World datelines

Afghanistan

PANJWAYI — Violence flared Friday across southern Afghanistan, with seven suspected insurgents killed and a U.S.-coalition soldier wounded in one clash, the American military said. A rocket also struck near Canadian troops but caused no casualties.

Azerbaijan

BAKU — Authorities cut off broadcasts from Azerbaijan's first independent TV station on Friday and ordered the eviction of opposition newspapers and organizations from their offices in the capital. Government opponents called the moves part of a campaign to silence dissent.

Chile

SANTIAGO — A twin-engine plane crashed Friday in southern Chile, killing the Chilean pilot and five Brazilian tourists, authorities reported. The midafternoon crash occurred near Coihaique, about 1,300 miles south of Santiago, the government's emergency bureau said.

Congo

KINSHASA — The United Nations said Friday its investigators have discovered three mass graves at a northeast Congo military camp containing the bodies of 30 people — including women and children — who were allegedly killed by soldiers. The dead were found at the camp in eastern Ituri.

Fiji

SUVA — Fiji's military commander warned foreigners Friday to stay out of the Pacific country's affairs after Australia's foreign minister accused him of plotting a coup. Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, meanwhile, is seeking talks with the military chief to suggest the Supreme Court resolve a long-running dispute between the military and the government.

France

PARIS — Philippe Noiret, a beloved French actor featured in the popular "Il Postino" ("The Postman"), died Thursday, the Culture Ministry said. He was 76. The exact circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately known. Friends said he had been battling cancer. Noiret was among the most familiar faces in French cinema, making more than 125 movies in a career that spanned more than half a century.

PARIS — Rwanda has decided to break diplomatic ties with France after a French judge issued international arrest warrants for nine ranking Rwandans suspected of plotting the 1994 assassination of the African nation's president, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. The decision to break relations takes effect Monday, a ministry statement said.