Ryanair pilots across Europe staged a coordinated 24-hour strike on Friday to push their demands for better pay and conditions, plunging tens of thousands of passengers into transport chaos at the peak of the busy summer season.

US forces launched airstrikes Friday to counter a major Taliban assault on an Afghan provincial capital, where terrified residents cowered in their homes amid explosions and gunfire as security forces fought to beat the insurgents back.

Russia warned Friday that if the US followed through with threats to impose further harsh economic sanctions it would be seen as a "declaration of economic war".

Brazil's top presidential candidates -- minus imprisoned frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- have clashed in the first debate of the campaign, showcasing sharp divides in Latin America's biggest nation.

The Slovenian-born parents of Melania Trump became US citizens at a naturalization ceremony in New York on Thursday, reportedly taking advantage of a family reunification program President Donald Trump has vehemently denounced.

Ryanair is bracing for mass travel disruptions on Friday as pilots across Europe begin a coordinated 24-hour strike to push their demands for better pay and conditions at the peak of the busy summer season.

Japan Friday launched an unprecedented probe into gender discrimination at all the nation's medical universities after a Tokyo medical school admitted altering the entrance test results of female applicants to exclude them.

Taliban militants have launched an attack on an Afghan provincial capital and heavy fighting is under way as security forces try to beat them back, with terrified residents cowering in their homes amid explosions and gunfire.

When Jiang Cheng first tried a bit of concealer during his first year of university in China it gave him self-confidence and he was instantly hooked.

Salt consumption exceeds national and World Health Organization guidelines in most countries, but only the highest-sodium diets, such as in China, are linked to clear health risks, researchers said Friday.

Gary Woodland, who has never cracked the top-10 in 27 major starts, fired a six-under par 64 on Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead over fellow American Rickie Fowler after the opening round of the 100th PGA Championship.

Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday unveiled details of plans to build a US Space Force that would become the sixth branch of America's massive military, saying the time has come to prepare for "the next battlefield."

An attack on a bus at a market in rebel-held northern Yemen killed at least 29 children Thursday, the Red Cross said, as the Saudi-led coalition faced a growing outcry over the strike.

Israel and Gazan militants engaged in a new exchange of fire Thursday after a brief pause in deadly hostilities, with a strike flattening a building in the Palestinian enclave and a rocket landing deep inside the Jewish state.

The Kremlin on Thursday vowed to retaliate against "unacceptable" new US sanctions against Russia over its alleged role in a nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain, which prompted the ruble and Russian stocks to tumble.

Argentina's senators on Thursday voted against legalizing abortion in the homeland of Pope Francis, dashing the hopes of women's rights groups after the bill was approved by the legislature's lower house months earlier.

The death toll from a devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok jumped to 319 Thursday, as strong aftershocks triggered panic among traumatised survivors waiting for aid in the worst-hit regions.

An attack on a bus carrying children in rebel-held northern Yemen on Thursday left dozens of people dead or wounded, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

Curious customers lay on beds and nestled into armchairs Thursday as Ikea opened its first Indian outlet, hoping to wow a burgeoning middle class with offerings tweaked to local tastes, including its famous meatballs.

Dr. Isima Sobande was in medical school when she first heard of mothers who bleached the skin of their babies.

Ikea's first Indian outlet opened on Thursday, with more than 200 eager shoppers queueing in the underground car park to escape the heat as a military band played a crowd-pleasing medley inside.

The day that Soviet-led armies rolled into communist Czechoslovakia to put an end to a pro-democracy movement changed Milan Tesar's life.

A super-legislative body loyal to President Nicolas Maduro revoked the immunity of two Venezuelan opposition lawmakers Wednesday, in order to put them on trial for allegedly masterminding a drone "assassination" bid on the leader.

Tributes flowed for Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle Thursday after he lost his battle with cancer, dying aged 36 after halting treatment for leukaemia last week.

Men trying to become a father the old-fashioned way are better off wearing loose underwear, according to a study published Thursday.

Thousands of firefighters, backed by US troops and crews from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, made progress Wednesday in their battle with California's biggest wildfire on record -- but the weather forecast for the rest of the week is not promising, officials said.

