Moscow, Russia | AFP | Britain has to reduce its diplomatic staff in Russia by more than 50 more people, the foreign ministry said Saturday, following an escalating row over the nerve agent attack on a former double agent. The new measures are seen as punishment for Britain’s calls on …

Nouakchott, Mauritania | AFP | A Mauritanian court has jailed three people for between 10 and 20 years for slavery, a crime that critics say has gone widely unpunished in the conservative West African country. A judicial source said a special court in the northwest town of Nouadhibou this week …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho has suggested that it is up to Paul Pogba to explain why he has been so inconsistent for Manchester United this season. The midfielder was in fine form for France on Tuesday, scoring with a 30-yard free-kick after setting up a goal …

Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis on Friday said he was “ashamed” that younger generations would inherit a world “fractured by divisions and wars”. Speaking in Rome at the end of the traditional Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession, the pontiff said the world was “devoured by egotism …

Paris, France | AFP | When it comes to its handling of the scandal over how its users’ data was harvested to help elect US President Donald Trump, Facebook gets an almighty thumbs down from crisis management experts. Public relations specialists questioned by AFP were damning in their verdict of …

Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | Malala Yousafzai plans to return to Pakistan permanently once her studies are completed, she told Pakistani media in Islamabad Friday, the second day of her emotional trip back more than five years after being shot by Taliban gunmen. Security has forced the Nobel laureate, whose …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Illegal gold miners in Zimbabwe have seized a farm belonging to former first lady Grace Mugabe, local media reported, just four months after former President Robert Mugabe was ousted from power. Hundreds of aggressive squatters have taken over portions of Grace’s Smithfield estate in Mazowe, …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Around 230,000 people have been driven from their homes in Democratic Republic of Congo, the government estimated Friday, a vastly different figure from the reports of humanitarian groups in the conflict-torn country. Kinshasa put the figure at “231,241 internally displaced people” compared with the …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted he thought he may have been sacked last season. The 47-year-old is on the brink of winning his first Premier League title, with victory at Everton on Saturday potentially putting City 19 points clear of nearest rivals …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Friday blacklisted 27 ships, 21 companies and a businessman for helping North Korea circumvent sanctions, as the United States keeps up pressure on Pyongyang despite its recent overtures toward talks, diplomats said. Acting on a request from the …