POLITICS & POLICY

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump to help secure a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday, accusing the Russian leader of not seriously wanting to negotiate an end to the war.

A Paris court on Tuesday handed French cinema icon Gerard Depardieu an 18-month suspended sentence after convicting him of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021.

Economic growth in Central Europe and the Balkans is expected to be strained this year by US President Donald Trump's tariff policies, Europe's development bank forecast Tuesday.

Ukraine said Tuesday that if Vladimir Putin skips talks in Turkey it would be a "clear sign" to the world the Russian leader is not serious about peace, and the West should reply with boosted military support to Kyiv.

"Like every other fund, we are questioning our exposure to the U.S. It would be fair to say that we've hit peak exposure and will be reducing over time," said John Pearce, chief investment officer of UniSuper, said.

Wang Dong hasn't worked for months and doesn't plan to, whiling away his days at a lakeside town as one of a growing number of young Chinese "retiring" in the countryside.

More than 350 figures from the cinema world including Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon condemned "genocide" in Gaza in an open letter published Monday on the eve of the Cannes Festival.

Millions of Filipinos braved long lines and soaring temperatures Monday to vote in a mid-term election largely defined by the explosive feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.

Donald Trump on Sunday defended plans to receive a new Air Force One as a gift, after reports he will accept a luxury Boeing jet from Qatar despite strict rules on presents for US presidents.

Pope Leo XIV called Monday for the release of jailed journalists and urged reporters against using words that fan hatred, as Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky invited him to the war-torn country.

Deep in the bowels of the UN headquarters, a pump sucks in huge amounts of water from the East River to help cool the complex with an old but energy-efficient mechanism.

Hamas said it would release a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire in the war-battered territory.

The glitz and glamour of the Cannes film festival returns to the French Riviera on Tuesday.

Newcastle took a huge step towards qualifying for the Champions League with a vital 2-0 victory over top-five rivals Chelsea, while Arsenal fought back from two goals down to rescue a valuable 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Sunday.

Albanians were voting Sunday to decide whether to give Prime Minister Edi Rama a fourth term or side with his longstanding rival in an election seen as crucial for the country's European Union ambitions.

Iran and the United States wrapped up nuclear talks in Oman on Sunday with no apparent breakthrough in a public standoff over enrichment, but with both sides confirming plans for future negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said that Kyiv would meet with Moscow for talks in Istanbul on May 15 but said that Russia must first commit to a 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday.

Pope Leo XIV will lead the Regina Coeli prayer from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on Sunday, in his second official public appearance since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church.

Biliana, an international student at New York's Columbia University, is studying for exams but fears being arrested by immigration police.

Leo XIV visited an Augustinian sanctuary near Rome Saturday in his first outing since being made pope, after telling cardinals he intended to follow his predecessor's path as pontiff, praising Francis's "complete dedication to service".

Pakistan has warned it will "not de-escalate" a spiralling conflict with India, and blamed New Delhi for bringing the two nuclear-armed neighbours closer to a full-blown war, with the death toll from days of violence crossing 50.

Israel would not be involved in food distribution under a US-led plan for the Gaza Strip but would provide "necessary military security", Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on Friday.

Coming into effect on July 1, the policy will ban advertisements for a wide range of food and drink products deemed unhealthy from appearing on Adelaide's buses, trains, and trams. The list includes chocolate, lollies, confectionery, desserts, ice creams, soft drinks, chips, and processed meats like ham.

Mohammad Naseem says his neighbours laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border.

Pope Leo XIV will celebrate mass Friday, the day after becoming the first US head of the Catholic Church, with the world watching for signs of what kind of pope he will be.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host a lavish World War II Victory Day parade in Moscow on Friday, an event the Kremlin hopes will rally patriotism at home and project strength abroad as its troops fight in Ukraine.

World leaders welcomed the election on Thursday of Robert Francis Prevost, who as Pope Leo XIV, becomes the first leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics from the United States.

US Catholics flocked to churches across the country in a celebratory mood to mark the "excitement" of the first-ever American pontiff following Thursday's election of Pope Leo, who worshippers hoped would bring back lapsed believers.

Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV on Thursday after cardinals from around the globe chose him as the first American leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.