A man arrested in a raid on a squalid compound in New Mexico was training children living there to carry out school shootings, prosecutors said Wednesday.

When Jiang Cheng first tried a bit of concealer during his first year of university in China it gave him self-confidence and he was instantly hooked.

Salt consumption exceeds national and World Health Organization guidelines in most countries, but only the highest-sodium diets, such as in China, are linked to clear health risks, researchers said Friday.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy Note 9 smartphone Thursday, its latest effort to address flagging sales of the high-functioning gadgets.

Brazil's government is contesting a court suspension of licenses for products with glyphosate, one of the most common industrial weedkillers and the subject of a high-profile US case against agrochemical colossus Monsanto.

Over the past 15 years, the United States has seen a fourfold increase in pregnant women addicted to painkillers, the latest troubling statistic in an ongoing epidemic of opioid abuse, officials said Thursday.

Most Canadians say they probably won't try cannabis and, if they already use it, won't use more of the mood-altering drug when it becomes legal, according to a survey published Thursday.

Argentina's senators on Thursday voted against legalizing abortion in the homeland of Pope Francis, dashing the hopes of women's rights groups after the bill was approved by the legislature's lower house months earlier.

Skin bleaching in Africa is gaining popularity despite many health risks.

Dr. Isima Sobande was in medical school when she first heard of mothers who bleached the skin of their babies.

Men trying to become a father the old-fashioned way are better off wearing loose underwear, according to a study published Thursday.

As Shanghai swelters under a summer heat wave, it sometimes looks as if people are dropping dead from the torrid temperatures on the city's best-known shopping avenue.

Ikea's first Indian outlet opened on Thursday, with more than 200 eager shoppers queueing in the underground car park to escape the heat as a military band played a crowd-pleasing medley inside.

Foie gras paired with wasabi, Japanese-style open kitchens and a fierce work ethic: Joel Robuchon, hailed as "chef of the century" on his death this week, drew great inspiration from Japan, where 10 establishments now bear his name.

Men trying to become a father the old-fashioned way are better off wearing loose underwear, according to a study published Thursday.

Cancer-stricken Dewayne Johnson vowed to fight to his death in a David versus Goliath court battle against agrochemical giant Monsanto, whose weed killer he blames for robbing him of his future.

The Ford Mustang -- an iconic American symbol of cool -- reached a major milestone Wednesday as the 10 millionth vehicle rolled off an assembly line at a Detroit-area plant.

Most people who use online dating websites seek partners who are out of their league, said a study Wednesday based on heterosexuals in four big US cities.

Ikea's boss promised Wednesday to meet the "needs, frustrations and dreams" of local consumers with the Swedish firm's first Indian store, its second attempt to break into a vast but difficult market.

Ikea's boss promised Wednesday to meet the "needs, frustrations and dreams" of local consumers with the Swedish firm's first Indian store, its second attempt to break into a vast but difficult market.

Suha Abdelhamid's life has dramatically improved over the past two months -- thanks to the removal of fortified roadblocks that had made her daily commute in Iraq's capital a misery.

Hardly anybody likes hospital food but in Venezuela, it's so awful -- monotonous, starchy diets cooked in filthy conditions, and newborns fed intravenous solution for lack of baby formula -- that experts call it an actual health risk.

Italian mosaics, once all the rage in France, fell into neglect and ruin by the 1970s, when homeowners began covering them up with parquet floors or even linoleum.

Nine confirmed Ebola victims have died since the virus resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo this month, the country's health ministry said Tuesday.

About one in seven babies who were exposed to the Zika virus in the womb have at least one developmental defect a year later, said a US study Tuesday.

City authorities in Vienna declared victory Tuesday in their clampdown on dockless bike sharing schemes which they said were cluttering up public spaces.

Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Chinese telecoms behemoth Huawei, likens the company to a ruthless "wolf" tirelessly running down its prey, an ethos that could soon make it the apex predator of the smartphone world.

Tokyo's Gotokuji temple has long attracted spiritual visitors with its thousands of figurines of beckoning white cats, thought to bring good luck. But of late it has brought in another breed: Instagrammers.

