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Rosy-cheeked cherubs surrounded by blues, reds and golds have lost none of their brilliance in 17th-century frescoes discovered behind a false ceiling at the Villa Farnesina palace in Rome.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven said Wednesday its founding family had offered a counter-bid to a takeover attempt by Canadian convenience store rival Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT).

When Armand Diangienda founded the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra -- one of the most famous in Africa -- in 1994, they had so few instruments that musicians had to share.

France's upper house of parliament will this week debate a bill to ban children under 16 from attending bullfights, inflaming tensions and enraging aficionados of the centuries-old tradition.

Officials in southern China ramped up security on Wednesday at the site of one of the country's deadliest mass-casualty events in years, snuffing out makeshift memorials to the 35 people killed when a man drove a car into a crowd at a sports complex.

A Greenland court will decide Wednesday whether to further extend US-Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson's time in custody pending a decision on his extradition to Japan, where he is wanted over an altercation with whalers.

After fleeing Iran and making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, Kurdish activist Maysoon Majidi did not expect to be jailed in Italy for people smuggling.

Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore cancelled flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower miles into the sky.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points as the Golden State Warriors spoiled Klay Thompson's return to the Bay Area with a thrilling 120-117 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the NBA Cup on Tuesday.

The race to succeed Bill Beaumont as chairman of World Rugby comes to a conclusion in a vote in Dublin at the governing body's headquarters on Thursday.

Billionaire Elon Musk took a wild gamble backing Donald Trump's White House candidacy, but the bet has paid off -- at least for now -- with the US president-elect handing him an outsized role to overhaul the government.

At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man ploughed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night.

Residents of India's capital New Delhi choked in a blanketing toxic smog Wednesday as worsening air pollution surged past 50 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.

Several Australian airlines on Wednesday cancelled their flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower miles into the sky.

Officials in southern China ramped up security on Wednesday at the site of one of the country's deadliest mass-casualty events in years, snuffing out makeshift memorials to the 35 people killed when a man drove a car into a crowd at a sports complex.

Afghanistan embassies in Britain and Norway loyal to the pro-Western authorities ousted by the Taliban in 2021 discreetly shut down this autumn, as the West seeks a more pragmatic approach to the country's Islamic rulers.

The Philippines ordered evacuations ahead of Typhoon Usagi on Wednesday, as the UN disaster office sought $32.9 million in aid for the country after storms that killed more than 150 people.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken will meet with NATO and EU officials Wednesday to urgently discuss ramping up support for Ukraine before Donald Trump reclaims the White House -- potentially jeopardising future aid.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping headed to Peru on Wednesday, bound for a meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organisation leaders overshadowed by fears of renewed global trade tensions under Donald Trump.

Former Wales flanker Alix Popham has told AFP he hopes the new chairman of World Rugby will push for the changes required to prevent players from suffering the long-term effects of successive head injuries, as he has done.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven is considering going private by buying back its own shares in a bid to avoid a takeover by Canadian rival Couche-Tard, reports said on Wednesday.

Palau's president has accused China of flouting the Pacific nation's maritime borders, raising concerns about research vessels lurking "uninvited" within its waters.

Workers in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai removed flowers and candles early Wednesday from a makeshift memorial to 35 people killed when a man drove a car into a crowd in one of the country's deadliest mass-casualty events in years.

Electric vehicles need batteries, and most batteries are made with lithium, a critical material European automakers are chasing as they face tough competition from China.

Asian markets fell again Wednesday as traders fret over the impact of Donald Trump's presidency on the Chinese and global economies, with fears that his policies could also reignite US inflation.

A controversial trade deal between the EU and South America's Mercosur bloc is back in the spotlight with rekindled optimism that the two sides could conclude an agreement before the year is over.

France, Italy and Portugal lead the teams attempting to secure a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, while England's promotion hopes have been hit by a series of withdrawals.

Donald Trump's impending White House return poses questions once again about conflicts of interest related to his business empire, with new cryptocurrency and other ventures raising fresh concerns.

Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia at the centre of a diplomatic storm, holds a presidential election on Wednesday at a tense moment in the Horn of Africa.

With his team's 5-1 win over Spain, Hector Sanchez could truly say he was an international football champion -- though not in the way he dreamed of as a child.

Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, will lead a new US "government efficiency" group tasked with cutting federal waste, as the Republican president-elect added a series of seasoned figures and hard-liners to his incoming administration.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is set to visit Tehran on Wednesday for crucial talks on Iran's nuclear programme, warning just ahead of his trip that room for manoeuvre is narrowing.