China is the last major economy glued to a zero-Covid policy, crushing new outbreaks with snap lockdowns, forced quarantines and onerous travel curbs despite mounting public fatigue and damage to the economy. Authorities in several regions have imp...

The island nation completed a stunning innings and 39-run victory over captain Pat Cummins' Australia in Galle on Monday to end the two-match series level at 1-1. The result shook up the championship table with Sri Lanka climbing to third as the ra...

His doorbell rang, and when he opened the door no one was there. Instead, a cardboard box was waiting for him at the door in the dark. In that box he said was one of the most sacred artefacts ever stolen from the Catholic Church: the "Precious Bloo...

Salah Abdeslam, a 32-year-old Frenchman of Moroccan origin, was captured alive by police four months after the bloodbath at the Bataclan concert hall and other locations, the worst peace-time atrocity in modern French history. He was sentenced to l...

Koo Sze-yiu was arrested on February 4, the opening day of the Winter Olympics, after he had announced plans to protest outside Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong. The 75-year-old was formally charged the next day with "attempting to do or makin...

Illicit treasure hunters operate with near impunity in the country, stirring outrage among archaeologists over the theft of priceless national heritage that feeds a global black market. The government says it is working on measures to protect and...

China's rural banking sector has been hit hard by Beijing's efforts to rein in a property bubble and spiralling debt, in a financial crackdown that has had ripple effects across the world's second-largest economy. Four banks in Henan province froze...

"I understand the dissatisfaction of various sectors with the situation we are experiencing, caused by the effects of the pandemic and the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine," Laurentino Cortizo said in a statement. The price of gasoline for ...

This year's Pacific Islands Forum is the most important meeting in years, coming after a Covid-enforced hiatus and as low-lying tropical isles run out of time for climate action. But instead of a singular focus on the threat posed by rising sea lev...

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power" following widespread protests against him over the country's unprecedented economic crisis. The 73-year-old leader fled his official resid...

Abe was shot at close range on Friday while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara, days ahead of upper house elections that saw his ruling party strengthen its hold on power. The murder suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody an...

AFP Sport highlights five talking points from the Australia tour: Protests turn to party The sound of bat on ball and the home team posting a famous victory in the second Test put a smile back on the face of cricket-crazy Sri Lanka during the countr...

The 35-year-old will join on a two-year deal from Italian club Venezia, following stints in the United States, Spain and Turkey since he left United in 2015. "We're proud to be able to recruit a player like Nani to our club and believe he will be a...

Biles's attack of the twisties -- a condition meaning gymnasts lose the ability to orientate themselves in mid-air -- is perhaps the most abiding image of the Games. Since then, retired French football icon Thierry Henry and Irish rugby great Keith...

But ambassador Thomas Nides was talking about ensuring Palestinians have access to economic benefits such as 4G internet, not throwing American diplomatic muscle into reviving a peace process moribund since 2014. Biden's first Middle East tour sinc...