Prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney appealed to Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday over a pardon for two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar, saying the Nobel laureate held the key to their release.

Europe battled back to lead the Ryder Cup entering Saturday's second day of competition thanks to an unprecedented foursomes sweep of defending champions the United States, yet European captain Thomas Bjorn warns the trophy fight is far from over.

As Paris women's fashion week heads into the final straight, we look at what we have learned so far from the catwalk collections:

US President Donald Trump ordered a new FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court pick Friday, as the Senate delayed a vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to make way for the probe.

The UN General Assembly may be one of the most unwieldy events on the diplomatic calendar, with non-stop speeches by 193 leaders and hundreds more side events, all in a few blocks along New York's East River.

The United States and Canada have told Mexico they could reach a compromise within 48 hours on keeping the updated North American Free Trade Agreement a three-country deal, the Mexican economy minister said Friday.

Scores of people were killed when a powerful quake and tsunami struck central Indonesia, an AFP photographer at the scene said on Saturday, as rescuers scrambled to reach the stricken region.

Ryder Cup veterans Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter starred as Europe claimed a history-making foursomes whitewash in a stunning fightback to seize a 5-3 lead over the United States on Friday.

Britain's Callum Smith knocked out his compatriot George Groves in Saudi Arabia Friday, dethroning the more experienced fighter to claim the World Boxing Association super middleweight title and the coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy.

The world's biggest copper mine by output, Chile's Escondida, announced on Friday profits of $1.086 billion for the first semester, just over a month after avoiding a strike by workers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Friday to rebuild strained relations after a two-year crisis despite remaining differences on civil rights and other issues.

Russia on Friday warned it will not allow jihadists in Syria to be sent to Afghanistan or elsewhere under a deal reached with Turkey that averted a large-scale military assault on rebel-held Idlib province.

Facebook revealed on Friday that up to 50 million accounts were breached by hackers, dealing a blow to the social network's effort to convince users to trust it with their data.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday approved Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump's pick for the US Supreme Court, one day after he fought off allegations of sexual assault at an emotional day-long public hearing.

Facebook announced Friday that up to 50 million accounts were breached in a security flaw exploited by hackers.

The European Union on Friday issued a stern warning to Italy's populist leaders following their defiant pledge for increased spending and a sizeable budget deficit that risks putting Rome on a collision course with Brussels.

When the stone slabs crashed into her butcher's shop window last week, Elisabeth Cure became the latest victim of "radical vegans" who are trying to force a change in eating habits in traditionally meat-loving France.

She was once the face of abused maids in Hong Kong -- imprisoned, starved and beaten so badly she lost control of her bodily functions.

A leading Turkish union on Friday called for the release of two dozen workers arrested after they protested poor working conditions while building Istanbul's giant new airport, saying they were being held as "hostages".

The United States made a strong start to the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on Friday as Jim Furyk's men claimed a 3-1 lead after the opening session despite a defeat for Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed.

Andorra is best known as a ski destination and tax haven -- but it's the tiny principality's status as one of Europe's last countries with an abortion ban that activists want to highlight on International Safe Abortion Day.

Inflation in the eurozone rose above the target level of the European Central Bank, data showed on Friday, heaping further pressure on the ECB to scale back its crisis-era stimulus.

He is just 90 centimeters (less than three feet) tall, but he packs muscles, power and swagger in a little frame: meet Microman, the smallest star in Mexican professional wrestling.

Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler propelled the United States to an early edge over Europe in Friday's opening matches of the 42nd Ryder Cup as the Americans took aim at their first victory on European soil in 25 years.

Passengers were forced to swim for their lives Friday when an airliner ditched into a lagoon after missing the runway on a remote Pacific island and began sinking.

American great Serena Williams was left out of the China Open tennis draw on Friday as she appeared to call time on her season following her meltdown at the US Open.

Australia's scandal-plagued banks were accused of putting profits before people and of failing to meet "basic standards of honesty" on Friday, as an official inquiry offered a damning assessment of the sector.

