WORLD

Fly-half Manie Libbok was named man of the match as South Africa opened the defence of their Rugby World Cup title with victory over Scotland on Sunday as Wales held out against a spirited Fiji comeback.

Suspended Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales said Sunday he will resign from his post because of the scandal caused by his kiss on the lips of a Women's World Cup player.

The toll from flooding that has ravaged villages in central Greece has risen to 15 people dead, rescue workers said Sunday.

Spain on Sunday sent 86 rescuers and eight search dogs to Morocco following the powerful earthquake that killed over 2,100 people, responding to a formal request for help from Rabat.

Chileans marching to commemorate the victims of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, 50 years after the coup d'etat that brought him to power, clashed with police Sunday and committed acts of arson in Santiago.

US President Joe Biden hailed closer ties with Vietnam on Sunday as the two countries struck a deal to deepen relations and cooperation on strategic supplies in the face of growing competition from China.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday told premier Li Qiang that he had "very strong concerns" about China's "interference" in democracy following the arrest of a parliamentary researcher for spying.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his G20 presidency to burnish his image at home and abroad as a steward of national power and prosperity, asserting India's place in the world ahead of general elections next year.

A Polish couple and their seven children, killed by Nazis during World War II for hiding Jews, will be beatified Sunday, the first time an entire family is given one of Catholicism's highest honours.

World leaders walked barefoot through puddles Sunday to pay their respects to revered Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, after monsoon downpours dampened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's set-piece G20 programme.

Moroccans on Sunday mourned the victims of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people, as rescue teams raced to find survivors trapped in the rubble of flattened villages.

The 6.8-magnitude quake struck late Friday in a mountainous area 72 kilometres southwest of the tourist city of Marrakesh, the US Geological Survey reported.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is tightening the budgetary screws to show that Rome can balance its books, even if it means delaying electoral promises.

Niger's coup leaders have accused France of gathering forces, war materials and equipment in several neighbouring West African countries with a view to "military intervention".

US President Joe Biden will use a visit to Hanoi to boost his image as a unifier by saluting the memory of John McCain -- Vietnam War hero, Republican stalwart, and serial antagonist of Donald Trump.

Leaders and diplomats the world over expressed condolences and offered their support for Morocco Saturday after a devastating earthquake struck the mountains southwest of Marrakesh.

Lahcen sits in the corner of the village dispensary in Moulay Brahim in Morocco's High Atlas mountains.

The beatification of a Polish family who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust has given the government in Warsaw a chance to promote a one-sided narrative about attitudes of Poles in the war, experts have said.

Hafida Sahraouia surveyed the rubble after an earthquake ripped through the historic Jewish quarter, part of the old city in Morocco's tourist centre of Marrakesh.

UK police on Saturday arrested a terror suspect who escaped from a London prison earlier this week, sparking a nationwide manhunt.

Voters went to polls in the Maldives on Saturday with incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih facing a tough re-election bid in the Indian Ocean nation of coral atolls.

The 6.8-magnitude quake struck 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT), the US Geological Survey reported.

The African Union joined the Group of 20 leading economies at its summit on Saturday, giving the continent more of a voice on the global stage, with host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying it turned the often divided bloc into the "people's G20".

Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the once-feared Zulu nationalist and historic leader of Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) which presided over South Africa's deadliest violence ahead of the first all-race elections, died Saturday aged 95, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced.

A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake reportedly killed at least 34 people in Morocco on Friday night, causing damage to buildings and sending panicking people into the streets in Marrakesh.

Disinformation about deadly wildfires in the United States and Canada has run rampant across social media, with posts falsely blaming coordinated arson, lasers -- and plans to develop "smart cities."

Three soldiers in Burkina Faso have been arrested and charged with plotting against the ruling junta, the country's military prosecutor said on Friday.

A guided tour is seeking to demystify the so-called "Hitler balcony" in Vienna after the notorious landmark appeared in a video promoting Austria's far-right party.

Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema will begin an official visit to China on Sunday, as the heavily indebted African nation works to secure financial relief after a restructuring agreement reached in June.