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BBC news 2017-04-29

BBC News with David Austin.

President Trump has again warned that a major conflict could break out with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. He said he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute, but that would be very difficult to achieve. Mr. Trump praised his Chinese counterpart, saying he was trying very hard to put pressure on North Korea.

Pope Francis is visiting Egypt today to encourage dialogue between the Christian and Muslim faiths. He'll also be joining the leader of Coptic Christians, Pope Tawadros, of the church that was bombed in December.

The Venezuelan opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, has told the BBC that early general elections are the only way to put an end to the country's political crisis. He accused President Nicolas Maduro of inflicting salvage repression, and said he wouldn't be able to remain in power for much longer.

Trades unions in Brazil have called for a general strike on Friday, the first in more than twenty years. They are urging millions of workers to join the protest against President Michel Temer's efforts to reduce social security benefits and weaken labor laws.

The Taliban in Afghanistan say they've begun their spring offensive, saying they'll target foreign forces and their supporters. A week ago, they inflicted a heavy defeat on the Afghan army, killing more than a hundred and forty soldiers.

An index of press freedom around the world says it fell to a thirteen year low last year. The Freedom House Report attributed the decline to, what it said were, unprecedented threats to journalists and the media in some major democracies.

A five-thousand-year-old marble sculpture just twenty-two centimeters tall will be auctioned in New York on Friday, and is expected to fetch more than three million dollars. The Guennol Stargazer, an abstract idol, was an inspiration for 20th century sculptors like Modigliani and Henry Moore.

That's the latest BBC News.