UN calls for US immigration 're-think' for World Cup

The US-Israel war on Iran has also loomed large over the tournament.

By Afp 3 hrs ago

Somalia backs referee after he is denied entry to US

Somalia defends award-winning referee Omar Artan after he was denied entry to the United States and prevented from becoming the first Somali official to officiate at a World Cup finals.

By Afp 13 hrs ago

Somali referee says World Cup 'dream' ruined

Somali referee Omar Artan said the "biggest dream of my life" had been ripped away after he was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup.

By Afp 12 hrs ago

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan suspended over sex abuse claims

A key governing body of the International Criminal Court on Monday suspended chief prosecutor Karim Khan as he faces sexual abuse allegations against a member of his office.

By Afp 1 day ago

Ma Ning: 'Card Master' referee representing success-starved China fans at World Cup

Chinese football fans left without a national team to support at the World Cup have turned to referee Ma Ning -- nicknamed "Card Master" as the country's representative for the tournament.

By Afp 1 day ago

Kenyans arrested protesting US Ebola centre

Several Kenyans were arrested on Tuesday in the latest protests against an Ebola quarantine centre being built for US citizens in a tourist town.

By Afp 1 day ago

Somalia backs referee's 'integrity', pledges 'unwavering support'

Somali reaffirmed "its unwavering support" for Artan, adding it "has full confidence in his integrity,

By Afp 1 day ago

Somali referee axed from World Cup after being denied entry to US

Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan has been dropped from officiating at the World Cup after being barred from entering the United States, FIFA said on Monday.

By Afp 1 day ago

Trump says in 'final throes' of reaching Middle East peace deal

President Trump says that negotiators were in the "final throes" of talks for a peace deal in the Middle East, after Iran and Israel halted fresh hostilities.

By Afp 1 day ago

Pentagon says Alibaba, Baidu and other tech firms aiding China's military

The US issued an updated list of Chinese companies that it believes are aiding the country's military -- including e-commerce giant Alibaba, Baidu and electric vehicle maker BYD.

By Afp 1 day ago

Business, unions unite against Swiss immigration cap push

Swiss business leaders and unions are mobilising ahead of a vote Sunday on capping immigration, which has triggered fears of dire impacts on employment and trade relations with the EU.

By Afp 1 day ago

Killing the mood: How smartphones are reducing birth rate

As governments around the world struggle with ways to reverse plunging birth rates, new US studies suggest they have ignored a key culprit the smartphone.

By Afp 1 day ago

'War or peace?': Iranians exhausted by prospect of renewed fighting

Residents of Tehran are anxious about the prospect of full-scale war resuming, following tit-for-tat strikes between arch-foes Iran and Israel that marked a threat to the fragile ceasefire thus far.

By Afp 1 day ago

Ederson to replace injured Wesley in Brazil World Cup squad

The Brazilian football federation (CBF) announced injured full-back Wesley will be replaced in the World Cup squad by midfielder Ederson.

By Afp 2 days ago

Yemen's Houthis declare 'total ban' on Israeli ships in Red Sea

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced a missile attack on Israel and declared a ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, raising the spectre of a return to major disruption on the key route.

By Afp 2 days ago

Perez re-elected at Real Madrid paving way for Mourinho return

Florentino Perez has been re-elected president of Real Madrid by an overwhelming majority, paving the way for Jose Mourinho to return as manager.

By Afp 2 days ago

Yamal available for Spain's World Cup opener after injury

Teenage Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and fellow winger Nico Williams will be available for Spain's World Cup opener against debutants Cape Verde on June 15

By Afp 2 days ago

Denmark's Eriksen 'doing well' after collapsing during friendly

Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark's friendly against Ukraine but was later able to walk off the field, five years after suffering a cardiac arrest during the Euros.

By Afp 2 days ago

Antonelli wins fifth straight in interrupted Monaco Grand Prix

Teenager Kimi Antonelli extended his lead in the drivers' world championship with a commanding and nerveless victory in a protracted, incident-hit Monaco Grand Prix

By Afp 2 days ago

Nigerian mega-highway faces down rising seas, protected forests

The rise in sea levels poses a major threat to Nigerian coastal areas, and several entire communities have already been swallowed up by th

By Afp 2 days ago

As climate shifts, malaria gains ground in southern Africa

In a remote South African village, Paulina Mhlongo sits in the yard as health workers in green protective gear move briskly through her home, soaking the walls with anti-mosquito insecticide.

