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British Museum director Hartwig Fischer resigned on Friday, admitting the museum did not act "as it should have" on warnings that items had gone missing.

Workers at Detroit's three auto giants overwhelmingly voted to authorize union leaders to call a strike if there is no contract by next month's deadline, the union announced Friday.

Rolling Stones fans are trying to get copies of a local London newspaper after the group placed a spoof advert apparently teasing their long-awaited new album.

The US Federal Reserve is prepared to raise interest rates higher -- and hold them there -- to "sustainably" bring down above-target inflation, chairman Jerome Powell said Friday.

The Kremlin on Friday dismissed rumours it orchestrated the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, presumed dead in a plane crash two months after leading a mutiny in Russia.

The drought-hit Panama Canal will maintain restrictions on the passage of ships for one year, a measure that has already led to a marine traffic jam as boats line up to enter the crucial waterway linking two oceans, an official said late Thursday.

France this week recorded its hottest late-summer day ever, breaching the record yet again in the now-ebbing heatwave, weather authorities said Friday.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said trimming down his squad is the priority in the final week of the transfer window as former captain Hugo Lloris appears to have played his final game for the club.

Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales refused to resign on Friday after a week of widespread criticism for his unsolicited kiss on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph.

West Africa's bloc ECOWAS on Friday told Niger's coup leaders it was "not too late" to reconsider their position as they wrangle over a return to civilian rule with the option of military force still "very much on the table".

In the remote west of Colombia, where virgin rainforest and pristine beaches collide, a group of politicians and businessmen dreamed of building a massive port on the Pacific.

Milan has registered the highest average daily temperature for the past 260 years, regional environmental protection agency (ARPA) said Friday, as much of Italy grapples with a heatwave.

Amid a crowd gathered in support of Niger's military rulers stands star-of-the-moment Sergeant Maman Sani Maigochi.

The timing spoke volumes: just as Ecuador announced its historic decision to halt oil drilling in a sensitive Amazon rainforest reserve, Brazil trumpeted its massive fossil-fuel investment plans -- which include oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon river.

Manchester City assistant manager Juanma Lilo said Pep Guardiola is in continuous contact as he recuperates from back surgery in Barcelona.

Spanish police and customs on Friday announced the seizure of nearly 9.5 tonnes of cocaine from Ecuador, in what they described as the country's biggest-ever haul of the drug.

European and US stocks pushed higher on Friday ahead of a keenly awaited speech by Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell, brushing aside losses in Asia as investors worried he may signal further interest rate hikes.

The EU on Friday authorised the sale of a vaccine to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease that in worst cases can lead to pneumonia and bronchiolitis.

Foreign poll observers on Friday said Zimbabwe's presidential and legislative elections failed to conform to regional and international standards, placing in doubt the credibility of the tense vote.

Microsoft will provide more information on targeted adverts and protect users against any new risks from artificial intelligence, the company vowed Friday, as stringent EU rules on tech platforms enter into force.

The Kremlin on Friday dismissed rumours it orchestrated the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, presumed dead in a plane crash two months after leading a mutiny in Russia.

Breakneck development of artificial intelligence risked repeating mistakes made by the tech industry at the start of the social media era, Microsoft president Brad Smith told a business forum on Friday.

The French government announced Friday that 200 million euros ($216 million) would be set aside to fund the destruction of surplus wine production in a bid to support struggling producers and shore up prices.

Only a small fraction of the forest-based carbon credits that companies and governments have purchased to offset their greenhouse gas emissions actually help prevent deforestation, according to new research.

Russia on Friday praised the work of its air defences, saying they had downed 42 drones over the Moscow-controlled Crimean peninsula, a day after Ukraine claimed its forces launched a raid there.

Max Verstappen began his home Dutch Grand Prix weekend in familiar fashion, topping the times in Friday's first practice at Zandvoort.

The plane crash that reportedly killed Yevgeny Prigozhin wiped out the entire top leadership of Russian paramilitary group Wagner but its influence is set to outlive them all both at home and abroad.

Kevin Mayer's defence of his world decathlon title lasted just two events on Friday in Budapest as the left Achilles problem that had been niggling him proved too much.

Greek firefighters struggled Friday to contain scores of wildfires stretching nationwide, as the week's death toll from the raging blazes rose to 21.

Two Spanish Women's World Cup winners, Aitana Bonmati and Olga Carmona, and Chelsea's Australian striker Sam Kerr were on Friday named on the three-player shortlist for UEFA's women's player of the year award.

Australia's Josh Giddey warned his teammates they cannot afford another slow start at the Basketball World Cup after overcoming early struggles to beat Finland in their tournament opener on Friday.

Poll observers from a regional southern African bloc SADC on Friday said certain aspects of Zimbabwe's tense presidential and legislative elections did not conform to democratic principles.