AFP news

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index jumped 10.23 percent, or 3,217.04 points, to end at 34,675.46, while the broader Topix index added 9.30 percent, or 207.06 points, to 2,434.21.

The three-day Porto Novo Mask Festival drew participants from across Benin as well as neighboring Togo and Burkina Faso.

Shan State in eastern Myanmar has been rocked by fighting since late June when the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) renewed an offensive against the military along a major trade highway to China.

TikTok Lite arrived in France and Spain -- the only EU countries where it is available -- in April this year. Users aged 18 and over can earn points to exchange for goods like vouchers or gift cards through the app's rewards program.

Croatia has been long renowned for its spectacular Adriatic coastline dotted with over a thousand islands and islets.

The Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists have been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 17 years.

The North, in turn, said Sunday that Putin had also offered "immediate humanitarian support" to aid its recovery efforts, to which Kim responded that he "could deeply feel the special emotion towards a genuine friend".

While there is plenty of optimism in certain regions of France, in particular in the north of the country where a "Battery Valley" is emerging, workers at parts suppliers elsewhere are pessimistic.

While diplomats worked to avert a feared conflagration, France's Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II said Sunday a regional military escalation must be avoided "at all costs", the French presidency said after they held a telephone call.

Masked anti-immigration demonstrators smashed several windows at a hotel that has been used to house asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday to claim a maiden Olympic title and become just the fifth player to complete a career Golden Slam.

These bring to at least 11 the number of schools in Gaza to be struck since July 6, killing around 150 people, based on a tally of tolls previously given by officials in the Hamas-run territory.

The latest rejection comes as Venezuela's opposition backed outside calls for the results of last week's disputed presidential vote to be published, as the Pope said Venezuelans must "seek the truth" and warned against further violence.

Ukraine has received its first batch of US-made F-16 fighter jets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, quickly adding that more are needed to beat back Russian forces.

All paths to the White House run through a handful of swing states, and Harris will kick off her five-day run Tuesday in the largest -- Pennsylvania -- as she builds momentum for her showdown with Republican Donald Trump on November 5.

Biles, widely considered the greatest gymnast in history, can end all debate if she triumphs in the balance beam and floor exercises at the Bercy Arena.

Debby grew rapidly into a Category One hurricane, the lowest on a five-stage scale, thanks to unusually warm Gulf of Mexico and is expected to slam into Florida's Big Bend region around mid-day Monday.

Analysts fear violence could surpass that seen on Sunday, when hundreds of thousands of protesters and government supporters countrywide battled each other with sticks and knives, and security forces opened fire with rifles.

The olive green mobile launchers were displayed during a special "transferring" ceremony in the capital Pyongyang on Sunday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

Just five thousandths of a second separated the American champion from Jamaica's Kishane Thompson -- a thrilling finish that was the event's closest in modern history.

French investigators have opened an inquiry after Jolly, who is openly gay, complained of cyberbullying following the performance, sources close to the case said Friday.

The comedy production "TERF" imagines the "Harry Potter" film actors staging an intervention with the British author about her view that biological sex is immutable.

The petroleum heavyweight pointed to a lift in output from the Permian Basin in the United States following the Pioneer deal, which has also put the company on track for higher capital spending this year.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened a "harsh punishment" for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which the group blamed on Israel, also vowing revenge.

Biden welcomed the families of the three US citizens and one US resident to the White House Thursday, just as the release was taking place in Ankara.

While it is important to stay on the cutting edge by investing in AI, the market wants financial engines of tech firms going strong to pay for it, according to analysts.

Demonstrations in Bangladesh after Friday prayers demanded justice for victims of nationwide unrest and police crackdown, after the release of protest leaders failed to quell public anger.

Myanmar military airstrikes hit a hospital in a city controlled by an ethnic minority armed group close to the China border killing 10 people, local media reported on Friday.

People screamed as flames leapt out of upper-floor windows of the five-storey mixed use building in Manila's Binondo district, a witness said.