AFP news

Later on day five in Melbourne, men's defending champion Jannik Sinner and last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev will both be in action.

Israel's cabinet was expected to meet Thursday to approve a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, Israeli media reported, a day after mediators announced an agreement they hope will lead to a permanent end to the Gaza war.

Kho kho, a catch-me-if-you-can tag sport, has been played for more than 2,000 years across southern Asia but only saw its rules formalized in the early 20th century.

As Donald Trump's looming return to the White House promises to boost cryptocurrencies, a German stock exchange is on a mission to anchor them firmly in the staid world of traditional finance.

Analysts had forecast no change in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) from the 2.6 percent figure in November.

Tuesday's announcement in the United States, which also pertains to Russian technology, came as outgoing President Joe Biden wrapped up efforts to step up curbs on China, and after a months-long regulatory process.

Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera, erupted for a fifth time this year on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke four kilometers (2.5 miles) into the sky.

Millions of people are expected to attend the Kumbh Mela festival in northern India, a six-week-long Hindu celebration of prayer and bathing that began before dawn on Monday.

Chapo, 48, extends his Frelimo party's 50-year rule of the gas-rich African nation amid claims by opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane that the vote was rigged, which sparked unrest that an NGO says has left more than 300 dead.

The mega-project in northern Iraq will include plans to recover flared gas to boost the country's electricity production, they said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government was working "very hard" to confirm a report that Australian Oscar Jenkins had been killed.

The barrage came just one day after Kyiv said it had carried out its largest aerial attack of the war on Russian army factories and energy hubs hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

TikTok has become another battleground showcasing China-US tensions, with President Joe Biden's administration accusing the app of allowing Beijing to collect data and spy on users -- claims denied by China and TikTok's owner ByteDance.

The country logged more than 36.8 million tourist arrivals in 2024, topping 2019's record of nearly 32 million, according to estimates from the Japan National Tourism Organization.

The Russian military accused Kyiv of using US- and British-supplied missiles for one of the strikes and promised it would "not go unanswered".

The announcement, which also pertains to Russian technology, comes as outgoing President Joe Biden wraps up efforts to step up curbs on China, and after a months-long regulatory process.

After two years of a caretaker administration, Salam faces the difficult task of assembling a cabinet to pull the Mediterranean country out of an economic collapse.

This brings the death toll to 24 since August, when authorities began driving out clandestine miners at the site near Stilfontein, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, police Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told journalists at the scene.

Major US media groups are watching Trump's return with mounting concern as the Republican has called for networks broadcasting unfavorable material to be taken off the air or have their licenses stripped.

Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are responsible for six percent of EU greenhouse gas emissions, according to the European Commission, and account for over a quarter of road transport emissions in the bloc.

The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, confirmed to AFP that CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision will affect five percent of its workforce.

The annual figure was well below 2023 deliveries and less than half the 766 aircraft European rival Airbus brought to customers last year.

The White House said President Joe Biden was removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism in one of his last official acts before Donald Trump is sworn in next Monday.

Yoon, who faces charges of insurrection over his short-lived effort to impose martial law last month, said he would comply with investigators to avoid "bloodshed".

On board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida were Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience from Japan, which will also deploy a micro rover.

In a new code of conduct issued Monday, the hot drink behemoth that boasts 29,000 retail stores in 78 markets said it wanted "to ensure our spaces are prioritized for use by our customers."

Liverpool's charge towards the Premier League title was halted by stubborn Nottingham Forest in a 1-1 draw between the top two on Tuesday as Manchester City's resurgence came undone in a 2-2 draw at Brentford.

A huge federal probe was under way Tuesday into what caused the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, with millions in the city clamoring for answers.

The network, citing an unnamed official involved in planning the January 20 ceremony, said the three men will be seated together on the platform with prominent guests, including Trump cabinet nominees.