As Paris women's fashion week heads into the final straight, we look at what we have learned so far from the catwalk collections:

In tatters after a #MeToo scandal, the Swedish Academy has postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize, leaving an empty page for 2018 as it attempts to reform the venerable institution.

Superstar designer Hedi Slimane declared that black is back Friday as he returned to the Paris catwalk after a two-year absence to revolutionise Celine.

The dramatic Senate testimony of university professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her, has sparked a surge in calls to abuse hotlines -- and a moment of reckoning for women confronting their own painful memories.

The World Health Organization on Friday announced it had revised its Ebola risk assessment in the Democratic Republic of Congo from high to "very high".

The family of a British teenager who died from an allergic reaction to a sandwich called Friday for a change in the law on food labelling, as an inquest into her death ended.

When the stone slabs crashed into her butcher's shop window last week, Elisabeth Cure became the latest victim of "radical vegans" who are trying to force a change in eating habits in traditionally meat-loving France.

Andorra is best known as a ski destination and tax haven -- but it's the tiny principality's status as one of Europe's last countries with an abortion ban that activists want to highlight on International Safe Abortion Day.

Superstar designer Hedi Slimane has revealed how he has been stricken by severe tinnitus as he makes his highly-anticipated return to Paris fashion week Friday at the helm of Celine.

He is just 90 centimeters (less than three feet) tall, but he packs muscles, power and swagger in a little frame: meet Microman, the smallest star in Mexican professional wrestling.

South Korea's largest Buddhist denomination elected a new leader on Friday in an uncontested vote that did little to dispel anger following years of scandals including senior monks breaking celibacy vows, amassing huge wealth and gambling.

Outdoor sport is almost like a religion in Australia, with kids packing into cars each weekend bound for organised chaos at parks and ovals, while millions diligently follow rugby, football and cricket on TV or at stadiums.

Sweet Iraqi dates adorn tables in homes across the country, but the fruit tree and national symbol has come under threat from conflict and crippling drought.

A Hong Kong man has developed the world's first ever human case of the rat version of the hepatitis E virus, according to new research from one of the city's leading universities.

Days after seven people died after taking a cocktail of drugs at an electronic music festival, their peers partied on at a sweaty Hanoi nightclub, hoping tragedy does not pull the plug on the nascent rave scene in the buttoned-up communist capital.

It's easier to lose a Nobel Prize than to win one.

An amputated 2018 Nobel season opens next week in Stockholm, without a Literature Prize for the first time in 70 years due to a #MeToo scandal.

The woman who started South Korea's #MeToo movement has a shy demeanour and a whispery voice, but Seo Ji-hyun's actions have had a resounding impact on the lives of her countrywomen.

Romania's constitutional court ruled Thursday that gay couples should have the same family rights as heterosexuals, a judgment that runs counter to a referendum next month seeking to interdict gay marriage.

They appear to be living the dream, walking the catwalks of Paris, New York and Milan in the most beautiful clothes money can buy.

A majority of US teenagers say they have been victims of online harassment or bullying, and that social media companies aren't doing enough to fight the problem, a survey showed Thursday.

Gold, silk and hundreds of diamonds: a Dubai-based shoemaker has debuted what it says is the world's most expensive pair of shoes -- with a whopping $17 million price tag.

In a remote corner of northwestern Spain, a small town has set itself the ultimate weight loss challenge: by early 2020, its residents must shed 100,000 kilos (220,500 pounds).

Swedish ready-to-wear giant H&M on Thursday said it saw a major boost in online sales in the third quarter, even as a cumbersome shift to faster logistics weighed down on profits.

Adultery is no longer a crime, India's top court ruled Thursday, declaring a colonial-era law that punished the offence with jail time unconstitutional and discriminatory against women.

McDonald's USA on Wednesday announced that its iconic burgers, including the Big Mac and the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, no longer have artificial preservatives, artificial flavors or added colors from artificial sources.

