Taliban denies meeting Afghan officials ahead of election
A Taliban spokesman denied on Friday that representatives met an Afghan government delegation this week, after sources in the movement told Reuters that officials from both sides met in Saudi Arabia to discuss security ahead of elections next month.
Brazil presidential front-runner dismisses report he hid fortune
Right-wing Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro on Friday dismissed a news report that his ex-wife had accused him of concealing his fortune and stealing from her bank safe, attacking the media for trying to derail his campaign.
Boris Johnson swerves question on whether he will challenge UK PM May
Brexit hard-liner Boris Johnson, a fierce critic of Prime Minister Theresa May’s “Chequers” plan for leaving the EU, declined to answer directly on Friday when asked if he would rule out a leadership challenge of the Conservative party.
U.N. experts says Egypt systematically targets rights activists
Seventeen U.N. human rights experts criticized Egypt on Friday for its use of anti-terrorism laws to detain activists fighting for women’s rights and against graft, torture and extra-judicial killings.
Palestinians say six killed as Israeli troops fire on Gaza protest
Israeli soldiers shot dead six Palestinians, including two boys, who were among thousands of people who thronged to the fortified Gaza Strip border on Friday as part of weekly protests launched half a year ago, Gaza health officials said.
Once an outcast, Ukrainian Patriarch ready to lead church split from Russia
Patriarch Filaret was defrocked and excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox church, and accused by his opponents of being a KGB agent, having a secret family and embezzling money.
Kremlin critic says he was poisoned for investigating colleagues’ killings
Russian and German doctors treating anti-Kremlin activist Pyotr Verzilov agree that he was poisoned ahead of being taken ill two weeks ago, Verzilov said.
Kosovo detains two lawmakers for threatening prosecutors
Kosovo detained two lawmakers from the governing coalition for threatening prosecutors in two separate cases, law enforcement authorities said on Friday.
Amal Clooney calls on Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to pardon Reuters reporters
The families of two Reuters reporters imprisoned in Myanmar have asked for a pardon, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney told a press freedom event at the United Nations on Friday as she pressed the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to agree.
Venezuelan migrant influx costs Colombia 0.5 percent of GDP: president
An influx of Venezuelan immigrants fleeing economic hardship costs Colombia approximately 0.5 percent of its gross domestic product per year, Colombian President Ivan Duque said on Friday, equivalent to some $1.5 billion.
