WORLD

Calling himself a "simple Buddhist monk" who usually didn't celebrate birthdays, the Dalai Lama marked his 90th on Sunday by praying for peace after China insisted it would have final say on who succeeded the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Sipping green tea in his garden of roses, ex-communist party official Nguyen Van Cuong says he is "jobless but happy" after Vietnam cut 80,000 state roles this week.

Over two years, Rebecca Atkins filed more than 250 job applications, and felt like every one was going into a gaping chasm -- one opened by the highest unemployment rate for recent college graduates in the United States in more than a decade.

Elon Musk, an ex-ally of US President Donald Trump, said Saturday he had launched a new political party in the United States to challenge what the tech billionaire described as the country's "one-party system."

US President Donald Trump hosts Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday to press the Israeli prime minister to end the war with Hamas in Gaza.

Turkey's competition authority has launched an investigation into Spotify for anti-competitive practices as a deputy minister demanded legal action over "provocative" playlists allegedly offensive to the president's wife and disrespectful of Islam.

Britain reestablished full diplomatic relations with Syria on Saturday, more than a decade after cutting ties, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy met the country's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Wimbledon top seed Jannik Sinner crushed Pedro Martinez to reach the last 16 without losing a set on Saturday while title rival Novak Djokovic targets his 100th victory at the tournament.

Rescue teams in Pakistan worked in searing heat and humidity on Saturday to recover residents trapped under the rubble of a building that collapsed, killing 16 people.

Russia's decision to formally recognise the Taliban government has been seen as an opening for a stronger economy by some Afghans, while others were sceptical that it would improve their lot.

Bosnian authorities on Friday dropped an arrest warrant against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik after he agreed to be questioned over accusations of making secessionist moves in the divided Balkan nation.

At least 13 people were dead after flash flooding hit south-central Texas early Friday, officials said, with more than 20 girls at a summer camp still unaccounted for.

British pop legends Oasis kicked off a hotly anticipated worldwide reunion tour in Cardiff on Friday, commencing an unlikely comeback few thought possible nearly 16 years after last performing together.

Mohamed Salah said the death of Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota in a car crash had left him "frightened" to return to the club as devastated fans swarmed to Anfield to pay their respects.

Hamas said Friday it was holding consultations with other Palestinian groups on a proposed truce with Israel, in a possible sign that it was preparing for negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire.

The Tour de France sets off Saturday with superstar Tadej Pogacar and his rival Jonas Vingegaard sharing top billing with the magnificent 3,338-kilometre route itself.

A five-storey building collapsed in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least seven people and injuring eight, officials said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for trapped victims.