It may have been a long time coming, but eco-fashion is no longer a hippie pipe dream.

Europe battled back to lead the Ryder Cup entering Saturday's second day of competition thanks to an unprecedented foursomes sweep of defending champions the United States, yet European captain Thomas Bjorn warns the trophy fight is far from over.

Police in Germany are expecting more than a thousand hooligans to clash with trouble already brewing ahead of Sunday's league match when Hamburg and St Pauli meet in the city's first derby for seven years.

Ryder Cup veterans Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter starred as Europe claimed a history-making foursomes whitewash in a stunning fightback to seize a 5-3 lead over the United States on Friday.

Britain's Callum Smith knocked out his compatriot George Groves in Saudi Arabia Friday, dethroning the more experienced fighter to claim the World Boxing Association super middleweight title and the coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy.

British Prime Minister Theresa May signalled her "full support" Friday for a potential joint bid by the United Kingdom and Ireland to host the 2030 football World Cup.

Monaco slumped to their sixth defeat in all competitions this season when they lost 2-0 at Saint Etienne, a worrying setback just days before they face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Jose Mourinho believes Manchester United have been found wanting for motivation in a difficult start to the season, but is expecting a big response from his side in Saturday's visit to West Ham.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claims the rise of social media is a significant threat to the fragile relationship between managers and players.

Hertha Berlin midfielder Ondrej Duda scored his fifth goal in as many league games on Friday as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich suffered a shock 2-0 away defeat.

Monaco slumped to their sixth defeat in all competitions this season when they lost 2-0 at Saint Etienne, a worrying setback just days before they face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

India retained the Asia Cup with a three-wicket win off the last ball against a fighting Bangladesh who were anchored by a maiden hundred from opener Liton Das in Dubai on Friday.

Shareef O'Neal, son of former NBA great Shaquille O'Neal, will have heart surgery, putting his promising college basketball career on hold.

Cleveland center Tristan Thompson insists the Cavaliers are still the team to beat in the NBA Eastern Conference, despite the departure of superstar LeBron James.

Europe and the United States teed off in the 42nd edition of the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on Friday.

Tommy Fleetwood said that "nothing" can get you ready to play in the Ryder Cup, after starring on his first day in the competition as Europe whitewashed the foursomes to lead the USA 5-3.

Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed will renew their rivalry with Europe's star Ryder Cup pairing Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari in Saturday's morning fourballs as the United States look to recover from a 5-3 deficit.

Toulon head to Top 14 leaders Clermont on Saturday seeking just a second victory in Auvergne in more than 80 years of rivalry in a crunch match that could well set the tone for the season.

For the second straight season New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has the best-selling jersey in Major League Baseball.

In-form championship leader Lewis Hamilton bounced back to top the times ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in Friday's second practice for this weekend's Russian Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz drove for Renault in Friday's second practice at the Russian Grand Prix despite suffering from an irritating eye infection that left him listless with a sore throat.

Britain's former world number one Andy Murray had his hopes of a second ATP Shenzhen Open title dashed on Friday night as Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco won their quarter-final clash 6-4, 6-4.

Manchester City center-back Nicolas Otamendi was recalled to the Argentina squad on Friday but as expected, Lionel Messi was left out of the group due to play arch-rivals Brazil in Saudi Arabia.

United States Davis Cup captain Jim Courier has stepped down after eight years in the job following his country's semi-final defeat to Croatia, it was confirmed Friday.

Hearts boss Craig Levein labelled the decision to host both semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup on the same day at Hampden as a "madness", while Aberdeen have also derided the controversial scheduling as "appalling."

England wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor will miss the Women's World Twenty20 in the West Indies in November as she continues to manage her anxiety condition, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Friday.

Ryder Cup veterans Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter starred as Europe claimed a history-making foursomes whitewash in a stunning fightback to seize a 5-3 lead over the United States on Friday.

