok harden EU commitment to tackle disinformation -- but not X
Digital titans including Facebook and TikTok formally pledged to ramp up the fight against disinformation in the EU, Brussels said on Thursday, just days after the new US administration condemned the bloc's online content rules.

Afghan held after suspected ramming attack injures 28 in Germany
An Afghan asylum seeker was arrested after a suspected car ramming attack injured at least 28 people in the southern German city of Munich on Thursday, police said.

French game developers mark first industry-wide strike
French video game workers on Thursday hit the pause button in a first-ever sector-wide walkout over conditions and job cuts.

Navalny's legacy dims among young Russians he once galvanised
For the young Russians who would once have turned out to Alexei Navalny street rallies in their thousands, the opposition leader's public legacy has faded fast in the year since his death.

Suspected gas explosion kills four at Taiwan department store
A suspected gas explosion in a Taiwan department store killed four people and left another "without vital signs", authorities said Thursday, with videos showing large pieces of debris raining on the street.

Western tour operators enter North Korea for first time since pandemic
Western tour agencies entered North Korea for the first time on Thursday since the end of the pandemic, the companies said, voicing hopes the isolated country may soon reopen a border city to foreign visitors.

Syrian migrant drama opens Berlin film festival
German director Tom Tykwer will open the Berlin film festival Thursday with a drama about a Syrian housekeeper, in the midst of a national election campaign that has been dominated by a bitter migration debate.

Four dead in Taiwan department store blast
An explosion in a Taiwan department store on Thursday killed four people and left another "without vital signs", authorities said, with videos showing large pieces of debris raining on the street.

Afghan faces trial over deadly knife attack on German policeman
An Afghan man with suspected jihadist motives goes on trial in Germany on Thursday over a knife attack that killed a policeman and wounded five others at an anti-Islam rally last year.

Saudi art biennale seeks to modernise Islamic tradition
Under a vast canopy of tents in the Saudi city of Jeddah, religious artefacts are on display alongside contemporary art pieces, part of the kingdom's bid to transform its ultraconservative image.

Grenade blast in French bar wounds 12
Twelve people were wounded when a grenade exploded in a bar in France's southeastern city of Grenoble on Wednesday, officials said.