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The Auckland Blues overcame a nervous start and the Waikato Chiefs delivered a lesson in clinical finishing as both New Zealand teams emphatically booked Super Rugby Pacific semi-final berths on Saturday.

At the gates of the Black Sea, trade is in full swing as freighters and oil tankers sail from the heart of Istanbul to Russian and Ukrainian ports.

Rafael Nadal will become the oldest man to win the French Open title if he defeats Casper Ruud, the Norwegian whose clay court talents he has personally helped foster.

A dozen South Africans dressed as mermaids and mermen frolic in a Johannesburg pool, mimicking the movement of the mystical sea creatures.

Belgium's King Philippe on Tuesday begins a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region cruelly exploited by his ancestors, as tensions rise in the volatile east.

Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed its first batch of hajj pilgrims since before the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to sharply restrict the annual ritual.

Hong Kong authorities on Saturday strove to stop any public commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, with police warning gatherings could break the law as Beijing vies to remove all reminders of the events of June 4.

As one of the world's most densely populated countries grapples with climate change, the Dutch are taking to their rooftops.

French football star Karim Benzema, who provokes passionate opinions -- being adored or disliked in equal measure -- has made a spectacular return to "Les Bleus" despite the "sex tape" scandal in which he has finally waived an appeal against his one-year suspended sentence.

Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Agatha flooded much of western Cuba on Friday, killing at least three people in Havana.

Russian artillery slammed Ukraine's eastern Donbas region with fierce fighting over the city of Severodonetsk, but the local governor said there was some progress in pushing back invading forces.

Myanmar junta troops have torched hundreds of buildings during a three-day raid in the country's north, local media and residents said, as the military struggles to crush resistance to its rule.

The New York Rangers beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Friday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NHL Eastern Conference final.

Some 22,000 people and millions more at home were on Saturday expected at a musical celebration for Queen Elizabeth II's historic Platinum Jubilee.

An 83-year-old yachtsman arrived in Japan early Saturday morning after a solo, non-stop trip across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person ever to achieve the feat.

Two UN peacekeepers were killed and one wounded on Friday after an improvised bomb exploded in central Mali, a spokesman for the MINUSMA mission tweeted.

George Kambosos was slammed Saturday as not "a true champion" after initially failing to make the weight for his clash with Devin Haney to become the unified and undisputed lightweight world champion.

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has dropped an appeal against a one-year suspended sentence for complicity in a bid to blackmail former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape, his lawyer said Saturday.

There was heightened security around Beijing's Tiananmen Square Saturday, the anniversary of the bloody 1989 crackdown, while police in Hong Kong warned people not to gather as China strives to remove all reminders of the events of June 4.

From the Texas school massacre to a Tulsa hospital shooting and many less-reported incidents, a recent spate of gun violence across America bears out a trend police departments have long sworn by: murders go up in warmer weather.

At a Rio de Janeiro pastry shop, customers are waiting in line to buy waffles -- but the chocolate-covered treats come with a twist that is causing controversy in Brazil: they are shaped like penises.

President Joe Biden is hoping to show a new era of US engagement with Latin America at a long-heralded summit next week, but the meeting has been clouded by boycott threats and charges of an unambitious agenda.

World number four Minjee Lee fired a five-under-par 66 on Friday to grab a share of the 36-hole lead alongside Mina Harigae at the 77th US Women's Open in North Carolina.

Ukraine's president vowed victory Friday even as Russian troops pounded the east, and the United Nations pushed to get tens of millions of tons of grain out of the country and avert a global food crisis.

Australia's Cameron Smith fired a three-under-par 69 to take a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the PGA Tour's Memorial tournament in Ohio on Friday.

Remnants of Hurricane Agatha flooded much of western Cuba on Friday, killing at least two people in Havana.

The French Open semi-final between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic was held up for 13 minutes Friday when a protestor ran onto the court and tied herself to the net.

American golfer Danielle Kang confirmed Friday she is battling a spinal tumor after completing her second round at the US Women's Open.

French coach Jean-Louis Gasset made a winning debut as boss of the Ivory Coast on Friday when the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosts beat Zambia 3-1 in a Group H opener in Yamoussoukro.

Stock markets mostly fell worldwide on Friday after data showed US employers added jobs at a better-than-expected pace last month, raising the prospect the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes will not be enough to contain inflation and avoid a recession.

Substitute Andreas Cornelius scored twice as Denmark recovered from conceding to a brilliant Karim Benzema goal to beat France 2-1 on Friday in the UEFA Nations League at the Stade de France, the first match at the venue since the chaos that marred last weekend's Champions League final.

Rafael Nadal reached his 14th French Open final on Friday when Alexander Zverev was forced to quit their last-four clash after suffering a sickening right ankle injury on a day of drama at Roland Garros.