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How do you defend the indefensible? Beatrice Zavarro, a lawyer for Dominique Pelicot, who has admitted to charges of enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his then wife, knows she has an almost impossible task on her hands.

Yury Kozynets embraced his wife Alyona Gladkaya in front of the evacuation bus, just before it separated them, whisking her away from the under-fire Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.

EU countries on Friday gave a definitive green light to hefty additional tariffs on electric cars made in China, despite strong opposition led by Germany and fears it will spark a trade war with Beijing.

Malaysian hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng was hit with two charges on Friday, both connected to Singapore's jailed ex-transport minister S. Iswaran.

India's government has insisted that marital rape should be treated more leniently than other rape offences in an ongoing Supreme Court case brought by campaigners seeking to outlaw it.

South Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho, known for his early romances, presented a fresh, entertaining adaptation of a celebrated Dutch crime novel at the Busan International Film Festival this week, ahead of its theatrical release.

Hong Kong stocks resumed their China-fuelled rally Friday on a broadly positive day for Asian markets, while oil prices extended gains after soaring on fears over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Soon after sunrise on the Thai island of Phuket, a swordsman chants an incantation and slowly slides the first of three blades through the right cheek of the woman sitting calmly below him.

South Africa's Brad Binder clocked the fastest time in practice for the Japan MotoGP on Friday, with championship leader Jorge Martin finishing third.

Hong Kong stocks resumed their China-fuelled rally Friday on a broadly positive day for Asian markets while oil prices stabilised after soaring on fears about the Middle East crisis as investors await Israel's response to Iran's missile attack.

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on Friday cut off the main international road to Syria, after Israel said Hezbollah was transporting weapons through the tiny Mediterranean country's principal land border crossing.

India's government has asked the country's top court not to toughen criminal penalties against marital rape during an ongoing case brought by campaigners seeking to outlaw it.

World number one Jannik Sinner said Friday he was not in a "comfortable" situation as his doping case dragged on, but insisted he felt ready for his first match at the Shanghai Masters.

Brazilians go to the polls Sunday to elect mayors and councillors in more than 5,500 cities after a vitriolic, sometimes violent, campaign two years after presidential elections that polarized Latin America's biggest country.

Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba warned in his first policy speech Friday that "today's Ukraine could be tomorrow's East Asia" while also dubbing the country's low birth rate a "quiet emergency".

Portugal, the world's leading cork producer, is finding new uses for the material, from footwear to furniture, as demand for wine bottle stoppers wanes.

A spoon, some towel hooks, a piece of kettle and a plastic cap -- that's all you'll need to make a mixing deck if you have the technical and musical skills of DJ Boboss.

Experienced Fiji hooker Sam Matavesi has demanded "change" at his country's rugby union as he settles into life at French Top 14 club Lyon before heading to La Rochelle on Saturday.

Israel bombarded south Beirut at least 10 times late Thursday, Lebanese sources said, after it launched its deadliest strike on the occupied West Bank in decades.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would use nuclear weapons "without hesitation" if attacked by the South and ally the United States, state media reported Friday.

Workers removed felled trees and swept up shattered glass in southern Taiwan on Friday as Typhoon Krathon was downgraded to a tropical depression after killing two and injuring hundreds.

Bayern Munich travel to bogey side Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday looking to rebound having dropped points twice in the space of a week.

Reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid have started the season below their brilliant best and this week finally tumbled to a first defeat since January.

Oil prices stabilised Friday after soaring on fears about the Middle East crisis as investors await Israel's response to Iran's missile attack, while shares in Hong Kong resumed their rally on a mixed day for equity markets.

Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia finished fastest in a rain-interrupted first practice for the Japan MotoGP on Friday, with championship leader Jorge Martin behind him in second.

Former president Evo Morales, who has locked horns with Bolivia's current leader, is under investigation for allegedly raping a teenage girl when he was in power, the country's justice minister said Thursday.

Former Wallabies playmaker James O'Connor signed for New Zealand Super Rugby powerhouse Canterbury Crusaders Friday, with the club calling him "world-class".

Ipswich Town's Massimo Luongo was lured out of international retirement Friday to help new Australia coach Tony Popovic negotiate crucial World Cup qualifiers this month against China and Japan.

A former officer on trial over the brutal beating death of a Black motorist was found guilty of civil rights offenses Thursday in US federal court, while two others were convicted on charges of witness tampering.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set to lead Friday prayers and deliver a public sermon that could shed light on the Islamic republic's plans after a massive missile attack on enemy Israel.

An EU court will on Friday deliver its verdict in the case of former French footballer Lassana Diarra against FIFA, a potentially landmark decision which could shake up the football transfer system.

Afghanistan's Islamic State group is staging a growing number of bloody international attacks, presenting a rare but complicated opportunity for foreign cooperation with the Taliban government to counter the jihadists.