POLITICS & POLICY

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday warned that Europe faced an existential threat from Russian aggression, calling on the continent to adopt a "credible" defence strategy less dependent on the United States.

Palestinians on Thursday mourned over people killed in Israeli bombardment of Rafah, the southern Gaza city where Israel says it is advancing plans for a ground invasion.

Portugal on Thursday marked 50 years since a military coup ended a decades-long dictatorship and 13 years of colonial wars in Africa, an anniversary that comes as a far-right party gains prominence.

Diving into the darkness of the Yangon River, Than Nyunt starts another murky sortie in his months-long mission to salvage a sunken ship using the power of the moon.

After fleeing famine in North Korea, Kim Cheol Ok laid low in China for decades -- until a doomed run for freedom got her sent back to her repressive homeland, her family says.

The US Supreme Court appeared divided Wednesday on whether Idaho's near-total ban on abortion conflicts with a federal law requiring hospitals to stabilize patients needing emergency care, in a case that carries potentially sweeping national consequences.

Increasingly confrontational pro-Palestinian rallies by students protesting the death toll from the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted across US college campuses Wednesday, triggering tense faceoffs with police in Texas and California.

Hundreds of Ukrainians crammed up against a closed passport office in Warsaw on Wednesday, furious over Kyiv's suspension of consular services for fighting-aged men in a bid to force them to return home and bolster troop numbers.

Israel said Wednesday the US Senate approval of $13 billion in military aid sent a "strong message" to its enemies, with strikes pummelling Gaza in its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The US Congress gave final approval to a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine late Tuesday, with President Joe Biden quickly vowing to sign the long-delayed bill and begin delivering fresh supplies this week to the war zone as Russia makes battlefield gains.

UK leader Rishi Sunak arrived in Warsaw on Tuesday for talks with Polish premier Donald Tusk and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg that will focus on Ukraine and wider European security.

Taiwan was shaken by dozens of earthquakes overnight and into Tuesday that left buildings swaying and some tilting, with the government saying they were aftershocks from a huge deadly quake that hit the island more than two weeks ago.

The Israel-Hamas war entered its 200th day on Tuesday with fears mounting of an Israeli invasion in the overcrowded south of Gaza amid calls for hostages to be freed.

An expected Israeli assault on Rafah has aid groups scrambling for ways to help the 1.5 million civilians sheltering in the south Gaza city but the uncertain timeline poses a logistical nightmare.

Twenty years ago it was Jose Mourinho. - Influenced by Jorge Jesus - Amorim has described Mourinho as his reference, but he admits Jesus -- now managing Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia -- marked him more than any other coach after he spent seven years under his stewardship.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday rejected accusations of a cover-up during their investigation into Chinese swimmers testing positive for a prescription heart drug and said they would take "whatever action necessary" in response to the allegations.

The unprecedented trial of Donald Trump moves to opening statements Monday, kickstarting weeks of embarrassing evidence centered on a porn star and alleged fraud that will overshadow the Republican presidential candidate's attempt to retake the White House.

The packed stadium shudders as thousands of orange-clad Dutch fans bounce around, chanting the name of their favourite player.

Jude Bellingham snatched Real Madrid a dramatic 3-2 Clasico win over champions Barcelona on Sunday with a "fundamental" goal to take them 11 points clear at the top of La Liga.

Israel carried out deadly strikes in Gaza, first responders in the war-battered Palestinian territory said on Sunday, as violence flared in the occupied West Bank.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenksy welcomed news that US lawmakers had passed a massive aid package Saturday, as Kyiv and Moscow denounced each other over the latest exchange of deadly air strikes.

Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives passed legislation Saturday to provide key aid to Ukraine and Israel, and bolster Taiwan while also threatening a ban on TikTok if it fails to divest from Beijing.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Palestinians to unite amid Israel's war in Gaza following hours-long talks with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul on Saturday, his office said.

Iran has dismissed as akin to child's play the reported Israeli retaliation for an unprecedented Iranian strike, as both sides on Saturday appeared to step back from wider conflict stemming from the war in Gaza.

A narrow winding road through an untamed forest has proven a blow to a decades-old Maoist rebellion that is one of India's longest and deadliest insurgencies.

Terrorists, mafia bosses -- and Donald Trump. "I got indicted more than Alphonse Capone," he proudly told a rally in October, referring to the murderous boss of a Prohibition-era crime gang.

A man set himself on fire Friday outside the courthouse where at almost the same moment, full jury selection was completed in the unprecedented criminal trial of Donald Trump.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that NATO must decide if it is Ukraine's ally and urged the defence alliance's members to accelerate weapons deliveries to help his struggling forces.

The limited nature of Israel's reported strike on Iran and the restrained immediate Iranian reaction shows both sides, in particular Tehran, are looking to de-escalate after weeks of tensions but the situation remains dangerously explosive, analysts say.