Rafael Nadal's coach Carlos Moya has indicated the world number one is targeting a return from injury next month at the Paris Masters.

As Paris women's fashion week heads into the final straight, we look at what we have learned so far from the catwalk collections:

Superstar designer Hedi Slimane declared that black is back Friday as he returned to the Paris catwalk after a two-year absence to revolutionise Celine.

The dramatic Senate testimony of university professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her, has sparked a surge in calls to abuse hotlines -- and a moment of reckoning for women confronting their own painful memories.

Former boxing champion Mike Tyson declared himself a "slumdog" Friday as he made his first trip to India.

Barbra Streisand is a loud and proud Democrat who has made no secret of her disdain for Donald Trump. Now, she's put that rage into a new song.

Superstar designer Hedi Slimane has revealed how he has been stricken by severe tinnitus as he makes his highly-anticipated return to Paris fashion week Friday at the helm of Celine.

He is just 90 centimeters (less than three feet) tall, but he packs muscles, power and swagger in a little frame: meet Microman, the smallest star in Mexican professional wrestling.

The revival of the American sitcom "Murphy Brown" premiered Thursday with a surprise cameo from none other than 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

He has spent half his life as the accused, but director Roman Polanski's next film will be called "J'accuse" (I accuse), its producers told AFP Thursday.

Outdoor sport is almost like a religion in Australia, with kids packing into cars each weekend bound for organised chaos at parks and ovals, while millions diligently follow rugby, football and cricket on TV or at stadiums.

Days after seven people died after taking a cocktail of drugs at an electronic music festival, their peers partied on at a sweaty Hanoi nightclub, hoping tragedy does not pull the plug on the nascent rave scene in the buttoned-up communist capital.

It's easier to lose a Nobel Prize than to win one.

Football's biggest stars burst onto the Paris fashion runway Thursday with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani popping up on T-shirts and satin bomber jackets by Indian designer Manish Arora.

David Beckham escaped prosecution over a speeding charge on Thursday after the football icon's lawyer, nicknamed "Mr Loophole", successfully raised a technicality.

They appear to be living the dream, walking the catwalks of Paris, New York and Milan in the most beautiful clothes money can buy.

South Africa's retired archbishop and anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu was hospitalised in Cape Town on Thursday for "a series of tests", his office said.

Actress Alyssa Milano, a leading voice in the #MeToo movement, threw her support Thursday behind the woman whose sexual assault allegations have thrown President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee's confirmation into doubt.

Though the great Mississippi bluesmen have passed away, blues music will survive and thrive because it always grabs the rawest human emotions, ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons told AFP.

Supporters staged a small rally outside London's Myanmar Embassy on Thursday for two Reuters journalists sentenced to seven years in jail after reporting on massacres in Rakhine state.

The widow of Nobel Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo on Wednesday made her first public appearance since leaving China more than two months ago, discreetly attending a panel discussion in New York.

US First Lady Melania Trump on Wednesday announced that she would visit Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt next week, kicking off her first major international solo trip to promote child welfare and education.

Queen Paola, mother of King Philippe of Belgium, was flown home Wednesday for hospital treatment after falling ill on a visit to Venice, royal officials said.

The luxury-loving wife of Malaysia's former prime minister was Wednesday questioned for almost 13 hours by investigators probing the multi-billion-dollar scandal that helped topple her husband's government.

French director Claude Lelouch has started shooting a sequel to his classic romance "A Man and a Woman" with the same actors, 52 years after the original was a box office smash.

The gesture is so mechanical few people even notice it.

Disgraced television icon Bill Cosby was handcuffed and taken into custody Tuesday to begin a minimum three-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a woman at his Philadelphia mansion 14 years ago.

Cher has a stately air as she receives a steady line of journalists in a West Hollywood hotel room with the studied equanimity of Catherine the Great addressing her subjects at the Winter Palace.

