WORLD

Hours before rebel forces seized Damascus and toppled his government on Sunday, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was already out of the country, telling hardly anyone, five former officials told AFP. The night before, Assad had even asked his close adviser Buthaina Shaaban to prepare a speech -- which the ousted leader never gave -- before flying from Damascus airport to Russia's Hmeimim air base in Syria, and from there out of the country.

Cyclone Chido began battering the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday, after authorities issued the highest alert and ordered everyone, including rescue workers, to seek shelter.

Thousands took to the streets of South Korea's capital Saturday in rival rallies for and against President Yoon Suk Yeol, hours ahead of an impeachment vote over his failed martial law bid.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his sister said an Air Canada gate agent refused to allow the instrument to fly even though he had bought a seat for it.

A lawyer urged judges to acquit her clients Friday as defence pleas wrap up at a massive rape trial in France, arguing the main victim's "monster" husband had manipulated them into assaulting her.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Iraq's prime minister on Friday in an unannounced visit as he seeks to coordinate a regional approach to Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

Francois Bayrou, one of few political heavyweights to have stood by French President Emmanuel Macron since he came to power in 2017, now faces his biggest challenge after finally being promoted to prime minister.

Georgia's political crisis deepened Friday after new pro-Europe protests were announced ahead of the controversial nomination of a far-right government loyalist as president.

Suspense mounted on Friday over Emmanuel Macron's pick for prime minister, with the president racing to name a new head of government to break political deadlock.

Germany's central bank on Friday sharply downgraded its growth forecasts for next year and 2026, predicting a prolonged period of weakness for Europe's biggest economy as it battles multiple headwinds.

President Xi Jinping isn't expected to attend Donald Trump's Inauguration Day even if the latter reportedly sent a personal invite to the Chinese leader.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to "prepare to remain" throughout the winter in the UN-patrolled buffer zone that is supposed to separate Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.

From her private hospital in Afghanistan's capital, doctor Najmussama Shefajo predicts a rise in maternal mortality rates "within three or four years", following the latest restrictions on women's education.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday told Turkey it was "imperative" to work against a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled the country after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group and its allies, bringing a sudden end to decades of repressive rule by his clan.

Ukraine said Friday that it was fending off a new missile attack on its energy system, the latest in Russia's campaign targeting the war-torn country's power grid during the winter season.

Some callers are women fearful they have been drugged and sexually assaulted; others are doctors worried they have misdiagnosed them -- a helpline set up amid France's notorious mass rape trial has tapped a nation's unease.

Georgian ex-footballer turned far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to become Tbilisi's next figurehead president in an indirect election denounced as "illegitimate" by the current pro-EU leader.

Eight-year-old Rayan Assani knows next to nothing about Syria, but in a few minutes, the little girl with long black hair and a Barbie backpack will cross the border and head for her family's native Aleppo.

Manchester's crisis-hit clubs face off in the Premier League when City host United on Sunday while Newcastle boss Eddie Howe badly needs a win against Leicester at St James' Park.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday said he discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron the possibility of stationing foreign troops in Ukraine in case of a ceasefire, but that Warsaw was not currently "planning any such actions".

Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signalling the end of a massive maritime exercise, Taiwanese authorities said Friday.

Fifty years ago, a 28-year-old Colombian with a bushy beard, flares and vintage Raleigh bicycle led a revolution on the streets of Bogota.

The former head of a notorious Syrian prison was charged Thursday in the United States with torturing opponents of the now-collapsed government of Bashar al-Assad, the Justice Department said.

Most of what we know about humans living to very old age is based on faulty data, including the science behind the "blue zones" famous for having a high proportion of people over 100, according to one researcher.

President Emmanuel Macron is set to name a new prime minister on Friday after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.

Bashar al-Assad's government has been accused of carrying out torture, rape, summary executions and other abuses since since Syria's civil war started in 2011.

Georgia's pro-EU protests entered their third week Thursday, amid fears the post-electoral crisis could further escalate with the ruling party set to appoint a loyalist as the country's next president.

Thousands of Afghans on Thursday attended the funeral of the refugees minister, AFP journalists saw, after he was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul the day before in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.