The Olympic torch relay will not be run on public roads in Osaka city given rising virus cases, the Japanese region's governor said Friday, but a cancellation has not yet been decided. "We're sorry for torch relay runners... but we won't do the tor...

Former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is favoured to replace Neil Lennon as manager of deposed Scottish champions Celtic with talks at an advanced stage, according to media reports on Friday. The 43-year-old Englishman has held discussions with member...

Poet Amanda Gorman made her name with a call for unity within the United States, but the job of translating her work in Europe has sparked divisive debate. "To put our future first, we must first put our differences aside," the 23-year-old recited...

Myanmar's junta faced fresh international criticism Friday over the deaths of more than 40 children and the "forced disappearance" of hundreds of people in its crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The military's ruthless suppression of demonstratio...

France's defence minister said she would not allow the honour of French forces to be "sullied" on Thursday, two days after the UN said a French strike killed 19 civilians in Mali. Florence Parly travelled to the Sahel state's capital Bamako on Wed...

China's top football official urged teams to make the Communist Party proud and said that the sport in the country is at "a historical turning point", days after champions Jiangsu FC were kicked out. Chinese Football Association president Chen Xuyu...

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly has garnered some of Britain's highest honours for her work. But such recognition is in stark contrast to the treatment experienced by musicians post-Brexit, she says. Connolly called the government's failure to priorit...

A sleepy village in remote northern Thailand became a hub of activity this week when it received refugees fleeing Myanmar -- a sight that brought back vivid memories for its ethnic Karen residents. Hkara, 70, said she had spent roughly 30 years cri...

US First Lady Jill Biden pranked reporters and staff flying back from a trip with her on Thursday, disguising herself as a flight attendant to pass out ice cream bars for April Fool's. Staff, Secret Service and press were treated to dessert by a wo...

In blistering heat, several dozen volunteers are busy collecting plastic bottles, bags and polystyrene boxes as they launch a cleanup of the longest beach in Lagos. Nigeria's megacity of 20 million people produces between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes o...

Manchester City already have one hand on the Premier League trophy but the battle for the top four is likely to go down to the wire as a clutch of clubs seek to join Europe's elite next season. AFP Sport takes a look at the contenders as the 2020/2...

RB Leipzig hope to capitalise on the absence of Robert Lewandowski in a top-of-the-table clash against Bayern Munich, while title rivals Paris Saint-Germain and Lille face off in France and there's an all-Basque Copa del Rey final... almost a year l...

A packed train derailed in a tunnel in eastern Taiwan on Friday at the start of a long holiday weekend with authorities saying at least four passengers appeared to be dead and dozens of others were injured. President Tsai Ing-wen's office said she ...

World powers and Iran will meet by videoconference Friday to discuss the possible return of the United States to the Iran nuclear deal, in a development welcomed by Washington. Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom a...

Decades before the race to build a self-driving car became a multi-billion-dollar contest between tech giants such as Tesla and Google, a South Korean professor built an autonomous vehicle and test-drove it across the country -- only for his researc...