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Myanmar on Friday dismissed as "unsubstantiated" allegations that it committed genocide against its Rohingya minority, telling the International Court of Justice that its brutal crackdown was a "counter-terrorism operation."

Arne Slot said he would welcome Mohamed Salah back at Liverpool even if he had 15 attackers as the Egypt forward nears a return from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Burkina Faso said this month it had foiled an assassination attempt on military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore, but analysts -- sceptical after a long series of increasingly unbelievable plots -- wondered if the junta has cried wolf too many times.

France's government has halted budget discussions in parliament and is expected to announce Friday a way forward after failing to gain backing from lawmakers for this year's spending bill.

A South Korean judge sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday to five years in prison for obstructing justice and other crimes linked to his disastrous martial law declaration and in its chaotic aftermath.

South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol has been handed five years in jail, the first of what will likely be several sentences over his declaration of martial law in late 2024.

Spain's veteran singer and cultural icon Julio Iglesias on Friday rejected allegations of abuse lodged against him by two women ex-employees, in a case that has dominated headlines.

They call Rogojeni the "hobbit village", and its little half-buried houses, built to resist Moldova's cold winters and hot summers, do look like something from "The Lord of the Rings".

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen said he's keen to get to grips with the new car Red Bull unveiled on Thursday for a 2026 Formula One season of massive change.

Hundreds of people dragged away suitcases, computer monitors, pets and furniture as they fled a suspected Cambodian cyberfraud centre, after the country's most wanted alleged scam kingpin was arrested and deported.

Iga Swiatek said Friday it would be a dream to complete a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open but "grinding" through the first round was the Polish star's focus.

A worsening malnutrition crisis is having dire effects on women and girls in Afghanistan who are failed by the international community, the World Food Programme's top official in the country told AFP.

Najiba, 24, keeps a constant watch over her baby, Artiya, one of around four million children at risk of dying from malnutrition this year in Afghanistan.

Rival 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final coaches in Rabat on Sunday, Walid Regragui of Morocco and Pape Thiaw of Senegal have both experienced the heartbreak of losing a title decider as players.

Taiwan vowed Friday to remain the world's "most important" AI chipmaker, after reaching a trade deal with the United States that will reduce tariffs on the island's shipments and increase Taiwanese investment on US soil.

A pumped-up Amanda Anisimova said Friday she will use expectation as motivation at the Australian Open after a breakthrough 2025 saw her make back-to-back Grand Slam finals.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a "new strategic partnership" with Beijing as he held talks President Xi Jinping on Friday, the first visit by a Canadian leader to China in eight years.

Tokyo and Washington agreed Friday to boost joint production of defence equipment including missiles, and expand their military presence in waters southwest of mainland Japan, as China ramps up pressure on its Asian neighbour.

China's economy likely grew last year at its weakest rate in three decades, outside of the pandemic, according to an AFP survey of analysts ahead of official data on Monday.

Defending champion Nick Taylor carded eight birdies without a bogey to share the first-round lead with Kevin Roy on Thursday in the US PGA Tour's season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii.

There have been 32 Africa Cup of Nations finals and AFP Sport selects five of the most memorable ahead of the 2025 title decider between hosts Morocco and Senegal in Rabat on Sunday:

Asian markets were mixed Friday after Taiwanese chipmaking titan TSMC posted a big profit jump, bolstering confidence in the AI sector along with a US trade deal with the island.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka insisted Friday that the race to the Australian Open title was wide open and not just between herself and Iga Swiatek.

Facing digital surveillance, bribes, humiliation and street harassment, Kyrgyz taxi driver Alym never has an easy life in Russia.

Mouayed Zabtia shoots most scenes for his latest movie in a studio he built at his Tripoli home. For the filmmaker, it is one way to overcome the obstacles he faces in a country where cinema once nearly vanished.

An Afghan man goes on trial in Germany on Friday accused of ramming a car into a crowd in Munich last year, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother and injuring dozens.

US President Donald Trump's demands to take over NATO ally Denmark's territory Greenland have thrust alliance chief Mark Rutte into an uncomfortable position.

Michelle Sims hesitated when asked if she still backed Donald Trump one year into his presidency. "Yeah -- to a certain extent," she sighed as she eyed groceries in a Pennsylvania food bank.

Olympic swim stars Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand cruised to 200m individual medley victories as US great Katie Ledecky impressed again on the second day of the Pro Swim Series in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.

Jannik Sinner said Friday a three-month doping ban last year made him stronger as a person and more relaxed on court as he prepares to defend his Australian Open title.

Vietnam's leaders convene next week for a once-every-five-years congress, where General Secretary To Lam is looking to cement control over the Communist Party ruling one of Asia's fastest-growing economies.

One headspinning year down, three more to go.