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Frisky tourists, searing heat and monkeys: Thailand was the perfect setting for the new season of HBO's "The White Lotus" to explore the dark secrets and base desires of the jet-set class, its creator said Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of Hindus flocked to temples across Malaysia to celebrate the Thaipusam festival Tuesday, with many piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers in acts of devotion.

In her bid to convince lawmakers to legalise divorce, Filipina fruit vendor Avelina Anuran has publicly testified about the abuse she said she regularly endured at the hands of her husband.

A deluge of disinformation about a flu-like virus called HMPV is stoking anti-China sentiment across Asia and spurring unfounded concerns of renewed lockdowns, despite experts dismissing comparisons with the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago.

World leaders were set to hold formal talks in Paris on Tuesday on artificial intelligence (AI), seeking elusive common ground on a technology subject to a global race for promised economic benefits.

Asian markets were mixed Tuesday following the previous day's global rally as traders keep a nervous eye on Donald Trump's next moves after he signed off on 25 percent tariffs for steel and alumium imports, having warned of more measures to come.

Venezuela sent two planes Monday to bring nearly 200 undocumented migrants back from the United States, saying it hoped for a "new beginning" in ties with Washington, which does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president.

Google on Monday changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" for those using its Maps platform inside the United States, complying with an executive order by President Donald Trump.

YouTube has evolved from a dinner party lark 20 years ago into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake US cable television in paid viewership.

In Rio de Janeiro, children are playing again "like in the old days," and their focus in class has improved after a school cellphone ban pioneered in the city that has now gone national.

Joseph Lynskey was quietly waiting for the New York subway on New Year's Eve when someone shoved him from behind onto the tracks as a train pulled into the station.

As night falls on the Atacama desert in northern Chile four giant telescopes turn their gaze towards the star-strewn heavens.

US President Donald Trump's use of tariffs as a blunt weapon to extract concessions on everything from commerce to immigration and drug trafficking could redraw global trading norms, analysts say.

US President Donald Trump warned Monday that "all hell" would break loose if every Israeli hostage is not released from Gaza within days, after Hamas threatened to postpone further exchanges under a fragile ceasefire deal it said Israel was violating.

Uncertain outlook for 2025 as new immigration policies are implemented

US President Donald Trump set a Saturday deadline for all hostages to be released from Gaza, saying that otherwise "all hell" would break out and he would call for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to be canceled.

US President Donald Trump on Monday made good on a promise to slap 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, stepping up a long-promised trade war despite warnings from Europe and China.

Elon Musk is leading an investment group offering $97.4 billion for the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, marking a new front in his war with the ChatGPT-maker, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and the Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving have been drafted into this week's NBA All-Star Game to replace the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, the league said Monday.

The Trump administration was on a collision course with the US courts Monday, with federal judges questioning the legality of the White House’s cost-cutting onslaught of government and Vice President J.D Vance warning the judiciary to back off.

Celtic received a huge boost ahead of their Champions League play-off, first leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday as top scorer Daizen Maeda was cleared to face the German giants.

Global stock markets rose on Monday, as traders largely shrugged off US President Donald Trump's latest tariffs announcement on steel and aluminum.

The union representing staff at the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued the acting head of the agency, as the Trump administration ordered all work at the watchdog to cease on Monday.

Inter Milan closed to within a point of Serie A leaders Napoli on Monday after beating Fiorentina 2-1 and gaining revenge for last week's thumping in Florence.

Crystal Palace booked an FA Cup fifth round clash with south London rivals Millwall after a 2-0 win against fourth tier Doncaster on Monday.

France fly-half Romain Ntamack will miss this month's Six Nations trip to Italy due to a suspension despite an attempt to make him available, a source in Les Bleus' set-up told AFP on Monday.

Campaigning began in the Philippines Tuesday for mid-term elections that could set the table for the next presidential race and determine the political future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.

At least 55 people were killed in Guatemala on Monday when a bus crashed through a guard rail and plunged into a ravine, authorities said, one of the worst road accidents in Latin America in years.

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has reached an agreement with Al Nassr to extend his contract by another year until June 2026, an official with the Saudi club told AFP on Monday.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes the winner of his side's Champions League play-off clash with Manchester City will be among the favourites to lift the trophy.

US President Donald Trump's administration has informed staff at the country's consumer protection agency that it is temporarily shuttering its headquarters and pausing all work, according to an email shared Monday with AFP.

Golf superstar Tiger Woods said Monday he was "just not ready" as he announced he will not play in this week's Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines as planned following his mother's death.