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Pope Francis warned in Bahrain on Friday that "opposing blocs" and global divisions have put humanity on a "delicate precipice", a veiled reference to the Ukraine war.

Primary schools in India's capital New Delhi will shut to protect children from the toxic smog choking the megacity of 20 million people, authorities said Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has still not decided if he will attend the Group of 20 leaders' summit this month as war rages in Ukraine, the leader of host nation Indonesia said in an interview Friday.

Skipper Kane Williamson hit a quickfire half-century to all but take New Zealand into the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals as they hammered Ireland by 35 runs on Friday.

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was recovering in hospital Friday after a gunman shot him in the leg, with his supporters vowing the assassination attempt will not derail his "long march" bid to return to power.

Pilots at troubled national flag carrier Kenya Airways plan to go on strike from Saturday to seek better working conditions despite a court order suspending the industrial action, their union said Friday.

South Korea's military scrambled stealth jets on Friday after detecting the mobilisation of 180 North Korean warplanes, Seoul said as it conducted large-scale joint air drills with the United States which have infuriated Pyongyang.

Xi Jinping welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Beijing Friday, with both sides seeking to deepen economic cooperation on a trip that has prompted criticism over Berlin's growing reliance on an increasingly authoritarian China.

Jordan Bardella, a self-confident 27-year-old, looks set this weekend to confirm he is the rising star of France's far-right politics and the favoured heir to veteran leader Marine Le Pen.

The historic Athens district of Exarcheia has been a famed anti-establishment haven to some and a hideout for firebomb-wielding anarchists and drug dealers to others.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told President Xi Jinping on Friday he wished to deepen economic cooperation, on a trip to Beijing that has prompted criticism over Berlin's heavy reliance on an increasingly authoritarian China.

Ireland bowler Joshua Little took a hat-trick but New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson's 61 guided his side to 185-6 in their bid to seal a semi-finals spot at the Twenty20 World Cup on Friday.

The latest instalment in the Nordic crime saga Millennium hits Swedish bookstores Friday, with a new author seeking to shift the story's focus to the far north of the country.

The Philadelphia Eagles are off to the best NFL season start in franchise history, after a 29-17 victory over the Houston Texans moved them to 8-0.

South Korean football fans were nervously following the saga of Son Heung-min's facial injury on Friday and fear their World Cup will be ruined if the influential skipper is ruled out.

Most Tunisian schools are cash-strapped and run down, but an innovative project has allowed one to become self-sustaining by generating its own solar power and growing its own food.

Most Asian markets rose Friday after the previous day's Federal Reserve-induced sell-off, with Hong Kong leading the way with another big rally fuelled by hopes China will roll back some of its painful zero-Covid policies.

A confident England have the "skills and firepower" to beat Sri Lanka and seal a place in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup, batsman Alex Hales said on Friday.

North Korea fired an artillery barrage into a maritime "buffer zone" overnight, Seoul's military said Friday, after a record-breaking blitz of launches that included a failed intercontinental ballistic missile test.

Zhang Yao recalls the moment he realised something had gone deeply wrong at the Chinese mega-factory where he and hundreds of thousands of other workers assembled iPhones and other high-end electronics.

Israel's election this week cemented the rise of the country's extreme right, with firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir set to gain a powerful position in government.

When a landslide buried part of an Islamic shrine in Iraq this summer, killing eight pilgrims, sorrow quickly turned to anger because the site was run without oversight from state or religious authorities.

Most Asian investors tentatively stepped back into the markets Friday after the previous day's Federal Reserve-induced sell-off, while the dollar held gains as focus turned to the release of key US jobs data.

World number one Iga Swiatek beat Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2 to clinch her semi-final spot at the WTA Finals on Thursday, but Garcia remained in the hunt for a place in the knockout stage.

A thrilling ding-dong MotoGP season ends on Sunday with Francesco Bagnaia on the brink of becoming the first Italian champion since the great Valentino Rossi 13 years ago.

Jalen Suggs nailed a pair of late three-pointers as the Orlando Magic sent the Golden State Warriors crashing to a fourth straight defeat in the NBA on Thursday.

New Zealand will seek to extend their 32-match winning streak over Wales when the two sides clash at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday although the hosts fancy their chances against visitors who have not enjoyed their best year.

Ireland, the number one ranked team in the world, take on South Africa the World Cup holders in what should be an epic Autumn international Test on Saturday at Lansdowne Road.

After spending years ahead of rivals Real Betis and flirting with potential title charges, Sevilla have fallen badly behind as they head into Sunday's "El Gran Derbi" -- The Great Derby.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso is in desperate need of a win as his side look to turn around their miserable form when they host Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin on Sunday.

Arsenal face a stiff test of their Premier League title credentials when they travel to Chelsea on Sunday, while Liverpool desperately need to win at Tottenham to claw back ground on the top four.

Twitter said it will start laying off employees on Friday, as the new billionaire owner Elon Musk moves quickly after his big takeover to make the messaging platform financially sound.