French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday denied being the main target of a judicial investigation into the government's use of management consultants and their role in recent election campaigns.. The prosecutor's statement did not name Macron or his election campaign, but said investigators were looking into allegations of favouritism and hidden campaign financing in relation to management consultancies.
Iran's football stars scored a famous victory with a last gasp World Cup win but scrutiny on the conduct of the team ahead of the decisive clash with the US will only intensify as its leaders press a crackdown on protests at home.. A prominent former international star from the last decade Voria Ghafouri was arrested in Iran on Thursday after he backed the protests and condemned the crackdown.
Benin's opposition, weakened by arrests and the exile of its leaders, has been allowed to participate in January's legislative elections, four years after they were excluded from taking part in the last vote.. In 2021, the main opposition leaders also failed to participate in the presidential ballot that re-elected Talon, prompting more protests in opposition strongholds.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced new aid for Ukraine on a visit to Kyiv on Friday, including ambulances and support for victims of sexual violence by Russian soldiers.. The package announced by Cleverly includes 24 ambulances and six armoured vehicles, according to the foreign office.
Their videos are flooding Russian social media -- mothers and wives of soldiers mobilised to fight in Ukraine, urgently demanding that the military make good on promises made by President Vladimir Putin.. For now, the soldiers mothers' movement is uncoordinated and disparate, mainly consisting of worried relatives posting videos on social media, where some informal groups have formed.
Spain's right-wing opposition is infuriated over government plans to abolish sedition, the charge used against Catalan separatist leaders, decrying the move as a gift to pro-independence parties in exchange for parliamentary support.. Right-wing parties say eliminating sedition -- the charge used to convict and jail nine Catalan separatists over their involvement with a failed 2017 independence bid -- will pave the way for another attempt to separate from Spain.
Twitter's billionaire owner Elon Musk announced Friday that the platform would be launching differently colored badges to distinguish between accounts.. "Sorry for the delay, we're tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week," he tweeted.
India's top court decided Friday to proceed with a case weighing legal recognition of same-sex marriages, four years after the same institution struck down a colonial-era ban on gay sex.. The case, brought by a gay couple who informally exchanged vows last year, could pave the way for India to become the second jurisdiction in Asia to recognise same-sex marriage after Taiwan.
"Squid Game" actor O Yeong-su has been indicted on charges of sexual misconduct, South Korea's prosecutor told AFP Friday.. Multiple figures in South Korea's film industry -- including late filmmaker Kim Ki-duk and actors Cho Jae-hyun and Oh Dal-su -- have faced sexual assault allegations. cdl/dva
Nearly half of Kyiv residents were still without electricity Friday, the Ukrainian capital's mayor said, two days after Russian strikes battered the country's already struggling energy grid.. Half of consumers are still without electricity," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
