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President Joe Biden launched a new Asia-Pacific trade initiative Monday in Tokyo, with 13 countries including India and Japan signing up, although questions about the pact's effectiveness remain.

President Joe Biden vowed Monday that US forces would defend Taiwan militarily if China attempted to take control of the self-ruled island by force, warning Beijing was already "flirting with danger".

The Chinese province of Henan has ordered its nearly 100 million people to take a Covid test every two days, an unprecedented step as the country grapples with an Omicron-fuelled surge.

The UN human rights chief began a six-day trip to China on Monday that will include the remote Xinjiang region, stirring fears over access and the propaganda value the visit offers to the Chinese Communist Party.

The 31st SEA Games in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi close later Monday after nearly two weeks of records, adulation and marriage proposals.

Iran will avenge the killing of a Revolutionary Guards colonel who was shot dead in Tehran, President Ebrahim Raisi warned on Monday.

In a serene studio filled with birdsong, Omar Ba takes off his shoes and gets down on his hands and knees. Then the renowned Senegalese artist begins to paint a five-metre-long canvas a deep, dark shade of black.

Turkey is ready for energy cooperation with Israel after years of enmity, reviving a project to pipe Israeli gas to Europe as Ankara seeks to reduce its dependence on Russia.

Staring out over Ukraine's seemingly endless wheat fields near Odessa, Dmitriy Matulyak has a difficult time imagining that so many people may starve soon as another bountiful harvest nears.

Rising star Jessie Buckley admits she is no horror film junkie, but was happy to take on the wild, gore-splattered "Men" thanks to its provocative look at issues around toxic masculinity.

The UN human rights chief was Monday due to begin a six-day trip to China that takes in the remote Xinjiang region, stirring fears over access and the propaganda value the visit offers to the Chinese Communist Party.

With a verdict due Monday in the conflict’s first war crimes trial, Moscow's offensive in eastern Ukraine is only intensifying, with the city of Severodonetsk under "round-the-clock" bombardment as Russian troops attempt its encirclement.

Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins starred as the Golden State Warriors moved to the brink of the NBA Finals on Sunday with a 109-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Asian stocks were mixed Monday as inflation fears and concerns about low economic growth weighed on markets.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took the oath of office Monday and immediately flew to a Tokyo summit with a "message to the world" that his country is ready to engage on climate change.

Russia's war in Ukraine has pushed the number of forcibly displaced people around the world above 100 million for the first time ever, the United Nations said Monday.

In two of the most intense performances to grip the Cannes Film Festival, award-winning actors Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris face off in a dark undercover cop story from Australia.

Justin Thomas matched the greatest last-day comeback in PGA Championship history on Sunday, roaring back from seven strokes down at Southern Hills to capture his second major title.

At least seven people were killed and scores plucked to safety in the Philippines Monday after a fire ripped through a ferry and forced passengers to jump overboard, coast guard and witnesses said.

The Davos summit of global political and business elites returns Monday after a Covid-induced two-year break to face another momentous crisis: Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Justin Thomas credits a tough talk from caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay with changing his attitude in time to win the PGA Championship, matching the biggest last-round comeback in its history.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and 13-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal start their Roland Garros campaigns on a star-studded Monday, while women's favourite Iga Swiatek begins her quest for a second title in three attempts.

Manchester City's latest Premier League title triumph established the champions as a burgeoning dynasty, but Pep Guardiola won't be satisfied until their domestic bliss becomes the catalyst to conquer Europe.

Chile's Mito Pereira led or shared the lead after every hole except the one that mattered most in Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship in an epic major collapse.

Australia's new prime minister Anthony Albanese took office Monday, hours before flying to a Tokyo summit with a "message to the world" that his country is ready to engage on climate change.

Justin Thomas defeated fellow American Will Zalatoris by one stroke in a three-hole aggregate playoff to win a tension-packed PGA Championship on Sunday at Southern Hills for his second major title.

President Joe Biden meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo and unveils a multinational trade initiative Monday as part of his push to reinvigorate US strategic power across Asia.

Barcelona finished 13 points behind La Liga champions Real Madrid after ending their turbulent season with a whimper on Sunday by losing 2-0 at home to Villarreal.

Teenage Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz said the best part about being touted as the future of Grand Slam tennis was that he is realising a "dream that is not for everyone".

Castres became the third Top 14 team to book a berth in the six play-off spots after beating league strugglers Perpignan 28-12 on Sunday.

Chile's Mito Pereira, making only his second major start, clung to a one-stroke lead at the turn in Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship as a back-nine trophy battle began.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, speaking in Kyiv on Sunday, underscored his nation's key support for embattled Ukraine as Russian forces pursued a relentless bombardment of frontline cities in the east.