Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump met briefly on Saturday in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral, the Ukrainian presidency announced, after the White House said Kyiv and Moscow were "very close to a deal".

"The meeting took place and is already over," Zelensky's spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov told journalists without elaborating.

It's one of Shakespeare's most existential questions "to be or not to be?" Now a group of globe-trotting Peruvian actors with Down syndrome are tackling it head-on, breaking down prejudice and barriers.

Cristina Leon, Jaime Cruz and Manuel Garcia are members of the eight-strong group currently performing William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" at the Barbican center in London this week until Sunday.

Diego Maradona was a "very difficult patient" who had to be coaxed into treatment, a surgeon told the trial Thursday of seven health professionals accused of criminal negligence over his death.

The Argentine football legend died on November 25, 2020 at age 60, while recovering at home from brain surgery for a blood clot.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has voted to establish the position of vice president, potentially paving the way for a successor to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Gaza's civil defense agency reported on Friday that the death toll from an Israeli air strike the day before on a house in the north of the Palestinian territory had risen to 23.

Swedish defense group Saab on Friday reported soaring quarterly earnings and record sales as European countries beef up their defense capacities amid geopolitical tensions and uncertainties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences on behalf of Israel following the death of Pope Francis.

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire overnight across the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir, officials said Friday, after the United Nations urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show "maximum restraint" following a deadly shooting in the region.

Hundreds of clerics from Syria's Druze minority on Friday are heading to Israel where they will conduct a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine, the second such visit since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Russia's Investigative Committee said Friday it had opened a criminal probe after an explosion set fire to a car in the Moscow region, with unconfirmed reports that a senior military figure was targeted.

The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it had opened a criminal case over "an explosion in a car in the town of Balashikha".