The World Health Organization on Friday announced it had revised its Ebola risk assessment in the Democratic Republic of Congo from high to "very high".

Dozens of nations with commercial fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean will grapple next week with a new finding that bigeye tuna, the backbone of a billion dollar business, is severely depleted and overfished.

A powerful earthquake hit central Indonesia on Friday, causing a tsunami that slammed into a city on Sulawesi island with officials saying the tremor had levelled "many" buildings.

When the stone slabs crashed into her butcher's shop window last week, Elisabeth Cure became the latest victim of "radical vegans" who are trying to force a change in eating habits in traditionally meat-loving France.

More than 300 hawksbill turtles have hatched on beaches in Singapore this month and been released into the sea, authorities said Friday, in a boost for the critically endangered creatures.

It's a far cry from those sponsored Facebook posts asking you to invest in a start-up's new digital watch or an unbreakable phone case.

Sweet Iraqi dates adorn tables in homes across the country, but the fruit tree and national symbol has come under threat from conflict and crippling drought.

It's easier to lose a Nobel Prize than to win one.

A large, very strong typhoon churned towards Japan Friday, with the weather agency warning the storm would rip through the nation over the weekend, bringing violent winds and torrential rain.

Set atop a mosque in the south of Jordan's capital, dozens of shimmering solar panels reflect a growing trend in the resource-poor desert kingdom as it tries combat its heavy reliance on imported energy.

An amputated 2018 Nobel season opens next week in Stockholm, without a Literature Prize for the first time in 70 years due to a #MeToo scandal.

Jeff Bezos backed Blue Origin space exploration project on Thursday landed a major deal to provide engines for a next-generation rocket being built by a major US launch services contractor.

In a remote corner of northwestern Spain, a small town has set itself the ultimate weight loss challenge: by early 2020, its residents must shed 100,000 kilos (220,500 pounds).

An Austrian fruit grower was handed a rare prison sentence Wednesday for having illegally spread an insecticide which led to the deaths of dozens of neighbouring bee colonies.

A critically endangered Sumatran tiger has died after being caught in a hunter's trap on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, an official said Wednesday.

It may have been a long time coming, but eco-fashion is no longer a hippie pipe dream.

A row is raging over Australia's warming-damaged Great Barrier Reef, with firms worried that scientists' apocalyptic warnings are scaring visitors out of the water.

Wetlands, among the world's most valuable and biodiverse ecosystems, are disappearing at alarming speed amid urbanisation and agriculture shifts, conservationists said Thursday, calling for urgent action to halt the erosion.

World leaders gathered in New York on Wednesday to try to breathe new life into the Paris global climate accord, amid backsliding from several nations over commitments made in the historic deal.

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is using his vast fortune, estimated at $51 billion, to spur action to address climate change -- and to tilt the US Congress toward Democratic control.

Reckless exploitation of the environment has taken over from drug trafficking as the top source of income for organised crime syndicates and armed groups, the international police agency Interpol said in a report Wednesday.

A beluga whale spotted in the River Thames estuary outside London --- far from its natural Arctic habitat -- is "swimming strongly and feeding normally", Britain's main animal protection charity said on Wednesday.

After more than a century of conflicting evidence, Anglo-French animosity and a H.G. Wells novella involving murder most fowl, scientists said Wednesday they have finally solved the riddle of the world's largest bird.

Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche is to bow out from the Mercedes-Benz maker's top job next year, with the veteran chief executive leaving a long list of problems for his Swedish successor to tackle.

A Japanese start-up is to send spacecraft to the moon in a deal signed with Elon Musk's SpaceX, the Tokyo-based firm said Wednesday.

The Dutch are proud of the way they have created a country by fighting back the ocean -- but when they started making their own earthquakes it proved a step too far.

In a village in Vietnam's "elephant kingdom", a vendor holds up a severed, dried tail dotted with coarse hairs she promises will bring good luck -– a grim new trade that is endangering the country's few remaining elephants.