By Afp 2 days ago

US says shot down Iran drones in fresh escalation

Tehran responded with a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday.

By Afp 3 days ago

Russian drone strikes kill two in Ukraine

The attacks wounded a 35-year-old man and damaged infrastructure, Ganzha said.

By Afp 3 days ago

Kosovo returns to polls as voter frustration grows

Polls opened on Sunday for another snap election in Kosovo, its third in just over a year, as voter frustration mounts at a grinding political gridlock in Europe's youngest country.

By Afp 3 days ago

'Joy, faith, love': giant crowd flocks to pope's Madrid mass

A jubilant crowd of Catholic faithful filled Madrid with chants, cheers and applause on Sunday as an open-air mass by Pope Leo XIV imbued the Spanish capital with religious fervour.

By Afp 3 days ago

Ethiopia's Tigray hit by deadly drone strike: dissident authority

"This strike caused loss of life, bodily injury, and property damage to members of the Tigray Army who were engaged in their daily routines," it said, without giving further details.

By Afp 4 days ago

Nigeria police order anti-cholera measures over northeast outbreak

Some 39 people have died from the waterborne disease across Borno in recent weeks, with at least 4,204 infected, according to the latest figures from local health authorities.

By Afp 4 days ago

US, Iran trade strikes despite visas for World Cup footballers

New attacks in the Middle East on Friday threatened to unravel an already fragile US-Iran ceasefire, even as American officials confirmed that Tehran's football players received visas.

By Afp 4 days ago

Pope visits polarised Spain with focus on migrants

Pope Leo XIV heads to Spain on Saturday for a visit focused on immigration and social justice at a politically turbulent time for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

By Afp 4 days ago

Iran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after renewed US strikes

Iran fired missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday, after renewed American strikes against it, drawing a furious response from the Gulf monarchies further undermining truce.

By Afp 4 days ago

In New York, waiting in line becomes a social scene

Not everyone in America's biggest city finds standing in line to be a chore. The power of social media trends means that for some, waiting for hours is an attraction in itself.

By Afp 4 days ago

Nearly 500 confirmed cases in Africa Ebola outbreak: WHO

Nearly 500 Ebola cases have now been confirmed in the deadly outbreak raging in Africa, a WHO overview showed Saturday, amid concern over swelling scale of the epidemic.

By Afp 4 days ago

Kenyans fearful and furious over US Ebola centre

There is anger at the neo-colonial overtones of Washington refusing to allow Ebola patients into its own territory, but happy to send them to Kenya.

By Afp 4 days ago

Iran leader says dealt enemies 'decisive blow' in MidEast war

Iran’s supreme leader says that the United States and Israel had suffered a “decisive blow” in the Middle East war, after the government reported “no tangible progress” in efforts to end the conflict.

By Afp 5 days ago

DR Congo's traditional healers on Ebola front line

In her garden, traditional healer Mariam Kabika looked for ingredients for a concoction to treat Ebola, a deadly virus spreading in the eastern DRC.

By Afp 5 days ago

Seven students kidnapped in Nigeria by criminal gang

Armed gangs are blamed for raiding remote villages, looting and razing homes and kidnapping people for ransom, especially in parts of northwestern and central Nigeria.

By Afp 6 days ago

Gunfire kills teen, wounds three after US graduation ceremony

Gun violence kills thousands of people every year in the United States, where a constitutional right to bear arms trumps demands for stricter rules.

By Afp 6 days ago

Somalia capital rocked by gunfire and fighting overnight

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud plunged Somalia into a fresh political crisis in mid-May after announcing a one-year extension of his term.

By Afp 6 days ago

Guardiola quit '100 times' before leaving, says Man City chairman

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has revealed Pep Guardiola was on the verge of quitting "100 times" before finally leaving at the end of this season.

By Afp 6 days ago

Sudan, DR Congo top world's most neglected crises: Norway aid group

Sudan, which since 2023 has been ravaged by a bloody conflict between two rival generals, has more than nine million internally displaced people, the Norwegian Refugee Council.

By Afp 6 days ago