WORLD

A police station in the historic sailors' quarter of the Belgian port of Antwerp is surrounded by sex workers' neon-lit red-light windows.

Tokyo's tariffs envoy departed Wednesday for a second round of negotiations in Washington, where Japan could offer concessions such as tweaking vehicle import procedures to secure relief from Donald Trump's trade levies.

Since the start of the school year in March, Afghan boys have been required to wear new uniforms of turbans and long tunics, following an order to adopt outfits reflecting Taliban rule.

Ange Postecoglou can still make good on his claim that he always wins a trophy in his second season but he must find a way to inspire struggling Tottenham for a shot at Europa League glory.

Asia's front-runner for the papacy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is a charismatic moderate often dubbed the "Asian Francis".

A seasoned diplomat who worked with Pope Francis for 12 years, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is well-known in Rome and abroad, and a serious contender to be the next pontiff.

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has ushered in sweeping changes to international geopolitics and US government administration with little regard for norms that have constrained predecessors.

Trinidad and Tobago's centrist former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will return as leader of the Caribbean nation after her party's victory in Monday's parliamentary election, the electoral commission confirmed Tuesday.

Pakistan's information minister said early Wednesday that Islamabad had "credible intelligence" that India was planning an imminent military strike and he vowed a "decisive response", as worries of spiralling conflict grew over a deadly attack in Kashmir.

Vietnam is set to hold its biggest celebration of the fall of Saigon on its 50th anniversary Wednesday, including Chinese troops for the first time after Xi Jinping visited to portray Beijing as a more reliable partner than Washington.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that the United States would end mediation unless Russia and Ukraine come up with "concrete proposals," as US patience wanes on an early priority for President Donald Trump.

China, Brazil and other members of the BRICS grouping on Tuesday slammed the "resurgence of trade protectionism" at a meeting in Rio de Janeiro dominated by US President Donald Trump's tariffs blitz.

Several former Hong Kong opposition lawmakers jailed in the city's largest national security case were released on Tuesday after over four years in prison, the first among dozens convicted last year to regain their freedom.

A shootout at a Swedish hair salon Tuesday left at least three people dead in an eruption of violence that has heightened nerves over gun violence in the Scandinavian nation, police and media reports said.

At the Paris trial of 10 people accused of robbing Kim Kardashian at gunpoint in 2016, a defendant who wrote a book about the jewellery heist Tuesday said he regretted participating while one of his co-accused vehemently denied any involvement.

Cuba's Supreme Court said Tuesday it had revoked the parole of opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer who was released under a landmark deal Havana struck with former US President Joe Biden.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney celebrated election victory on Tuesday, but he admits "daunting" challenges await, including handling Donald Trump and reshaping the economy.

Madrid residents returned to work Tuesday a day after a crippling nationwide blackout in Spain with a renewed sense of the necessity of candles, cash and battery-powered radios for emergencies.

"Golden passport" schemes for deep-pocketed foreign investors violate European Union law, the bloc's highest court ruled on Tuesday, after a legal challenge against Malta by Brussels.

The leaders of Japan and the Philippines pledged in Manila on Tuesday to deepen security ties, including increased intelligence sharing, as they grapple with territorial disputes with China.

Provocative French radio and television host Cyril Hanouna has the country guessing Tuesday over whether he will run to be president in 2027.

Pakistan's military shot down an Indian drone along the de facto Kashmir border, state radio in Islamabad reported on Tuesday, a week after the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested region in years.

At least 70 people were killed and more than 1,000 others suffered injuries in the blast and ensuing fire, which also caused extensive damage, state media reported.

Catholic cardinals will be locked up for the papal conclave but for preparatory meetings this week they must run the gauntlet of journalists desperate for insights into who will be the next pope.

Befuddled passers-by holding torches and mobile phones squinted through pitch-black streets early on Tuesday and stranded travellers spent the night at train stations after a crippling backout plunged Spain into darkness.

Angelo Becciu, an Italian cardinal convicted of embezzlement and stripped of his privileges by Pope Francis, confirmed Tuesday he will not take part in the conclave to elect a new Catholic leader.

Pulling logs and dusty building materials from a storage bunker outside his home in Kashmir, Riaz Awan readied the underground space to house his family as they braced for clashes between Pakistan and India to reach their border village.

India and Pakistan are exchanging fire over their de-facto border since the Kashmir attack, but in New Delhi and Islamabad political foes are coming together and looking to score points.

A Syrian Islamist rebel ex-spokesman is to go on trial in France on Tuesday under the principle of universal jurisdiction, accused of complicity in war crimes during Syria's civil war.