After ordering football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to pay 18.8 million euros ($21.6 million) to settle a tax fraud claim, Spanish authorities have reduced the sum by two million euros, the El Mundo daily reported Friday.

Marco Silva can spearhead a welcome period of stability for English Premier League side Everton after they went through five managers in the past five years, according to the club's chief executive.

Stephen Curry trailed the leaders by eight strokes after shooting a one over 71 on Thursday in the opening round of the Web.com Tour's Ellie Mae Classic.

Former All Blacks lock Chris Jack revealed Thursday he was likely responsible for dislocating a referee's shoulder during a bizarre incident at a Test match 16 years ago that saw an irate, pitch-invading South Africa fan charged with assault.

Philadelphia Eagles players Malcolm Jenkins and De'Vante Bausby raised their fists in protest during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner prior to Thursday's exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Peng Shuai has denied wrongdoing and vowed to return to tennis after the Chinese star was banned for six months and fined $10,000 for attempting to force her doubles partner to withdraw from Wimbledon.

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has signed up to a "historic" five-year contract that will secure him through to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Rugby Australia said Friday.

A 45-minute rain interruption did little to stop the progress of Rafael Nadal on Thursday at the Toronto Masters as he defeated Stan Wawrinka 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) to reach the quarter-finals.

Mauricio Pochettino insists he is not unhappy at Tottenham's inaction during the transfer window, but the true test of his club's decision not to make a single signing will come as the new Premier League season unfolds.

Philadelphia Eagles players Malcolm Jenkins and De'Vante Bausby raised their fists in protest during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner prior to Thursday's exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Gary Woodland, who has never cracked the top-10 in 27 major starts, fired a six-under par 64 on Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead over fellow American Rickie Fowler after the opening round of the 100th PGA Championship.

American Rickie Fowler saw his clubhouse lead trimmed but remained atop the leaderboard late in Thursday's opening round of the 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.

Rory McIlroy played down injury fears after Thursday's opening round of the 100th PGA Championship, in which the four-time major champion wore an anti-inflammatory patch on his right forearm.

Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain 12 months ago in a bid to move out of Lionel Messi's shadow and confirm his status as one of the world's best players, but the Brazilian may have to share the mantle of talisman with teenage prodigy Kylian Mbappe this season.

Vincent Kompany has warned Manchester City's rivals that the Premier League champions won't rest on their laurels as they aim to follow their record-breaking season with another title triumph.

Fans have a chance of investing in an agency discovering young football talent in what is a "revolutionary" moment for the sport, Diego Maradona's former agent Jon Smith told AFP.

With the Premier League's transfer window closing on Thursday, the top title contenders have completed their squad building until January.

A linesman suffered a head injury when an object was thrown at him during Thursday's Europa League clash between Sturm Graz of Austria and AEK Larnaca from Cyprus, the Austrian club said as it condemned the attack.

A frantic 48 hours in the transfer market provided Chelsea with a timely lift after last weekend's Community Shield defeat to Manchester City.

Jose Mourinho insists Paul Pogba remains happy and motivated at Manchester United despite reports claiming the France star is unsettled and wants to join Barcelona.

Everton secured the services of Colombian World Cup star Yerry Mina from Barcelona on an unusually quiet deadline day in the Premier League as Manchester United failed to satisfy manager Jose Mourinho's desire to sign a centre-back.

Britain's Ian Poulter has four wins in five Ryder Cup appearances and hopes a late charge in qualifying might earn him a European automatic berth for next month's showdown in France.

Southampton have landed Liverpool striker Danny Ings on a season-long loan with an agreement to sign him permanently at the end of the campaign.

Jason Day fought back tears Thursday after his opening round of the PGA Championship, heartbroken at the death of his friend Jarrod Lyle, the former tour player who died Wednesday.

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated his second seed in as many days at the Toronto Masters on Thursday, stunning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

World number one Simona Halep won a three-hour, seven-minute marathon to defeat Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova to reach the third round in Montreal on Thursday but faces a return to the court later in the day to take on Venus Williams at the rain-hit US Open tune-up.

France's Mahiedine Mekhissi joined an elite band of athletes Thursday after he claimed his fifth European title on a scintillating night of track and field in Berlin that saw a trio of world champions shine.

