Prayers at Jerusalem mosque end peacefully after days of tension
Prayers at the compound of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque passed off peacefully on Friday despite a week of tension over access to a corner of the compound.
Swiss court upholds sentence in genital mutilation case
A ban on female genital mutilation extends to cases where the ritual cutting was performed in another country prior to the perpetrator coming to Switzerland, the nation’s highest court said on Friday, upholding a Somali woman’s conviction last year.
Syria Kurds evacuate civilians from Islamic State redoubt, hail Trump troop reversal
Kurdish-led forces in Syria said they would complete the evacuation of thousands of civilians from Islamic State’s last redoubt in the area on Friday, and welcomed a White House reversal of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out all U.S. troops….
Fake news: Kim and Trump lookalikes draw the crowds in Hanoi
Cars stopped and tourists gawked at what appeared to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wandering the streets of Hanoi.
At Pope’s abuse summit, Church seeks to fix ‘systematic failures’
The Roman Catholic Church must repair the “systematic failures” that enabled sexual abuse to take root around the world, and bishops should start policing each other’s behavior, leading cardinals said on Friday.
Lighter fuel, deodorant cans and chemicals fueled Bangladesh blaze
Lighter fuel, deodorant cans and drums full of chemicals stored in a residential building in the Bangladeshi capital fueled a blaze this week that killed at least 70 people and injured more than 50, a senior fire official said on Friday.
Venezuela’s vice president may visit Moscow soon: Ifax
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez may visit Moscow soon, Interfax news agency said on Friday, citing Venezuela’s deputy foreign minister.
Russia extends detention of ex-U.S. marine accused of spying
A Russian court on Friday ruled that Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine accused of spying, should be held in a pre-trial detention facility for a further three months to give investigators more time to look into his case.
Botswana considers allowing big game hunting, culling elephants
Botswana, home to almost a third of Africa’s elephants, is considering lifting a ban on big game hunting, to combat what the government says is growing conflict between humans and wildlife
Malnourished Venezuelans hope urgently needed aid arrives soon
Yaneidi Guzman has lost a third of her weight over the past three years as Venezuela’s economic collapse made food unaffordable and she now hopes the opposition will succeed in bringing urgently needed foreign aid to the South American country.
