In a plea for peace, Pope Francis has kissed the shoes of Sudanese leaders.
The gesture came as the head of the Catholic Church pleaded with South Sudanese government officials and opposition leaders.
Pope Francis was meeting with President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar at a spiritual retreat at the Vatican.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
However a civil war broke out two years later, killing at least 400,000 and displacing millions.
Turkey to host Gaza meeting amid ceasefire concerns
Foreign ministers of some Muslim countries will meet in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and next steps there, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday, voicing concern over whether the ceasefire will continue.
Tanzania opposition says hundreds killed in vote protests
Tanzania's main opposition party said on Friday hundreds of people had been killed in protests over elections across the country this week, as the government said it was restoring order after "isolated incidents".
Turkey sentences 11 people to life in prison over ski resort hotel fire
A Turkish court sentenced 11 people to life in prison on Friday over a fire that killed 78 people at a ski resort in northwest Turkey's Bolu mountains in January, state media reported.
China sends its youngest astronaut to 'Heavenly Palace' space station
China's Shenzhou-21 space rocket and its crew including the youngest member of its astronaut corps blasted off on Friday atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, Chinese state media reported.
Israel launches more strikes on Gaza overnight, testing fragile truce
The Israeli military attacked the Gaza Strip for a third day on Thursday night, killing two people, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency said, in another test of a fragile ceasefire agreement.
The UAE has launched an urgent humanitarian mission to assist communities affected by Hurricane Melissa, which devastated parts of Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba.
Dubai’s public parking operator Parkin has announced the introduction of new paid parking zones in two key areas of the city.
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, looked at ways to advance cooperation with South Korea in key sectors during talks with President Lee Jae-myung in Gyeongju.
