BBC News.

A close ally of President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela has condemned a Supreme Court ruling that stripped the opposition-controlled National Assembly of its powers. The country's Attorney General Luisa Ortega said the move ruptured the constitutional order. On Wednesday the court took over legislative powers from the Assembly after declaring it in contempt.

South Africa's new cabinet ministers have been sworn in following a reshuffle that provoked serious dissent in the governing African National Congress Party. There's particular anger over the sacking of the widely respected Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

The European Union has published draft guidelines for negotiating Britain's departure, ruling out trade talks before outstanding issues were cleared up. Speaking in Mota, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk made citizens' rights the top priority. He said talks would be complex, tough and sometimes confrontational.

The latest round of Syrian peace talks has ended in Geneva without any significant breakthrough. At the final separate press conferences, the government and opposition delegations insulted each other. But a UN envoy insisted that in private both sides had engaged seriously with the issues.

The Turkish army said it will maintain their military presence in Syria despite officially ending its offensive against Islamic State militants in the north. In a statement, it said its continued activities inside Syria would ensure Turkey's national security and the region's stability.

An opposition politician in Ivory Coast has been sentenced to 6 months in prison after accusing the president of coming from neighboring Burkina Faso. Ivory Coast long-running crisis was provoked in part by efforts to disqualify President Ouattara from political life on the grounds that his ties to Burkina Faso meant he wasn't a true Ivorian.

BBC News.