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China issued its highest-level heat alert for northern parts of the country on Friday as the capital baked in temperatures hovering around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Each morning, four children stand barefoot in a line and proudly sing the national anthem as the Thai flag is raised outside their school, perched on a finger of land surrounded by the sea.

Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Friday she will write a book about leadership to be published worldwide, after five tumultuous years in charge of the Pacific nation.

Enormous crowds of worshippers thronged Mecca, Islam's holiest city, on Friday for the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years, with more than two million expected to brave the scorching Saudi Arabian heat.

The Olympic torch has been into space, deep underwater and even scaled Mount Everest.

Equity markets sank Friday and oil extended a sharp selloff after a string of interest rate hikes by central banks revived worries about the global economy.

The Titanic inspired a tear-jerking blockbuster and expeditions to its watery gravesite -- including a fatal one this week -- but viral TikTok videos peddle a stunning conspiracy theory: the ship never sank.

US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday that the two democracies' partnership would define the next century, as Washington eyes a counterweight to China and brushes off allegations of growing authoritarianism in New Delhi.

Greece on Friday entered the final day of campaigning for Sunday's national elections, with conservative frontrunner Kyriakos Mitsotakis aiming to consolidate the gains he made in last month's inconclusive ballot.

As Pride events got underway in Europe in June, disinformation and hate speech targeting the LGBTQ community spread across social media, triggering extreme online responses, including incitements to violence.

The EU's top tech enforcer warned Elon Musk on Thursday that Twitter must have enough resources to moderate dangerous content by August 25 or risk being in violation of the bloc's landmark rules to rein in big tech.

Wearing a glittery purple leotard, Miss Gaviota steps into a ring to roaring applause from the crowd, ready to go to battle with several masked, muscular men.

A global summit seeking to overhaul the international financial system wraps up Friday after taking small steps towards easing the debt burden of developing nations weighed down by climate and economic crises.

Wild bison that once numbered in the tens of millions in North America before being hunted almost to extinction are once again thriving in a pocket of western Canada.

She is 85, has a glittering film career behind her, and recently battled cancer, but Jane Fonda doesn't intend to slow down her activism on climate change -- the "greatest crisis ever to confront humanity" -- anytime soon.

A "major construction" project at Brazilian football star Neymar's mansion in Rio de Janeiro state was halted on Thursday for "environmental infractions," which could result in a fine of some $1 million, authorities said.

Japan's consumer prices rose 3.2 percent year on year in May, with the pace of inflation slowing from the 3.4 percent recorded in April, government data showed Friday.

South African veteran Lee-Anne Pace fired four of her five birdies on the back nine at Baltusrol on Thursday to grab a one-shot lead in the Women's PGA Championship.

A "catastrophic implosion," such as that believed to have destroyed the Titan submersible, would have happened with incredible force and speed given the crushing water pressure on the floor of the ocean.

France's Victor Wembanyama was chosen with the top pick in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, sparking wild celebrations as the Texas club reveled in landing the gifted teenager seen as a once-in-a-generation talent.

Denny McCarthy fired 10 birdies in a 10-under-par 60 on Thursday to grab a two-shot lead over Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley in the US PGA Tour Traveler's Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.

From a towering plywood cut-out to prayer candles portraying him as a Saint, Victor Wembanyama's imminent arrival at the San Antonio Spurs had the Texas city crackling with anticipation on Thursday.

The Qatar Investment Authority is poised to buy a minority stake in the group that owns Washington franchises in the NBA, WNBA and NHL in a groundbreaking move by a sovereign wealth fund into US pro sports, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday that the two democracies' partnership would define the next century, as Washington eyes a counterweight to China and brushes off allegations of growing authoritarianism in New Delhi.

Beloved comedian Billy Crystal and pioneering rapper Queen Latifah are among the 46th crop of Kennedy Center honorees, one of the United States' most prestigious arts awards, the center announced on Thursday.

"Titanic" director and renowned deep-sea explorer James Cameron said many warnings were ignored about the safety of the tourist submersible that imploded near the famous shipwreck, killing five people.

E-cigarette sales in the United States spiked between 2020 and 2022, especially among flavors that appeal to youth users, according to a study from health authorities released Thursday.

The use of artificial intelligence in the new Marvel superhero series "Secret Invasion" has sparked anxiety and anger in Hollywood, at a time when television and film writers are already striking over their uncertain futures.

The leaders of France and Barbados, joined by other leaders and the heads of multilateral development banks, pushed Thursday for an overhaul of the international financial system to better tackle poverty, climate change and other 21st-century challenges.

Global stocks were mixed Thursday with European bourses falling after a clutch of central banks in Europe hiked interest rates again, while US equities shook off recent weakness.

Ex-president Jair Bolsonaro faced an eight-year ban on running for office as Brazil's top electoral court began trying the far-right leader Thursday over his unproven allegations against the voting system during last year's elections.

Rapidly warming conditions in the Arctic and the loss of sea ice caused by climate change are driving a steep decline in biodiversity, including among plants, fungi and lichen.