Category: News

Jerusalem (AFP) – Hamas was expected Friday to name three hostages it will release this weekend as part of a planned exchange for Palestinian prisoners, local media said, after days of uncertainty in which Israel threatened to scrap a nearly month-old Gaza ceasefire deal.

Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves halted Oklahoma City’s seven-game NBA winning streak, beating the Western Conference-leading Thunder 116-101 on Thursday on the eve of the All-Star break.

Jakarta (AFP) – An Indonesian court has handed lengthy prison terms to poachers who killed dozens of rare Javan rhinos, court rulings seen by AFP Friday showed, drawing praise from conservationists who said it would help deter lucrative wildlife crime.

Harbin (China) (AFP) – Philippines on Friday bagged a historic and unlikely gold medal by stunning South Korea 5-3 in men’s curling at the Asian Winter Games in China’s Harbin.

Harbin (China) (AFP) – Two teenage figure skaters who died in the Washington plane crash that killed 67 people were poignantly remembered this week at the Asian Winter Games in China’s Harbin.

Washington (AFP) – The Associated Press said Thursday its reporter was barred from a White House event for the third day straight, in a mushrooming row over its refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet US Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday with a warning against trusting Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as concerns mount in Kyiv and among its European allies that the Ukraine war will be settled over their heads.

Hong Kong (AFP) – Asian markets mostly rose Friday in line with a rally on Wall Street as traders were buoyed by news that Donald Trump’s latest, sweeping reciprocal tariffs would not likely be implemented until April, giving time for negotiations.

Zapotlanejo (Mexico) (AFP) – 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.

Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Lebanon on Friday marks 20 years since former prime minister Rafic Hariri’s assassination amid seismic political changes that have weakened Hezbollah and its backers and could herald a comeback for Hariri’s son Saad.