After ordering football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to pay 18.8 million euros ($21.6 million) to settle a tax fraud claim, Spanish authorities have reduced the sum by two million euros, the El Mundo daily reported Friday.

The Slovenian-born parents of Melania Trump became US citizens at a naturalization ceremony in New York on Thursday, reportedly taking advantage of a family reunification program President Donald Trump has vehemently denounced.

Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, who has mounted a legal challenge after being disinherited by his Hollywood composer father, said Friday he will take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Thirty years ago an all-female folk choir set up in Bulgaria became the darling of Western audiences with its tradition-steeped a cappella singing, before the fall of communism threatened its survival.

The death of Margot Kidder, the actress who soared to fame in the '70s playing Lois Lane in the "Superman" movies, has been ruled a suicide, a Montana coroner's office said.

A thief who pretended to be Daddy Yankee stole two million euros in jewels from the reggaeton star's hotel room safe in Spain, his representatives and local media said Thursday.

Manchester United star Alexis Sanchez announced on his Instagram account on Thursday that a film about his life is due out in Chile next year.

Indian movie star Kamal Haasan, whose latest film releases Friday, enjoys causing a stir as an actor and now he is looking to shake up Indian politics as well.

Propaganda-fuelled Soviet soldiers were ready to take on American and German armies during the 1968 invasion of former Czechoslovakia -- before they realised the "enemies" were filmmakers.

Foie gras paired with wasabi, Japanese-style open kitchens and a fierce work ethic: Joel Robuchon, hailed as "chef of the century" on his death this week, drew great inspiration from Japan, where 10 establishments now bear his name.

Organizers of the Oscars -- under fire for plummeting ratings and accused of elitism -- on Wednesday announced the creation of a new category to honor top blockbusters and said they would shorten the ceremony to attract more viewers.

"Boring bonehead questions are not cool. Next?" Tesla chief Elon Musk complained in May, shortly before shutting down questions from Wall Street.

Russian security services on Wednesday prevented Maria Alyokhina of punk protest group Pussy Riot from flying out of the country to perform at a top arts festival, she said.

American pop star Pink has been discharged from an Australian hospital after being treated for an "excruciating" gastric virus, but has cancelled another Sydney concert scheduled for Thursday while she recovers.

The long-ruling supremo of amateur boxing in Japan announced his resignation Wednesday, throwing in the towel after weeks of media frenzy over a range of scandals including bout-rigging, ties to a mobster and misusing grants.

Pop star Lady Gaga on Tuesday announced a residency in Las Vegas with twin shows to display her two sides -- extravagant and glitzy, and stripped back and jazzy.

A small district of Los Angeles has asked that Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame be removed, in part because of the way he treats women.

Major music label Warner said Tuesday it would give back $126 million to artists after it sold its stake in streaming leader Spotify.

Former Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg has raised $1 billion in initial funding for his NewTV start-up seeking to tailor television to smartphone lifestyles, pulling in Hollywood's biggest studios.

The multi-starred French chef Joel Robuchon, who died on Monday aged 73, will be honoured with a public ceremony next week near his hometown in central France, a spokeswoman for his family told AFP on Tuesday.

Pop legend Janet Jackson and fast-rising rapper Cardi B will headline the Global Citizen festival in New York to rally support for preserving international aid to eradicate extreme poverty.

Award-winning US television drama "Homeland" will air its eighth and final season next year.

Beyonce has called for a greater acceptance of naturally curvy figures, saying she was listening more to her body after giving birth to twins by Caesarean section last year.

American pop star Pink has been forced to cancel several Sydney shows on her Australia tour after being hospitalised with a virus and dehydration.

Singing show tunes and "America the Beautiful" next to letters spelling "TREASON" in front of the White House, several Broadway stars lent their voices Monday to the latest protest against Donald Trump's presidency.

The US Justice Department attacked Monday a court ruling that allowed June's $85 billion mega-merger between AT&T and Time Warner to go forward, saying a federal judge had relied on faulty economics.

Robert Redford, the screen legend and Oscar winner, has announced that he's retiring from acting at the grand old age of 81, with upcoming movie "The Old Man & The Gun" his last gig in front of the camera.

