Party's over: China tells fans to end birthday blowouts for sport idols
Chinese officials have warned fans against holding big birthday celebrations in honour of national team athletes, saying they can be distracting and are a waste of resources.
Politics
Beleaguered British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attempt a reset on Monday, as he faces a growing threat to his leadership following disastrous local and regional polls.
Sports
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, with the expansion of the field offering opportunities to several debutants -- but will FIFA's determination to have more nations participating remove much of the jeopardy which helped make the competition so great?
Economy
Before he opened fire on the Florida State University campus last year, killing two people and wounding six others, Phoenix Ikner had a conversation.
Things to know
Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Top Gun have all premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the last decade. But in 2026, not a single Hollywood blockbuster is programmed there, raising questions about why US studios are ghosting the event.
Boulevard
Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released early from prison on Monday, raising the prospect of a return to the spotlight for the political heavyweight.
Sports
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, who together have won four of the past five major titles, have impressed each other with their mental focus and golfing skills.
Things to know
Conflicts in the Middle East are increasing dangers for whales off South Africa by shifting sea traffic into their habitats and heightening the risks of collision, researchers told AFP.
Economy
After Tony Dunn lost his home in a California wildfire, he moved to mountainous North Carolina to avoid more climate disasters. But his neighborhood was devastated in a hurricane six years later -- and insurance costs are climbing.
Technology
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to take the stand Monday in Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, to explain emails that revealed how his company funded the ChatGPT creator's shift from philanthropic organization to for-profit AI giant.
Politics
Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium must be "taken out" before the US-Israeli war against Iran can be considered over, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told an American broadcaster Sunday.
Boulevard
The renovation of a long-closed Greek Orthodox school on an Istanbul island will be finished in September, although it does not yet have a licence to reopen, the patriarchate said Sunday.
Sports
Kristoffer Reitan, a PGA Tour rookie from Norway, won a back-nine shootout in Sunday's final round to seize his first PGA victory at the Truist Championship.
Sports
The New York Knicks, fueled by a stunning three-point barrage, powered past the Philadelphia 76ers 144-114 on Sunday and into the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
Sports
Hours after the death of his father, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick led the Catalan giants to a second straight La Liga title with a Clasico win over rivals Real Madrid and said it was a day he would "never" forget.
Sports
Australian Lucas Herbert captured his first LIV Golf title in wire-to-wire fashion on Sunday, holding off Spain's Sergio Garcia to win LIV Golf Virginia by four strokes.
Sports
Nolann Le Garrec scored 18 points to help guide La Rochelle to a nail-biting 26-24 victory over Racing 92 in Top 14 action on Sunday.
Sports
Paris Saint-Germain effectively wrapped up another Ligue 1 title on Sunday as a 1-0 win over Brest left them six points clear of nearest rivals Lens with two games remaining, with Luis Enrique's side also boasting a superior goal difference.
Politics
The UK and France will on Tuesday host a multinational meeting of defence ministers on military plans to restore trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the British government said.
Sports
Hansi Flick's Barcelona successfully retained their La Liga title, clinching victory on Sunday, after beating rivals Real Madrid 2-0 in the Clasico at Camp Nou.
Sports
Brandt Snedeker fired a five-under par 66 in Sunday's final round to win the PGA Tour Myrtle Beach Classic and snap an eight-year win drought.
Sports
Barcelona secured their 29th Spanish league title after beating Real Madrid 2-0 in the Clasico on Sunday.
Politics
US President Donald Trump on Sunday branded Iran's terms for ending the Middle East war "totally unacceptable," raising the likelihood of renewed conflict after weeks of negotiations.
Sports
AC Milan slumped into a full-blown crisis on Sunday after a 3-2 home defeat to Atalanta put their Champions League return at risk, while Como qualified for Europe for the first time.
Politics
Iranian authorities on Sunday released Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi on bail following growing alarm over her health and she has already been transferred to Tehran for medical treatment, her supporters said.
A complex day-long operation to repatriate occupants of a cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak neared completion late Sunday after 94 people of various nationalities were flown home from Spain's Canary Islands.
Sports
Arsenal are within touching distance of their first Premier League crown for 22 years after a VAR "earthquake" rocked the title race in their contentious 1-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.
Sports
The Washington Wizards, who had the worst record in the NBA this past season, won the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday to claim the top pick in next month's draft.
Economy
US President Donald Trump will press China's Xi Jinping on Iran when they meet in Beijing in coming days, but their "highly symbolic" superpower summit will focus on easing trade tensions, officials said Sunday.
Politics
Dozens of Nigerian fishermen are feared dead after a Chadian army attack against jihadists on Lake Chad, a civilian militia member and a union official told AFP on Sunday.
Politics
Iran responded to Washington's latest peace proposal on Sunday, while warning it would not hold back from retaliating against any new US strikes or permit more foreign warships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Sports
Rasikh Salam scrambled two runs off the final delivery from Raj Bawa as Royal Challengers Bengaluru returned to winning ways on Sunday with a nervy two-wicket defeat of Mumbai Indians.
Sports
World number two Jeeno Thitikul fired a three-under par 69 to hold off China's Yin Ruoning and win her second consecutive LPGA Mizuho Americas Open title by four strokes on Sunday.
Health
A plane carrying evacuees from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius landed in the Netherlands on Sunday, passengers disembarking in seemingly good health and spirits, an AFP reporter saw.
Politics
Poland's former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, wanted on several criminal charges in his home country, has fled Hungary to the United States, he confirmed on Sunday, following local media reports.
Sports
Mikel Arteta praised referee Chris Kavanagh and the VAR officials for their "brave" decision to disallow Callum Wilson's equaliser for a "clear foul" in the final seconds of Arsenal's contentious 1-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.
Dino Prizmic followed up knocking out Novak Djokovic from the Italian Open by beating France's Ugo Humbert 6-1, 7-5 on Sunday to reach the last 16 in Rome.
Sports
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen blasted the controversial decision to disallow Callum Wilson's stoppage-time goal in Sunday's 1-0 defeat against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Eurovision kicked off in Vienna on Sunday, with thousands of fans flocking to the city for events and music ahead of the song contest's grand final next weekend, with renewed calls for a boycott over Israel's participation.
Sports
Arsenal are on the brink of a first Premier League title in 22 years after surviving a hugely contentious finale to beat West Ham 1-0, while Aston Villa were held 2-2 at Burnley on Sunday.