Journal du Club des Cordeliers - News from Marseille, the political, economic and cultural centre of southern France and the whole world

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan accused his successor Friday of involvement in a plot to kill him as he recovered in hospital from gunshot wounds following an assassination attempt.

Donald Trump is planning to ride a wave of Republican victories in next week's midterm elections by announcing a run for the presidency, US media reported Friday, as Democrats braced for a punishing night even in the most liberal corners of America.

England coach Eddie Jones lauded Owen Farrell's "unbelievable desire" to win after restoring the centre to the captaincy for Sunday's match against Argentina at Twickenham.

Michael Cheika says juggling two high-profile jobs as head coach of Argentina's rugby union team and Lebanon's rugby league side has been "pretty seamless" as he gears up for two huge matches within 48 hours.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held talks with human rights lawyers critical of the regime in Beijing ahead of a controversial trip to China on Friday, a source in his entourage told AFP.

US job gains topped expectations in October, official data showed Friday, as hiring remained resilient and wages moved ever higher even as unemployment edged up, underscoring the challenges in lowering rampant inflation.

Moscow was pushing ahead Friday with a civilian pullout from the Russian-occupied Kherson region amid a mounting Ukrainian counter-offensive, with President Vladimir Putin saying residents must be "removed" from danger zones.

Pope Francis warned the world is on the edge of a "delicate precipice" and buffeted by "winds of war" as he held inter-faith talks with one of Sunni Islam's top leaders in Bahrain on Friday.

All-rounder Mohammad Nabi quit as captain of Afghanistan's Twenty20 team on Friday, barely an hour after their winless World Cup campaign ended with a loss to Australia in Adelaide.

Thousands of Twitter employees were ordered to stay home Friday to await a bracing round of layoffs that could see half of the payroll axed as new owner Elon Musk launches his major overhaul of the company.

Brazilian police said Friday they have nearly finished clearing hundreds of roadblocks by supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who have been protesting since his election loss to veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

FIFA has called on teams at the World Cup in Qatar to "focus on football" and stop "handing out moral lessons" in a message that received a sharp rebuke from Amnesty International.

Fiji laid down a marker with a 59-12 demolition of Japan on the opening day of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, coming back from the scare of conceding the first try.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez says he understands Gerard Pique's decision to retire halfway through the season, because the 35-year-old defender doesn't feel as "important or useful" to the team as before.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Chinese leaders in Beijing on Friday that Berlin expected equal treatment on trade as he tried to drum up greater economic cooperation despite growing distrust of the Asian superpower in the West.

The Dutch government has banned British conspiracy theorist David Icke from the Netherlands and the entire Schengen area of the European Union for two years over fears his presence could "disturb public order".

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday dismissed a pledge from US leader Joe Biden to "free Iran" as the clerical regime faced a new upsurge in protests seven weeks into the anti-regime movement.

Conor Murray admits he does not "really like the attention" he receives due to his stellar exploits for Ireland and Munster but on Saturday the scrum-half will have to grin and bear it as he leads the team out for his 100th cap.

Tigrayan authorities on Friday accused Ethiopia's government of carrying out a drone strike on civilians, less than 48 hours after the warring parties signed a deal to end their bloody conflict.

Eddie Howe revealed on Friday that he walked into a Newcastle dressing room that "wanted help" when he launched his rescue mission as he prepares to mark 12 months in charge at St James' Park.

Glenn Maxwell hit an unbeaten half-century to keep Australia in the hunt for the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup with a tense four-run win over Afghanistan on Friday.

Wales fly-half Dan Biggar has joined French side Toulon from English Premiership outfit Northampton with immediate effect, the Top 14 club announced on Friday.

More than 200 elephants and hundreds of zebras and gnus have died in Kenya's worst drought in four decades, the country's tourism minister said on Friday.

England football fans flying to the World Cup in Qatar face delays and cancellations after staff at Heathrow Airport on Friday announced a three-day strike in a dispute over pay.

Owen Farrell has been restored to the England captaincy for Sunday's match against Argentina at Twickenham.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was on Friday cleared of misconduct following an official inquiry after a leaked video showed the 36-year-old partying last August.

The European Union has approved a preventative treatment for the very common virus that causes the chest infection bronchiolitis in infants, the companies that developed the drug said Friday.

Australia captain James Slipper said on Friday his side will face world rugby's "form" team in France in Paris this weekend.

From the rubble inside Kupiansk town hall, Olena salvages a chair, a screen: little was left when the Russians withdrew from this northeastern Ukrainian town, fuelling widespread allegations of systematic looting.

On the count of three, Polish soldiers use long spears to lift razor wire and attach it to posts at the Russian border, in a bid to prevent illegal crossings.

Stock markets and oil prices rallied Friday on hopes China would roll back some of its economically-painful policies surrounding Covid.

Wales fly-half Dan Biggar has joined French side Toulon for the rest of the season, the Top 14 club announced on Friday.