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Russians headed to the polls on Sunday for a third and final day of tightly controlled parliamentary elections set to strengthen the Kremlin's grip on power, as Ukraine launched a barrage at the capital Moscow.

Myanmar's Wai Khin Hnin on Sunday became the first Asian Games gold medallist in teqball, an acrobatic football-table tennis hybrid making its debut at this year's event in Japan.

Newly-appointed England Test coach Stephen Fleming says it would be "wrong" to ask former captain Ben Stokes to reverse his international retirement before next year's Ashes.

China's 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi smashed the Asian Games record as she won gold in Japan on Sunday, two years out from the Los Angeles Olympics.

The first gold medal of the 20th Asian Games was won on Sunday by hosts Japan as 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi started in blistering form on the opening day of the multisports extravaganza.

Germans began voting Sunday in two state elections where far-right and far-left gains could send new shock waves to Berlin and rock the government of embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Russians headed to the polls on Sunday for a third and final day of tightly controlled parliamentary elections set to strengthen the Kremlin's grip on power, as the Ukraine war grinds through its fifth year.

The United States warned Saturday that hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthis could "escalate rapidly" after a missile attack targeted Riyadh for the first time since the Yemen conflict resumed.

Hong Kong officials and the public commemorated the city's first post-colonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, at his funeral on Sunday, AFP journalists saw.

Takumi Hojo got host nation Japan off to a perfect start when he won the first gold medal of the Asian Games on Sunday in the men's individual triathlon.

Warnings of a typhoon partly explained why the Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya took place in front of thousands of empty seats, organisers said Sunday.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry called the shipping container-style huts for Asian Games athletes "beautiful" on Sunday -- but conceded they were "a little tighter" than similar accommodation at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

China's 13-year-old prodigy Yu Zidi and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle cruised through their heats Sunday as swimming got under way on the opening day of the Asian Games.

The first gold medal of the 20th Asian Games was won on Sunday by host nation Japan as a 13-year-old swimmer from China started in blistering form on the opening day of the multisports extravaganza.

While AI researchers in the United States fret over out-of-control superintelligence wiping out humanity, Chinese policymakers have until now been more focused on immediate risks, from deepfakes to child safety.

A steady nerve is crucial when keeping watch over hundreds of data centres worldwide, facilities essential to the frictionless online banking, messaging and AI services that society relies on.

Tribal leader Petronila Munozwalked across the sweeping Philippine grasslands she has called home for generations, uncertain about its future, as a sprawling tech hub for a US-led initiative takes shape.

Pope Leo XIV is set to begin an official visit to France on September 25, with several thorny issues hanging over the trip, from clerical sexual abuse to the country's new assisted dying law.

Prudent yet conciliatory, Pope Leo XIV has gradually imprinted his style on the leadership of the Catholic Church, finding his voice as he takes on some of the world's most pressing issues, from bloody conflicts to artificial intelligence.

Papal trips mean vast crowds, high-level diplomatic meetings and a formidable amount of behind-the-scenes preparation, from delicately balanced agendas to complex security protection for the head of the Catholic Church.

Pop star Ed Sheeran said Saturday the situation in Gaza is "unjustifiable," following a wave of criticism that he had failed to back his opening act who was booted from their tour after making pro-Palestinian comments.

He's unpopular, his war is going badly and the US economy is strained. But on the campaign trail, Donald Trump says he has found an issue to help Republicans salvage their midterm election hopes: the transgender rights row.

It took years for Tenzing Norgay to secure his place in history as the man who, alongside New Zealander Edmund Hillary, first reached the summit of Mount Everest.

German voters go to the polls Sunday in two state elections where far-right and far-left gains could send new shock waves to Berlin and rock the government of embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Chanting protesters greeted concertgoers Saturday in Philadelphia ahead of pop superstar Ed Sheeran's first show since his tour plunged into turmoil ignited by his opening act's pro-Palestinian comments.

Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile, withdrew her candidacy for the position of United Nations secretary-general on Saturday, weeks after a straw poll showed her in second to last place among eight candidates.

Reigning Top 14 champions Toulouse squeezed past lowly Vannes 29-23 on Saturday, while seven-try Lyon took top spot with an emphatic win against Pau.

Raphinha scored a superb hat-trick to earn Barcelona a 3-1 win at Sevilla on Saturday in La Liga and preserve their 100 percent record.

Two Germans were arrested Saturday after they stuck two paintings on a wall of the hall that hosts the Mona Lisa in Paris's Louvre museum, police sources said.

Belgian star Nafissatou Thiam made a victorious return in her first completed heptathlon since clinching her third Olympic title in Paris two years ago at the Decastar meet in France on Saturday.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said Saturday that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn, after a fire broke out near the Saudi capital's international airport.

Jiri Lehecka downed Learner Tien in a deciding rubber as the Czech Republic stunned the United States 3-2 in Davis Cup qualifying for a second straight year, while South Korea reached the last eight for the first time on Saturday.