Germans vote in elections threatening fresh blow to Merz
Germans began voting Sunday in two state elections where far-right and far-left gains could send new shock waves to Berlin and rock the government of embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
A sparkling century by Shai Hope ably supported by Justin Greaves had the West Indies 212-4 at stumps on Friday and clinging to the remote chance they can save the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch.
The Pentagon said Thursday it has endorsed the tripartite AUKUS security pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, which would involve Canberra's acquisition of at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines within 15 years.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts Russia's President Vladimir Putin at a summit on Friday, with defence and trade ties centre stage as New Delhi faces heavy US pressure to stop buying Moscow's oil.
Softbank CEO and AI investor Masayoshi Son said Friday that advanced artificial intelligence could surpass humans to the extent that "we become fish" and could even win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Rui Hachimura drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123-120 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday as LeBron James's incredible streak of double-digit scoring games ended.
England were dismissed for 334 in their first innings of the day-night second Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane on Friday with Joe Root unbeaten on 138.
A Hong Kong university ordered its student union to shut down after a message was posted on campus expressing condolences and urging justice for the victims of a major fire, according to a letter publicly shared on Friday.
Forward Raphinha's comeback from injury has helped Barcelona edge back towards their best form and helped the Catalans reclaim top spot in La Liga.
League leaders Bayern Munich travel to Stuttgart on Saturday, setting the scene for a battle between the Bundesliga's two in-form goal getters: Harry Kane and Deniz Undav.
Napoli have a chance to strike a blow against Juventus as the two great Serie A rivals face off on Sunday in another episode of Europe's tightest league title race.
Beleaguered Nice play Angers at home in Ligue 1 on Sunday, looking to end a dire run on the pitch and tensions between the team and supporters off it.
ChatGPT maker OpenAI and an Australian data centre operator have agreed to develop a multibillion-dollar AI centre in Sydney.
Heavy rains lashed Sri Lanka on Friday, hampering a major clean-up operation after severe flooding and landslides last week killed nearly 500 people, officials said.
Santosh Devi is proud to have brought light -- and hope -- to her hamlet in western India, taking up solar engineering through a programme for women like her whose husbands suffer chronic disease from mining work.
Cherished Christmas tradition for some, profoundly insulting for others, the Dutch character "Black Pete", a servant who helps Santa Claus distribute presents, has divided opinion in The Netherlands for decades.
The draw for the 2026 World Cup takes place in Washington on Friday, with Donald Trump set to play a prominent part in a star-studded ceremony that will mark out the path to glory for contenders at the first-ever 48-team finals.
New Zealand had the West Indies on the ropes at 107-4 chasing an unlikely 531 at tea on day four of the first Test in Christchurch on Friday, with only Shai Hope providing solid resistance.
Tewolde has fought multiple times for Eritrea, one of the most closed societies on Earth, and is now praying another war is not about to break out with neighbouring Ethiopia.
Carrying her sore-pocked daughter across her decaying field, Helene Mvubu says she is one of thousands to have fallen victim to the toxic waste defiling the Democratic Republic of Congo's mining capital.
Canadian Summer McIntosh clocked the second-fastest 400m freestyle swim in history on Thursday, touching in 3min 55.37sec to win at the US Open long course meeting in Austin, Texas.
Asian markets struggled into the weekend on Friday following a bland lead from Wall Street as a mixed bag of US data did little to move the needle on expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.
The scent of marzipan wafts through the air as confectioners from a century-old company in southern France prepare calissons, one of Provence's famed sweets made of candied melon and crushed almonds.
In the sun-scorched lands bordering Zimbabwe's largest wildlife sanctuary, Takesure Moyo pedals through his village each morning on a mission to help his community coexist with the elephants and predators that roam nearby.
Olympic swimming great Ian Thorpe on Friday joined the crew of supermaxi LawConnect in its bid to win a third consecutive Sydney-Hobart yacht race, with the Australian bracing for a mental and physical challenge.
As relentless harassment from Israeli settlers drove his brothers from their Bedouin community in the central occupied West Bank, Ahmed Kaabneh remained determined to stay on the land his family had lived on for generations.
New Zealand police have recovered a diamond-encrusted green Faberge egg after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it.
Liverpool travel to Leeds this weekend with mounting questions over whether Arne Slot can stop the rot, while in-form Aston Villa take aim at Premier League leaders Arsenal.
An ancient dam, pandas and ping-pong: French leader Emmanuel Macron concludes his fourth state visit to China on Friday, striking a more relaxed note after some tough discussions with his counterpart Xi Jinping the previous day on Ukraine and trade.
Donald Trump still seems unsure whether to call it soccer or football. But the US president's aim is truer when using the world's favorite sport to score diplomatic goals.
Lionel Messi will aim to crown his MLS revolution by leading Inter Miami to their first domestic championship on Saturday in a blockbuster season finale against the surging Vancouver Whitecaps.
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates told AFP on Thursday it is "tragic" that child deaths will increase worldwide for the first time this century because wealthy Western countries have slashed international aid.
When Bahara was four months pregnant, she went to a Kabul hospital to beg for an abortion. "We're not allowed," a doctor told her. "If someone finds out, we will all end up in prison."