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France are the World Cup holders, but a troubled build-up to their defence of the trophy means Les Bleus will go into Tuesday's opening game in Qatar against Australia with the spectre of 2002 hanging over them.

Facing calls to do more to resolve global crises, the world's French-speaking leaders met in Tunisia Sunday to discuss growing instability and popular discontent in Francophone Africa.

Ireland will go into Rugby World Cup year ranked number one in the world after edging Australia 13-10 at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

Equatorial Guinea went to the polls on Sunday, with President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo all-but certain of winning a record sixth term in a the West African country with next to no opposition.

Nepali voters cast their ballots for a new parliament Sunday in a contest dominated by public frustrations over the Himalayan republic's elderly political elite and anxiety over its teetering economy.

Turkey has launched a string of offensives in neighbouring Syria since 2016 targeting Kurdish militias, Islamic State group jihadists and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Kazakhstan on Sunday began voting in presidential elections expected to cement incumbent Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's grip on power, months after deadly unrest spurred a historic power shift in the Central Asian country.

Cristiano Ronaldo enters the World Cup under a cloud of controversy but his Portugal team-mate Ruben Neves believes the forward will have a "phenomenal" tournament.

Turkey announced early Sunday it had carried out air strikes against outlawed Kurdish militant bases across northern Syria and Iraq which it said were being used to launch "terrorist" attacks on its soil.

The World Cup kicks off with host nation Qatar facing Ecuador on Sunday as the month-long football showpiece finally gets under way after a tortuous 12-year build-up dogged by off-field controversies.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said Sunday that his country's first World Cup appearance in 64 years will put the nation on the global map and was "more than sport".

Vulnerable nations least responsible for planet-heating emissions have been battling for three decades to get wealthy polluters to pay for climate damages.

Rob Page will become the first man to lead Wales at a World Cup since 1958 on Monday -- when his side take on the United States -- after a remarkable rise from the lower tiers of English league football.

Michael J. Fox was awarded an honorary Oscar Saturday for his campaign to fund Parkinson's research since being diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease at the peak of his acting career.

When dozens of Syrian asylum seekers were stranded on the Greek-Turkish border in July, lawyer Evgenia Kouniaki never imagined taking on their case would lead to her quitting her NGO in protest at perceived government pressure.

Hundreds of fans from South Asia and South America greeted Neymar and his teammates as the Brazil squad landed in Qatar for their bid to secure a sixth World Cup.

King Charles I's execution vest and 20,000 human remains are among the objects that need to be packed up as the Museum of London makes a daunting £250 million ($260 million) move.

England kick off their World Cup campaign against Iran on Monday desperate to take the final step after twice falling just short of winning the country's first major trophy in more than half a century.

Syrian refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini, who almost drowned at sea fleeing her war-torn country before competing at two Olympics, hopes a new film about her life will help other displaced people.

Jordan Clarkson scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Utah Jazz thwarted Portland's furious comeback bid to beat the Trail Blazers 118-113 in a duel of the NBA's top Western Conference teams on Saturday.

An often fraught UN climate summit wrapped up on Sunday with sweeping agreement on how to tackle global warming and a "historic" deal to create a special fund to cover the damages suffered by vulnerable nations.

Rival blocs claimed on Sunday they had secured the support they needed to form a government after Malaysia's hotly contested poll saw no party emerge with a clear majority of parliamentary seats.

King Charles III next week hosts his first state visit as monarch, welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife to Buckingham Palace.

The West's attempts to persuade Ukraine to negotiate with Moscow, after a series of major military victories by Kiev, are "bizarre" and amount to asking for its capitulation, a key adviser to the Ukrainian presidency told AFP.

Trae Young scored 33 points and lofted a pass from midcourt to rookie AJ Griffin for the game-winning alley-oop layup at the buzzer in the Atlanta Hawks' 124-122 NBA overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.

The UN's COP27 climate summit approved on Sunday the creation of a special fund to cover the damages suffered by vulnerable nations battered by the impacts of global warming.

When Sophie Kim moved home to South Korea after 15 years in the United States, she couldn't find anywhere to buy kale for her green juice. So she found a farmer, then built an app to help others seek out top-quality produce.

Vulnerable nations least responsible for planet-heating emissions have been battling for three decades for wealthy polluters to cough up the cash for climate damages.

Donald Trump's notorious Twitter account was reinstated Saturday after the platform's new owner Elon Musk ran a poll in which a narrow majority of voters supported the move, days after the former US president announced another White House bid.

After another chaotic week of mass staff departures and policy reversals, Twitter's future seems highly uncertain, with users -- and everybody else -- increasingly asking one question: What would a world without the so-called bird app even look like?

Donald Trump's notorious Twitter account was reinstated Saturday after the platform's new owner Elon Musk ran a poll in which a narrow majority of voters supported the move, days after the former US president announced another White House bid.

Kazakhstan holds a snap presidential vote Sunday expected to cement incumbent Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's grip on power, months after deadly unrest spurred a historic power shift in the Central Asian country.