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Ancelotti marks birthday as Spike Lee visits Brazil World Cup training

Brazil players gave coach Carlo Ancelotti a guard of honour for his birthday at a pre-World Cup training session Wednesday attended by Spike Lee.

Japan city relieved as bear caught after roaming streets for days

A bear that roamed the streets of a Japanese city for four days, forcing mass school closures, was caught on Tuesday, capping a search involving dozens of hunters and police.

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Fabled Argentine city Ushuaia tries to shrug off virus suspicions

Argentina's city "at the end of the world," Ushuaia, the jump-off point for expeditions to the Antarctic, is laboring under suspicion of being the source of the deadly hantavirus outbreak that killed three cruise ship passengers.

Cannes honours Jackson, Middle Earth wizard who 'transformed' cinema

"The Lord of the Rings" maestro Peter Jackson -- who will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival Tuesday -- has wowed the world with his big-screen epics and delivered a tourism bonanza to his native New Zealand.

New London museum woos younger visitors

A new London museum conceived with and for under-30s is seeking to draw younger generations by tackling themes such as climate and gender.

Is risk-averse Hollywood running scared of Cannes critics?

Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Top Gun have all premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the last decade. But in 2026, not a single Hollywood blockbuster is programmed there, raising questions about why US studios are ghosting the event.

Middle East conflicts a danger for whales off S.Africa: study

Conflicts in the Middle East are increasing dangers for whales off South Africa by shifting sea traffic into their habitats and heightening the risks of collision, researchers told AFP.

Singer Bonnie Tyler in induced coma in Portugal

Husky-voiced Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler was Friday in an induced coma in a hospital in Portugal after emergency surgery, a spokesperson said.

Japan confirms year's first fatal bear attack, two more suspected

Japan confirmed Friday the first fatal bear attack of 2026 after a record 13 deaths last year, with reports pointing to a jump in sightings as the animals emerge hungry from hibernation.

Hantavirus not like Covid: doctor treating patient in Netherlands

The hantavirus that has broken out on the cruise ship MV Hondius is much less transmissible than Covid, the head of the Dutch unit treating one of the patients told AFP Thursday.

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler 'recuperating' after emergency surgery in Portugal

Husky-voiced Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler was "recuperating" Thursday after emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal, a post on her official Instagram page said.

Hantavirus ship passenger: 'They didn't take it seriously enough'

Ruhi Cenet was surprised when cruise-ship life carried on as usual aboard the MV Hondius, even after the captain announced the first passenger's death.

CNN founder Ted Turner: 20th century media giant

Ted Turner created CNN in 1980, revolutionizing the way America, and the world, got their news, and then went on to become one of the most prominent business leaders and philanthropists of his era.

100 years on Earth: Iconic naturalist Attenborough marks century

David Attenborough, a leading voice on climate change and biodiversity loss whose landmark documentaries transformed popular understanding of the natural world for a global audience, marks his 100th birthday on Friday.

Boycott-hit 70th Eurovision celebrated under high security

With provocative songs and glittering performances, the Eurovision Song Contest's festive 70th edition in Vienna next week will be held under tight security in the shadow of controversy sparked by Israel's participation.

Pulitzers honor damning coverage of Trump and his policies

Coverage of the Trump administration dominated the Pulitzer Prizes announced Monday as the prize committee unleashed a searing attack on US President Donald Trump's attempts to limit freedom of reporting.

Demi Moore joins Cannes Festival jury

American actor Demi Moore, still riding high from the late-career boost of her Oscar-nominated turn in "The Substance", will join the jury for the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off next week, organisers announced on Monday.

Stars set for Met Gala, fashion's biggest night

The brightest stars in Hollywood, music, sports and style will hit the red carpet Monday for the Met Gala, the extravagant Manhattan charity ball that this year spotlights the intersection between fashion and art.

Hantavirus: spread by rodents, potentially fatal, with no specific cure

Hantavirus, the disease which has caused a deadly outbreak on a cruise ship in the southern Atlantic, circulates in rodents and can be deadly when transmitted to humans.

King Charles gets warm welcome in Bermuda after whirlwind US visit

King Charles III stopped off in the British island territory of Bermuda on Friday after a high-stakes visit to the United States where he sought to heal strained ties between Washington and London.

India's cows offer biogas alternative to Mideast energy crunch

Across much of India, an energy crunch caused by the Iran war has prompted long queues for cooking gas cyclinders. That's not a problem for Gauri Devi.

New Princess Diana documentary promises her own words

A new documentary series based on hours of previously unreleased recordings made by Diana, the late Princess of Wales, is in the works, producers announced Thursday.

Trump hails 'greatest king' Charles as state visit wraps up

President Donald Trump hailed Charles III as the "greatest king" at a White House farewell Thursday -- and said the United States needed more people like Britain's monarch.

Denmark's Soren Torpegaard Lund to 'stay true' at Eurovision

Denmark's Soren Torpegaard Lund, one of the favourites in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, has sparked a homophobic backlash in his progressive country with his electro-pop track, but he's just trying to "stay true to myself", he told AFP in an interview.

Mamdani calls on King Charles to return Koh-i-Noor diamond

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for King Charles to "return" the prized Koh-i-Noor diamond, which the British Empire took from the Indian subcontinent in the 1800s, on the third day of the monarch's state visit on Wednesday.

King Charles to visit 9/11 memorial in New York

King Charles III will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 memorial in New York on Wednesday, the third day of a state visit focused on healing strained ties between Britain and the United States.

King Charles to stress UK-US cultural, trade ties in New York

King Charles III will use a trip to New York on Wednesday to showcase cultural and economic ties between Britain and the United States at a time when the "special relationship" is under strain.

Germany holds breath as stranded whale 'Timmy' sets off in barge

A special boat carrying a stranded humpback whale whose weeks-long struggle to survive has captured hearts in Germany set off for the open seas on Tuesday evening in a last-ditch rescue attempt.

King Charles urges Western unity in speech to US Congress

Britain's King Charles III urged the United States on Tuesday to stand firm with its Western allies, as strains over Iran and Ukraine risk undermining transatlantic ties facing their most serious test in years.

Reynolds jokes 'defibrillator' needed to watch new 'Welcome to Wrexham' series

US movie star Ryan Reynolds has jokingly suggested that viewers ought to have a defibrillator nearby while watching the latest 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary series.

Monk ends barefoot Sri Lanka trek with a dog and plea for peace

A saffron-robed Buddhist monk ended a gruelling barefoot walk across Sri Lanka on Tuesday with an impassioned appeal for world peace and kindness towards animals.

German bid to rescue 'Timmy' the whale passes key hurdle

German rescuers on Tuesday hauled a stranded humpback whale into a special boat due to carry it to deeper waters, in the latest attempt to free the cetacean whose ordeal has captured hearts in Germany for weeks.

Indian billionaire's son offers home for Escobar's hippos

An Indian billionaire's son offered on Tuesday to take hippos descended from those introduced to Colombia by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, rather than have the animals killed.

Orangutan uses Indonesia canopy bridge in 'world first': NGO

A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time crossing a man-made canopy bridge constructed to help the endangered animals bypass a tarred road on the Indonesian island, an NGO said Sunday.

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