At least eight injured by suspected bomb blast in Lyon
A package blast on a pedestrian street in the heart of France's city of Lyon wounded at least eight people Friday (May 24), officials said, just two days ahead of the country's hotly contested European Parliament elections.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the blast an "attack" during a live Facebook interview, adding that no deaths had been reported "for the time being".
The area where the explosion occurred, on a narrow strip of land between the Saone and Rhone rivers in the historic centre of the southeast city, was evacuated and cordoned off by police, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
Indonesian presidential challenger appeals election loss
Indonesia's opposition candidate lodged an appeal Friday (May 24) over claims that he lost the presidential election due to widespread cheating, allegations that spawned deadly rioting in the capital Jakarta.
At least eight people were killed and hundreds were injured in two nights of street battles between police and protesters opposed to Joko Widodo being re-elected leader of the world's largest Muslim-majority country.
The level of violence in the capital had not been seen in years. Widodo's rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general with strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship that collapsed in 1998, has claimed that the April 17 poll was a fraud.
Trump appeals ruling allowing banks to hand his financial records to Congress
US President Donald Trump, three of his children and the Trump Organization on Friday (May 24) appealed a court order allowing Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp to hand their financial records over to Democratic lawmakers.
They are asking the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan to overrule US District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who on Wednesday refused to block the banks from responding to subpoenas issued last month by two US House of Representatives committees.
"We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorised investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations," Deutsche Bank spokeswoman Kerrie McHugh said in an emailed statement.
Merkel vows to work for 'orderly Brexit' after May leaves
Germany will keep working towards an "orderly" Brexit, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday (May 24), hours after British Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation.
Merkel said that she "of course respects the decision" of May, adding that they had always worked well together.
Merkel called Britain's looming departure from the European Union a "deep rupture" and said Berlin would "continue to make every effort to ensure that there is a good partnership with Great Britain, an orderly withdrawal and further good cooperation".
'Off the scale' excitement for fans as Spice Girls reunion opens
Fans from near and far got what they really really really wanted on Friday (May 24) night when the ultimate 1990s girl band, the Spice Girls, opened their long awaited reunion tour at last in Dublin.
"We have been fans for 20 years at least...but we have only been to see impersonators. This is our first time with the real live Spice Girls," said Erica Rozario, 32, from Toronto, in Baby Spice-esque pigtails and a Scary Spice leopard-skin top.
"Are we excited? We're off the scale!" The British pop group, which shot to global fame telling you what they "really really want" in their bouncy debut single Wannabe in 1996, announced their reunion tour last year.
