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A Belgian bishop is taking on the Vatican with a push to ordain married men as priests -- telling AFP the reform is key to stemming a plunge in vocations across many traditionally Catholic nations.

Oil surged and stocks fell on Thursday after Donald Trump threatened further heavy strikes on Iran, and offered no solution to reopening the key Strait of Hormuz.

The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources.

Indonesia issued a second round of summons letters on Thursday to Google and Meta for allegedly flouting a days-old ban on social media access for under-16s.

Japan abruptly axed Nils Nielsen as coach on Thursday just 12 days after taking them to Women's Asian Cup glory, with football chiefs accusing him of being "lax" and "lacking passion".

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in South Korea on Thursday after visiting fellow US ally Japan, where he praised Europe's "predictability" in an apparent swipe at Donald Trump over the Iran war.

India's defence exports "skyrocketed" to an all-time high of more than $4 billion in the last fiscal year, as it looks to boost its arms manufacturing sector, the government said Thursday.

Nils Nielsen is leaving as Japan coach less than two weeks after taking them to Women's Asian Cup glory, the football association said Thursday.

Hopes of making downtown Seoul dazzle more than Times Square have hit a setback with new guidelines to dim the digital billboards that light up the South Korean capital after a barrage of complaints.

Iran on Thursday threatened "crushing" attacks on the US and Israel, firing missiles at Tel Aviv after US President Donald Trump vowed to bomb the Islamic republic "back to the Stone Ages".

Women's Asian Cup finalists Japan and Australia renewed calls Thursday for equal prize money with the men's tournament in a direct challenge to the Asian Football Confederation and accused the governing body of "ignoring" previous requests.

French President Emmanuel Macron left Japan on Thursday bound for fellow US ally South Korea, a day after praising Europe's "predictability" in an apparent swipe at Donald Trump over the Iran war.

A mining cage drops deep beneath the Armenian capital, carrying asthma patients in helmets down into a salt cave clinic -- an alternative treatment centre whose future is now at risk.

While recent restrictions by a number of African nations on LGBTQ rights have elicited fierce criticism, international reaction has been more tepid as Senegal doubled its penalty for same-sex relations this week.

It's Friday night and the port in Nuuk is a hive of activity. Passengers loaded down with heavy bags hurry aboard a rusty red and white ship -- Greenland's last ferry.

Victor Wembanyama powered the relentless San Antonio Spurs to a 10th straight win Wednesday with his second consecutive 41-point game, brushing aside the Golden State Warriors 127-113.

A singer emerges from the grave, his beard covered in mud, head bowed and fist raised as he extends a Ukrainian flag towards the audience: this is his entrance onstage.

Israel said it came under Iranian missile fire on Thursday after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb the Islamic republic into the "Stone Ages" with heavy strikes in the next two to three weeks.

Violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has reached unprecedented levels since the start of the war with Iran, with NGOs and opposition figures denouncing an environment of impunity.

England white-ball captain Harry Brook and team-mate Jacob Bethell have been warned about their future conduct after a nightclub incident on the pre-Ashes tour of New Zealand last year.

A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and sending people running into the streets in panic.

"Is Netanyahu real or AI?" an internet headline blared, pointing to a video that supposedly showed the Israeli prime minister with six fingers.

The European Space Agency will negotiate future participation in NASA missions after the US space agency revamped its lunar program, the ESA head told AFP Wednesday.

President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that the United States was nearing victory in Iran as he laid out his case more than a month into a war that has sent his approval rating tumbling.

When wildfires raged around Los Angeles last year, Rene Amy’s home was razed to a pile of toxic ash.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday the US-Israeli war campaign against Iran was almost complete but that the country would be hit hard over the next two to three weeks as Washington pressed toward its military objectives.

Oil prices spiked and stocks sank on Thursday after Donald Trump reiterated that US forces would hammer Iran for another two to three weeks but offered no solution to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets.

Republican leaders in the US Congress said Wednesday they had reached a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end a weeks-long partial government shutdown that has brought chaos to airports.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday made his case for attacking Iran in his first nationwide address more than a month into the war, insisting the United States was close to victory as his approval rating sinks.

A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Thursday, killing at least one person, causing waves of up to 75 centimetres (2.5 feet) and triggering a tsunami warning that was subsequently lifted.

Bordeaux-Begles' powerhouse South Africa centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg is refusing to think about back-to-back Champions Cup titles before they host Leicester Tigers in the last 16 on Sunday.

DI Women's and Men's Finals to be Featured in ‘Breakaway: Polo in College' on ESPN