WORLD

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have flocked to the Saudi holy city of Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage unfolding this year in the shadow of the Gaza war.

After the roar of Israeli warplanes terrified her baby grandson, Umm Hassan's family sought solace on a south Lebanon beach, hoping to escape the escalating cross-border violence.

Mexican president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that investors had nothing to fear from proposed judicial reforms that have rattled confidence in Latin America's second-largest economy.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg is to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Wednesday amid tensions between the central European country and the defence alliance over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

French singer Francoise Hardy, whose crystalline voice and melancholy lyrics shot her to international stardom in the 1960s, has died at the age of 80, according to her son.

The Hong Kong government said Wednesday it has cancelled the passports of six democracy activists who fled to the United Kingdom, calling them "lawless wanted criminals".

Erik ten Hag is set to remain as manager of Manchester United following a post-season performance review by club chiefs, British media reports said Tuesday.

Norway's Karsten Warholm fired out a broadside at Olympic contenders in the run-in to the Paris Games by winning a third successive European title in Rome on Tuesday as a galaxy of global stars showcased some scintillating form.

Violence against children in armed conflicts reached "extreme levels" in 2023, particularly in Gaza and Sudan, according to a forthcoming UN report obtained by AFP on Tuesday.

Ahead of the first summit on peace in Ukraine, Kyiv said Tuesday it wanted Russia to attend a second summit, to receive an internationally agreed roadmap towards ending the conflict.

A new government was formed in Haiti on Tuesday, tasked with restoring security and stability in the Caribbean nation that is ravaged by gang violence and political chaos.

The decision by the U.S. to lift the ban on the Azov Brigade comes after a failed plea deal between Hunter Biden and prosecutors last year, which had highlighted the political sensitivity of U.S. support for Ukraine.

A group of exiled Kremlin critics on Tuesday urged EU countries to do more to welcome Russians fleeing Vladimir Putin's regime, arguing that a shortage of skilled workers would deal a blow to the country's war-time economy.

The World Bank raised its global growth outlook on Tuesday on the back of resilient consumer spending in the United States, but warned that growth remains weak by historical standards.

Performers strutted their stuff onstage at an LGBTQ community dance party in Nigeria's Lagos, publicly celebrating their identities in a country where being gay could land you in jail.

Four American instructors in China were stabbed in broad daylight while visiting a park.

Zelensky, who is also due to address the German parliament, will join the heads of the G7 developed nations later this week in Italy.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will promise voters "financial security" and tax cuts when he unveils his Conservative party manifesto on Tuesday, following a disastrous week that even led to rumours he might quit.

When Hong Kong author Kay So left her home city in 2020, she had in her luggage two short stories she had written about the huge, at times violent democracy protests that upended the city in 2019.

Struggling French tech group Atos, an Olympics partner and key French defence contractor, said Tuesday it had chosen a takeover offer by a consortium led by its top shareholder Onepoint.

An elephant in Thailand has delivered a rare set of twins in a dramatic birth that left a carer injured after he tried to rescue one of the newborns.

Italy's rabble-rousing Matteo Salvini has failed to win back mass support from far-right voters in the European Parliament elections after an erratic campaign marked by a reactionary general and poor-quality AI. Deputy Prime Minister Salvini's anti-immigrant League, a junior member in the coalition government, won just nine percent, with over 99.5 percent of the vote counted Monday morning.

The resolution -- passed with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining -- "welcomes" the truce and hostage release proposal announced on May 31 by President Joe Biden, and urges "parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition." The resolution says Israel has accepted the truce plan, and "calls upon Hamas to also accept it."

South Korean troops fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border this week, Seoul's military said Tuesday, with tensions high over Pyongyang's trash-carrying balloons and the South's retaliatory loudspeaker campaign.

The Baltimore shipping lane blocked for more than two months after a cargo ship collided with a major bridge in March, sending it crashing into the water, fully reopened on Monday, authorities said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to unveil his Conservative party manifesto on Tuesday, promising voters "financial security" ahead of the general election as the Tories lag far behind Labour in polls.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with key Israeli opposition figures on Tuesday, a day after he arrived in the country to push a ceasefire plan for the war in Gaza.

Jordan hosts a summit Tuesday on the urgent humanitarian response for Palestinians enduring more than eight months of devastating war in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of looming famine.

Montreal-area resident Zachary Siciliani discovered recently that his car had simply disappeared -- likely in one of a rash of vehicle thefts in Canada.