NASA counted down Friday to the launch of a $1.5 billion spacecraft that aims to plunge into the Sun's sizzling atmosphere and become humanity's first mission to explore a star.

New Zealand became the latest country Friday to outlaw single-use plastic shopping bags, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying they will be phased out over the next year as a "meaningful step" towards reducing pollution.

Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday unveiled details of plans to build a US Space Force that would become the sixth branch of America's massive military, saying the time has come to prepare for "the next battlefield."

Wildfires which have blazed along a stretch of Portugal's Algarve for a week died down on Thursday, but fears remained that winds could reignite the flames.

Icelandic conservationists have asked prosecutors to probe whether the killing of a rare hybrid whale was illegal, a lawyer said on Thursday.

After spending 15 years on Wall Street, Francois Cazalot had had enough and moved out West to become a firefighter.

US forecasters on Thursday downgraded their hurricane season predictions, saying that ocean conditions suggest it's now likely that a below-average number of storms will strike the Atlantic and Caribbean this year.

Sweden's wildfires and drought have caused the environment to become the second most important issue after immigration for Swedes before the September 9 general election, a poll showed Thursday.

The death toll from a devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok jumped to 319 Thursday, as strong aftershocks triggered panic among traumatised survivors waiting for aid in the worst-hit regions.

Men trying to become a father the old-fashioned way are better off wearing loose underwear, according to a study published Thursday.

A caterpillar native to the Americas that has devastated crops across Africa has made its way to Asia, scientists in India said Thursday, warning of a threat to food security.

A rare set of teeth from a giant prehistoric mega-shark twice the size of the great white have been found on an Australian beach by a keen-eyed amateur enthusiast, scientists said Thursday.

Thousands of firefighters, backed by US troops and crews from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, made progress Wednesday in their battle with California's biggest wildfire on record -- but the weather forecast for the rest of the week is not promising, officials said.

Typhoon Shanshan clipped Japan's eastern coast on Thursday morning, sparing Tokyo but bringing heavy rain, strong winds and high waves to some areas along the Pacific coast.

As out-of-control wildfires ravage large swathes of Portugal, Spain and northern California, AFP talked to scientists about the ways in which global warming can amplify the problem.

Crews battling the biggest wildfire on record in California have made some progress but the weather forecast for the rest of the week is not promising, authorities said Wednesday.

A powerful typhoon was churning towards Japan on Wednesday, prompting the weather agency to warn of heavy rain and strong winds and forcing airlines to cancel scores of flights.

Wildfires scorched across Portugal's southern Algarve region on Wednesday, threatening more villages as the country's prime minister warned the blaze could burn for days before being brought under control.

Sri Lanka Wednesday announced plans to substantially extend electric fencing after marauding elephants killed 375 people in the past five years and villagers retaliated by slaughtering nearly 1,200 of the beasts.

Israel on Wednesday unveiled a golden earring dating from the second or third century BC, found in the shadow of the Old City walls in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

An apparent online ivory store which caused a furore in Singapore has been exposed as a hoax set up by environmental group WWF to highlight perceived shortcomings in local laws.

Hurricane Hector whirled toward Hawaii Tuesday with 130 mph winds, bringing the threat of dangerous sea swells on two islands in the US archipelago state.

A crippling drought is ravaging vast tracts of Australia's pastoral heartlands, decimating herds and putting desperate farmers under intense financial and emotional strain, with little relief in sight.

The lawyer for a California groundskeeper dying of cancer urged jurors Tuesday to make Monsanto pay hundreds of millions of dollars for failing to warn about the health risks of weed killer Roundup.

NASA is poised to launch a $1.5 billion spacecraft on a brutally hot journey toward the Sun, offering scientists the closest-ever view of our strange and mysterious star.

Europe's scorching heatwave has killed nine people in a week in Spain, health authorities said Tuesday, as stifling temperatures kindled wildfires in the country and neighbouring Portugal where a ferocious blaze encircled a resort town.

Hundreds of Portuguese firefighters and soldiers battled ferocious forest fires that threatened to engulf an Algarve resort town Tuesday as meteorologists warned of "significant winds" to come.