Paris, France | AFP | The French government said Wednesday that it was “deeply concerned” over Sophie Petronin, a 73-year-old hostage in Mali, after a new video in which her kidnappers say her health has deteriorated. A seven-minute video of the charity worker released in June had already showed her …

Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook on Thursday denied allegations in the New York Times that it tried to mislead the public about its knowledge of Russian misinformation ahead of the 2016 US presidential election, but severed links with a Republican consultancy. The Times detailed obfuscation by Facebook’s top …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Libya is planning to extradite the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi to Britain by the end of the year, Libya’s UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj told the BBC in an interview on Wednesday. Britain last year submitted a request to extradite Hashem …

United Nations, United States | AFP | France, Russia and the United States were locked in negotiations Wednesday to overcome differences over peace efforts in the Central African Republic ahead of a deadline for renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission there. The Security Council must vote on prolonging …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Kenya and Ethiopia went on scoring sprees Wednesday as the African football qualifying competition for the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan kicked off. The Kenyans were two goals ahead of Mauritius within 13 minutes in Nairobi and finished 5-0 winners of a one-sided first …

Havana, Cuba | AFP | Cuba announced Wednesday it will pull thousands of its doctors out of Brazil in response to president-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s “direct, contemptuous and threatening” remarks about its medical aid program. The far-right leader has repeatedly criticized the Communist-run island’s “More Doctors” program — which sends thousands …

United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is renewing his call for UN financing to shore up a regional force fighting an insurgency in the Sahel, despite opposition from the United States. Guterres said in a report to the Security Council seen by AFP on Wednesday …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump’s effort to revoke a CNN correspondent’s credentials went to court Wednesday, in a hearing that saw the channel backed by media groups — including arch-rival Fox News — who said the case was a matter of press freedom. Lawyers for …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Ride-share company Uber on Wednesday said that its net loss topped a billion dollars in the recently ended quarter as it pumped money into bikes, scooters, freight and food delivery. While a private company, Uber has taken to sharing quarterly earnings figures as …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Wayne Rooney believes he left Manchester United at the right time, even though he wanted to finish his career at Old Trafford. The 33-year-old, who is set to make his final England appearance against the United States in a friendly international at Wembley on …