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Renowned Russian writer Boris Akunin, who was declared a "terrorist" by Moscow and became the target of a criminal inquiry this week, says he fears the moves signal a new milestone in the country's history under Vladimir Putin.

Czech authorities sought a motive Friday in a student's gun attack that killed 14 people at a Prague university, where tearful mourners have left a sea of candles to grieve for the dead.

China announced Friday another set of planned curbs on the amount of time and money that people can spend gaming online, triggering a share market sell-off in some of the nation's biggest tech giants worth billions of dollars.

Former South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar announced Friday that he will retire from international cricket after a Test series against India starting next week.

Crunchy guitar riffs reverberate through an apartment block in downtown Skopje -- the sound of the silence on discrimination in North Macedonia being well and truly broken.

French engineer and entrepreneur Gustave Eiffel will forever be remembered for building the much-loved tower that has dominated the Paris skyline for over a century.

Asian markets were mixed Friday as the euphoria over an expected flurry of US interest rate cuts next year was offset by a tech-led plunge in Hong Kong after China unveiled fresh plans to restrict online gaming.

Greece's traditional Christmas sweets made of icing sugar, honey and powdered almonds tantalise shoppers ahead of the festive season as they do every year.

Emerging from woods in a quiet corner of rural England, a small band of anti-foxhunting campaigners have just one goal: to confuse the pack of dogs chasing a fox and prevent its death.

Two years after the end of the Netflix hit "Money Heist", which won millions of fans around the world, one of its main characters, "Berlin", returns to the small screen later this month with a spin-off series.

Look closely at a nativity scene in Spain's Catalonia region and you will likely spot an unusual figure -- a peasant with his pants down and doing his business in the holy scene.

Lining up, they receive some rice, dried beans and other basic foodstuffs, whose soaring prices have left millions in Nigeria facing a bleak Christmas.

Coveted Japanese right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has agreed to a 12-year, $325-million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Times and other US media outlets reported Thursday.

The Los Angeles Rams took control in the NFL's NFC playoff race on Thursday, fending off a late New Orleans rally for a 30-22 victory over the Saints.

The United Nations warned the Israel-Hamas war was pushing Gaza towards famine, ahead of an expected Security Council vote Friday on a resolution to boost aid to the Palestinian territory but not call for a ceasefire.

A Hong Kong court on Friday rejected jailed pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai's bid to throw out a charge of seditious publication in a trial that has attracted international attention.

High-speed trains running the Channel Tunnel will resume service on Friday after French unions ended a wildcat strike that had stranded holidaygoers and held up freight just days before Christmas.

In a falafel joint in south Lebanon, Hussein Murtada prepared flat-bread snacks for his few remaining customers as an Israeli surveillance drone buzzed above the border village of Kfar Kila.

Liverpool and Arsenal will battle for the Christmas number one spot when they meet on Saturday, each with a golden chance to open up a significant lead over absent champions Manchester City.

The last French troops are to withdraw from Niger on Friday, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa's Sahel region.

Eam Orn kneels in a forest in northwest Cambodia, pressing his hands together before an offering of bananas studded with smoking incense, and prays for the return of his land.

The United Nations Security Council was expected to vote Friday on a resolution to boost aid to Gaza, as the world body warned the Israel-Hamas war was pushing the Palestinian territory towards famine.

The Detroit Pistons inched closer to NBA ignominy on Thursday as they dropped a 119-111 decision to the Utah Jazz on their home floor for a 25th straight defeat.

Asian markets pressed ahead with their rally Friday as another round of US data further stoked expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates more than it has indicated next year.

Tan Chwee Lian picks up a small paddle, her finger resting on a groove worn into the wood over 70 years of making Buddhist and Taoist deities in her shop, one of the last of its kind in Singapore.

England star Tom Curran has been banned for four Big Bash League games after intimidating an umpire, but his club Sydney Sixers said Friday it was not intentional and vowed to appeal.

Blacksmith Yoshihiro Yauji pulls a piece of glowing metal from the forge in a Japanese village, continuing a tradition dating back centuries to when the region was renowned for crafting swords carried by samurai.

Long-serving World Rugby administrator Peter Horne was appointed Friday as Australia's director of high-performance, with part of his brief to "purpose-build a new Wallabies program from scratch".

The United Nations Security Council was poised on Friday to vote on a much-delayed resolution concerning the Israel-Hamas war after Washington signalled support following resistance to earlier draft proposals.

Australia coach Graham Arnold said he was "excited by the potential" of his players at the Asian Cup after announcing a fresh-faced squad Friday, with a host of veterans cast aside.

Cecilia Rojas has scoured shops across greater Buenos Aires to find an affordable gift for her children this Christmas, which is set to be a gloomy affair as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.

Conspiracy theorists who believe in a secret cabal of child sex traffickers have set their sights on yet another online retailer: Etsy, a website best known for selling handmade items.