World

Cold weather, disease and capacity cuts pushed wine production in France's Bordeaux region last year to a low not seen in three-and-a-half decades, the local industry body said Friday.

Often called the world's most famous wine country, Bordeaux -- France's biggest wine region -- produces the iconic Medoc, Saint-Emilion, and Pomerol high-end wines, as well as larger quantities of lower-priced produce.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) thinks that former Fox News host Pete Hegseth will make a "great" defense secretary so long as he cuts down on what he describes as "rookie mistakes."

In an interview with Politico, Wicker said that he was "disturbed" by some of the comments that Hegseth made while discussing Ukraine this week, particularly his remarks shutting down the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO and regaining control of territory that it has lost to Russia over the last decade.

by Menna Zaki and Ramin Khanizadeh

In a century-old building in Tehran, Saeed Anvarinejad turned the dial of a vintage radio to tune into some of Iran's earliest recorded sounds, some serving as reminders of the seismic changes that shaped the country's history.

by Fran BLANDY

One victim was visiting Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. Another hopped into an Uber for a night out in the seaside city.

by Frank Zeller and Max Delany

President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday with a warning against trusting Russia's Vladimir Putin, as concerns mount in Kyiv and among its European allies that the Ukraine war will be settled over their heads.

An Indonesian court has handed lengthy prison terms to poachers who killed dozens of rare Javan rhinos, court rulings seen by AFP Friday showed, drawing praise from conservationists who said it would help deter lucrative wildlife crime.

The rhinoceros endemic to Indonesia's most populous island is critically endangered, with authorities believing there are only around 82 remaining in Ujung Kulon National Park in western Java -- their last stronghold.

by Marc Jourdier

The Red Cross expressed concern Friday for the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, with Hamas expected to free three captives this weekend after a crisis over the ceasefire threatened to plunge the territory back into war.

by Sheikh Sabiha ALAM

Bangladeshi high schooler Laiba is being educated for the future, but what she learns has been determined by the latest chapter in her country's battle over its past.

by Nina LARSON

Three years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many who fled the conflict are returning home due to financial hardship in their host countries, the Red Cross said Friday.

Pope Francis was admitted to hospital in Rome on Friday for tests and treatment for bronchitis, the Vatican said, the latest in a series of health problems for the 88-year-old pontiff.

Francis, who has been breathless in recent days and has delegated officials to read his speeches, was admitted following his morning audiences, the Vatican said.

by Sally JENSEN

At a scam compound in Myanmar, Filipina worker Pieta had just days to romance strangers online and trick them into investing in a fake business -- failing which she would be beaten or tortured with electric shocks.

An economic adviser for President Donald Trump told MSNBC host Ali Vitali that long-held beliefs by nearly every economist that tariffs will raise prices are "just false."

Ahead of Trump signing another executive order on tariffs, Kevin Hassett was probed on why Trump thinks he's right over experts.

President Donald Trump has sparked shock and outrage throughout the world with his plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza by forcibly removing Palestinians from the land and now hundreds of rabbis are joining in the chorus of condemnation.

The Guardian reports that more than 350 rabbis signed on to an ad in the New York Times this week in which condemned Trump's Palestinian expulsion plan with the message that "Jewish people say no to ethnic cleansing!”