Iran has insisted the Oman-mediated talks will be centred solely on its nuclear programme, though the United States also wants to discuss Tehran's backing for militant groups in the region and its ballistic missile programme. The talks are the firs...

FRANCE 24 Tehran correspondent Reza Sayah talks about the likely sticking points in the fresh round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran in Oman Friday – the first since the US joined in Israel's bombing campaign of Iran last June during...

Trudging through snow, a young Finnish conscript carefully draws a thin blue wire between two pine trees. The other end is attached to a hidden mine some 20 metres (65 feet) away. "We are in the process of figuring out what's the most effective way...

The head of state has said he will "express solidarity and offer strength" after gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at the beach on December 14, killing 15 people. Herzog's four-day trip has been welcomed by many Jewish Australians...

She and some 20 other girls are participating in an inaugural Surf Academy which requires they enrol in school, incentivised by the chance to shred waves. Nearly all come from the little community of Xataxely, a fishing village of narrow walkways t...

Austin Reaves, again coming off the bench in his second game back from a 19-game injury absence, scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, drilling a pair of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lakers their first lead of the game early i...

The general mood is upbeat but the place, at full capacity, is a testament to financial hardships plaguing an ever-increasing number of Russia's elderly people, struggling to make ends meet as the country's war economy stutters. Nina, a 77-year-old...

For the first three years of primary school, 10-year-old Tasja had been taught in Russian. Then, in the fourth grade, classes began in Estonian, which has a reputation for being one of the world's most difficult languages. "Mum, I don't understand...

Once a symbol of cooperation, the "Friendship Bridge" connecting the two snow-covered banks has been reinforced with rows of razor wire and "dragon's teeth" anti-tank obstacles on the Estonian side. "The name is kind of ironic," Eerik Purgel, the r...

Current finance chief Kenta Kon will take over from chief executive Koji Sato on April 1 after three years in charge, the firm said. "This change in roles is intended to accelerate management decision-making in response to changes in the internal a...

France made a statement to the rest of the rugby world with a 36-14 victory over Ireland in their opening match of the Six Nations tournament on Thursday. The reigning champions led 29-0 at one point in a game where they also secured a bonus point. ...

The 2021 champions are title contenders at the tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on Saturday, but it has been a horror build-up. They capitulated to Pakistan in Lahore by 22 runs, then 90 and lastly by a crushing 111 -- their heaviest-eve...

And having misfired of late, polls suggest that Japan's first woman Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi might manage to bring back the glory days with a thumping election win on Sunday. AFP looks at the history of the LDP, what it believes in and the rea...

The 35-year-old missed the entire Ashes series against England and has not played any cricket since November. Earlier this week, Cricket Australia said he would miss the initial stages of the tournament with Sean Abbott called up as cover. But on ...

Sixty-year-old Tony Mokbel -- a key figure in Melbourne's years-long gangland war -- was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate. But his case fell apart after it was revealed that his high-pro...