WORLD

Namibia's vice president was among the first voters in elections Wednesday that could see her become the desert nation's first woman leader, even as her ruling SWAPO party faces a strong challenge to its 34-year grip on power.

Ukraine is a signatory to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of landmines.

As storm clouds gathered on a forgotten beach in China's Miaodao islands, artist Fu Junsheng picked his way through piles of plastic waste washed up along the shoreline, looking for inspiration.

Protesters who marched on the Pakistan capital to demand the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan were cleared from the city centre on Wednesday after a sweeping security crackdown.

Eddie Jones has urged Japan to keep faith in him despite lacklustre results that have included several heavy defeats since he returned as head coach almost a year ago.

Negotiations on a first global treaty to curb plastic pollution are moving "very, very slowly", diplomats and observers told AFP on Wednesday, threatening the chances of reaching an agreement.

Alcohol-free drinks are becoming ever more popular, especially with health-conscious younger people -- a trend cheered by a small German winery based in a Rhine Valley castle.

World leaders have welcomed a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which came into force on Wednesday morning (0200 GMT).

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect on Wednesday after more than a year of fighting that has killed thousands of people.

Passers-by stop and stare at the ramshackle, hand-built concrete tower that looks like it has been lifted right out of a Japanese animation and dropped onto a real-life Tokyo street.

The Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens has long made music that sheds light on America's untold stories, and her latest project brings to the fore marginalized groups that built its railroad.

Russia on Tuesday expelled a British diplomat it accused of spying, telling London it would not tolerate "undeclared" intelligence officers operating on its territory, accusations that have ignited a fresh diplomatic feud with London.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday welcomed as "good news" a US and French-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, saying he hoped it could be a springboard to peace in Gaza too.

Elon Musk's X Corporation is blocking the transfer of Alex Jones' Infowars social media accounts to The Onion, asserting platform ownership in a move that could redefine digital account rights.

'Under the deal reached today, effective at 4 a.m. tomorrow, local time, the fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end,' he said.

Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro "actively participated" in a 2022 coup plot to prevent his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking office, police alleged in a report made public Tuesday.

Anton told the BBC that nuclear weapons were 'fully in place" at a top secret base inside Russia

Eastman Kodak has begun taking steps to end its $3.5 billion pension plan, agreeing to sell private-equity and other illiquid assets attached to it.

The leaders of Mexico and Canada said they will advise Trump to engage in cooperation and dialogue instead of igniting a trade war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he will recommend a vote in favor of the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah on Tuesday

The son of the Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai said Tuesday that his father's trial in the Chinese territory was a "sham" but that he was "proud" of how he was handling himself in court.

To prepare for the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Vatican has announced new initiatives aimed at reaching a wider audience, including the launch of a monthly magazine and livestreaming key religious sites.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday approved a budget for 2025 that projected a smaller deficit than last year despite continued heavy spending on reforms to transition the economy away from oil.

The mix of people milling around Windhoek's Zoo Park reflect the hopes and disappointments of Namibians who head to the polls Wednesday in a test for the party that brought independence 34 years ago but has left many feeling let down.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy disputed Trump's assertion that officials reneged on pledges to execute drug dealers for sending fentanyl in the the U.S.

John Alfred Tinniswood died Monday at a care facility in Southport, England.

French prosecutors on Tuesday sought sentences of up to 14 years for some of the remaining co-defendants in the trial of a man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his wife while she was drugged and unconscious.

Russia said on Tuesday it was expelling a British diplomat who it accused of espionage and summoned London's ambassador to the foreign ministry in Moscow.

French prosecutors on Tuesday demanded sentences of up to 12 years for some of the remaining co-defendants of a man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his wife while she was drugged and unconscious.