• State Dept. Freezes Most New Foreign Aid Funding
  
  The State Department ordered a sweeping freeze Friday on new funding for almost all U.S. foreign assistance, making exceptions for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
• What to Know about the Escalating Conflict in Eastern Congo as Rebels Close in on Goma
  
  Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government's last stronghold in the region bordering Rwanda. The offensive by the Rwandabacked M23 rebel group has stretched local...
• WHO to Limit Travel, Freeze Hiring After Trump Announces Withdrawal
  
  The Trump administration's announcement that it would withdraw from the World Health Organization has made the agency's financial situation "more acute," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staff in an email sent Thursday night.
• Zelenskyy Warns Putin Wants to 'Manipulate' Trump on Ukraine
  
  Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wanted to "manipulate" Donald Trump, after the Kremlin chief praised the US leader and said he was ready for talks with him.Kyiv earlier warned against any Putin-Trump peace...
• Driver Rams Anti-government Rally in Serbia's Capital, Injures One Protester
  
  A woman rammed a car into a crowd of antigovernment protesters in Serbia's capital and injured one of them Friday, police said, as a studentled strike shut down businesses and drew tens of thousands of people to demonstrations around the country. The nationwide protests...
• 'Canada Is Not for Sale' Hat Goes Viral
  
  President Donald Trump's verbal threats toward Canada are paying off for one entrepreneur.
• Tens of Thousands Protest in Slovakia Over Pro-Russia Policies of Populist Leader Fico
  
  Tens of thousands of people in Slovakia gathered at squares and street across the country on Friday to voice their opposition to the proRussia policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico.The latest wave of antigovernment rallies was fueled by Fico's recent trip to...
• 5 Economic Forces That Could Shape the First Year of Trump's Presidency
  
  Like most presidents, Donald Trump faces an economy that seldom bends to political ambitions.The Republican has promised strong growth, high tariffs, income tax cuts and booming oilfields. But despite the solid job market and low 4.1% unemployment rate, he has to contend...
• Putin: Ukraine War Could Have Been Avoided Under Trump
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday echoed President Donald Trump's claim the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in the White House in 2022.
• Denmark, US Agree to Discuss Greenland at Later Time
  
  Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, and the two agreed that the topic of Greenland will be discussed at a later time, the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement. Rasmussen and Rubio meanwhile...
• Kim Jones Sharpens VIP-filled Dior Men's Fashion with a Structured, Masculine Recalibration
  
  Inside the historic Ecole Militaire, with the Eiffel Tower looming above, Kate Moss and Robert Pattinson joined a starstudded audience for Dior Men's show at Paris Fashion Week a slight but noticeable departure for Kim Jones. Renowned for his genderfluid designs, Jones on...
• China: Foreign Minister Chats With Rubio
  
  Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi by phone on Friday, China's foreign ministry said, the first call between the two top diplomats since President Donald Trump's administration took office Monday.
• Israel Awaits Release of Next 4 Hostages in Ceasefire
  
  The Hamas militant group on Friday published the names of four hostages it said it would release the following day as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
• Ontario Leader Will Call Election to Fight Trump's Threatened Tariffs
  
  The leader of Canada's most populous province of Ontario said Friday he will be calling an election next week because he needs a mandate to fight U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs. Conservative Premier Doug Ford said he will call an early election next...
• Authorities: Governor of Congo's North-Kivu Province Dies of Wounds in Fighting With Rebels
  
  The governor of eastern Congo's NorthKivu province has died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front line, authorities said Friday, as M23 rebels closed in on the provincial capital. M23 made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling Goma,...
• Soprano Lise Davidsen Pregnant with Twins, Cancels Performances from Mid-March through December
  
  Soprano Lise Davidsen is pregnant with twins and is canceling her performances from mid-March through the end of the year."I'm very excited about their arrival, and my new life with them," she said in a statement Friday. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the...
• Detentions in Deadly Turkish Ski Resort Fire Rise to 14
  
  The number of suspects detained in connection with the deadly hotel fire at a ski resort rose to 14 on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.Erdogan also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that anyone who may have caused the blaze by prioritizing profit over...
• 'We've Got to Move Forward' - Michigan Electric Vehicle Industry Responds to Trump Policy Changes
  
  While President Donald Trump took aim at the electric vehicle industry this week, there is still optimism about the industry's future in Michigan, a state retooling from America's most recognizable auto hub to its number one destination for electric vehicle investment.More...
• As Elite Davos Event Ends, Some Hail 'constructive Optimism' Despite Divisions, Suffering in World
  
  The European Central Bank's president responded Friday to U.S. President Donald Trump's accusation of unfair trade treatment by the European Union by calling for negotiations and mutual respect rather than a focus purely on transAtlantic trade figures. The comments by...
• Netanyahu Suggests Israel Might Not Complete Its Withdrawal from Lebanon by a Ceasefire Deadline
  
  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Friday that Israel might not withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon by a deadline set in its ceasefire with Hezbollah.Under the deal reached in November, Israel is supposed to complete its withdrawal from the country by Sunday....
• Ukraine Drones Hit Oil, Industrial Sites in Russia's Ryazan, Bryanskukraine
  
  Ukraine's military said on Friday its drones hit oil facilities in Russia's Ryazan and a microelectronics production plant in Bryansk.It said in a statement that the attacked facilities were involved in supplying Russia's army....
• Trump Blames Putin for Ukraine War Continuing
  
  President Donald Trump blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war in Ukraine continuing for nearly three years.
• UN Suspends All Trips into Houthi-held Areas of Yemen over Staffers Being Detained
  
  The United Nations on Friday suspended all travel into areas held by Yemen's Houthi rebels after more of their staff were detained by the rebels. The Houthis have already detained U.N. staffers, as well as individuals associated with the onceopen U.S. Embassy in Sanaa,...
• Kremlin: Putin Ready to Talk to Trump, Waiting for Word From Washington
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to hold a phone call with President Donald Trump and Moscow is waiting for word from Washington that it is ready too, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. Trump said on Thursday he wanted to meet Putin as soon as...
• Philippines Launches Comic Book to Counter China’s 'disinformation' in the Disputed South China Sea
  
  The Philippines launched a comic book on Friday to counter what the country says is China's disinformation campaign to push its expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea.The 40page comic book, titled "The Stories of Teacher Jun," was unveiled by Philippine...

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