AFP driver Mohammad Akhtar, a 31-year-old father of four who was among 23 people killed in a suicide attack in Kabul, was a "great friend" known for his kindness and honesty, colleagues said Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday described a vaccine safety scandal as "vile" and "shocking" as police opened a criminal investigation into the firm responsible and its management.

A world AIDS assembly opens in Amsterdam on Monday hoping to harness the star power of activists Elton John and Prince Harry to bolster the battle against an epidemic experts warn may yet spiral out of control.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff denied Monday that the use of team orders in Sunday's spectacular German Grand Prix signalled that Lewis Hamilton would be preferred as the number one driver.

Mesut Ozil's decision to quit playing for Germany unleashed a racism storm in Berlin on Monday, but earned the applause of Ankara with a Turkish minister hailing "a goal against the virus of fascism".

A 29-year-old gunman opened fire on pedestrians in a bustling Toronto neighborhood, killing two and wounding a dozen others, police in Canada's largest city said Monday, adding the suspect was found dead in an alley after an exchange of gunfire with police.

France's interior minister on Monday defended his handling of a video showing a top security aide to President Emmanuel Macron hitting a May Day protester, a scandal that has rocked the government and prompted accusations of a cover-up.

Standing in a field of roses in eastern Afghanistan, former poppy grower Mohammad Din Sapai quickly but carefully plucks the delicate petals that will be turned into rose water and oils for sale around the world.

President Donald Trump on Sunday hit back at bellicose comments by Iran's president, warning him of dire consequences as the US intensifies its campaign against the Islamic republic.

Mesut Ozil on Monday was warmly applauded by Turkey but faced uproar at home in Germany after announcing he was quitting the German national football team, lambasting "racism" over criticism for the side's World Cup debacle.

Turkish ministers on Monday warmly applauded the decision of Turkish-origin German footballer Mesut Ozil to quit the national team on the grounds of racism, with one senior minister hailing "a goal against the virus of fascism."

A gunman opened fire in central Toronto on Sunday night, injuring nine people including a child before being shot dead, police reported.

President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran of consequences "the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered," if it threatens the United States.

New Zealand became the first team in history to win back-to-back World Cup Sevens crowns Sunday, completing a clean sweep of titles with a 33-12 defeat of England in the final at AT&T Park.

A California groundskeeper dying of cancer is slated to testify Monday before jurors hearing evidence in his lawsuit blaming Monsanto weed killer Roundup for his terminal illness.

New Zealand became the first team in history to win back-to-back World Cup Sevens crowns on Sunday, defeating England 33-12 in the final at AT&T Park.

Group of 20 members pleaded on Sunday for increased dialogue to defuse escalating trade tensions that could hit global economic growth hard.

Superstar Denzel Washington had never made a sequel in a career reaching back nearly four decades, but when he did, with the Sony/Columbia production of "The Equalizer 2," it managed to open at the top of the North American box office.

Italian media and politicians Sunday saluted Sergio Marchionne, who has stepped down after 14 years heading auto giant Fiat as he is suffering with serious health problems believed to be life-threatening.

French IT services group Atos said Sunday it has agreed to buy US information technology group Syntel in a move to significantly expand its presence in North America.

Israel evacuated hundreds of White Helmets rescuers and their family members threatened by advancing Syrian regime forces to Jordan on Sunday for resettlement in Western countries.

The FBI believed that a former campaign advisor to Donald Trump was "collaborating" with Russia as it worked to influence the 2016 presidential election, top secret documents released to US news organizations have revealed.

Italy's Francesco Molinari emerged from the pack in a thrilling finale at Carnoustie to win the British Open on Sunday, seeing off the challenges of reigning champion Jordan Spieth and a revived Tiger Woods to win the first major of his career.

A suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded 60 at the entrance to Kabul international airport on Sunday, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Mesut Ozil said Sunday he was quitting the German national football team, citing "racism" in the criticism of him in the side's World Cup debacle.

Britain will only pay its EU divorce bill if the bloc agrees the framework for a future trade deal, the new Brexit Secretary warned in an interview published Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton said he'd "never been in a race like this" after his stunning victory in a spectacular rain-hit German Grand Prix which saw title rival Sebastian Vettel crash out of contention.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday described a vaccine safety scandal as "vile" and "shocking" as police opened a criminal investigation into the firm responsible and its management.

A world AIDS assembly opens in Amsterdam on Monday hoping to harness the star power of activists Elton John and Prince Harry to bolster the battle against an epidemic experts warn may yet spiral out of control.

From a distance, the Gile National Reserve in northern Mozambique is a vast, dense ocean of green that reaches as far as the horizon.

Standing in a field of roses in eastern Afghanistan, former poppy grower Mohammad Din Sapai quickly but carefully plucks the delicate petals that will be turned into rose water and oils for sale around the world.

German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer will withdraw its controversial Essure contraceptive implants from sale in the United States, the last country where they are available, more than a year after they were discontinued in Europe.

Young boys scramble up the remains of a crumbling section of the ancient city wall in the Kofar Na'isa area of Kano, in northern Nigeria.

The AIDS epidemic risks resurging and spiralling out of control unless billions of extra dollars are pumped into prevention and treatment, experts warned Sunday on the eve of a major world conference.

Dozens of hot air balloons dot the skies over Italy's central Umbria region as enthusiasts gather from around the world for two weeks of friendly competition.

Al Enriquez sheds his threadbare street vendor clothes like dead skin and develops a voguish, winking air once he slips into a gauzy gown and wig of tight blond curls.

Thousands of people, some serious racers but others plucky amateurs, swam from Asia to Europe across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul on Sunday in Turkey's most iconic swimming race.

Propped up by a mobility frame in a rehabilitation centre in Syria's capital, Abdulghani Ghayyana carefully inches forward on two artificial legs, as he walks for the first time in over a year.

Jonathan Gold, the Los Angeles restaurant critic whose reviews of the city's neighborhood eateries became a window into its soul, died Saturday aged 57, his newspaper reported.

"If they don't agree to using a condom, I kick them out," says Foxxy Angel, a 47-year-old platinum blonde sexworker, sporting some fearsome tattoos, in Amsterdam's notorious red light district.

Burberry, which has been in the crosshairs for burning tens of millions of dollars of its products, is far from the only firm to destroy unsold goods to maintain the exclusivity and luxury mystique of their brands.

The number of drunk mostly British and Irish tourists ending up in hospital in Spain's Balearic Islands after jumping from balconies has spiked this year, a surgeon who has studied the dangerous craze warned Friday.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on Brazilian lawmakers to reject a proposed law to relax regulations on the use of pesticides as it published a report blaming powerful landowners for the poisoning of rural residents.

Japan on Friday enacted a controversial law to allow casinos that the government says will boost tourism and growth but was bitterly opposed by the opposition.

Israel is set for nationwide strike action on Sunday over new legislation denying surrogacy to gay couples, with a trade union urging employers to let their staff join the walkout.

A heatwave in Japan that has killed more than a dozen people is reviving concerns about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which will be held during the country's notoriously sweltering summer.

Nestled high in the mountains of Lesotho, skiers and snowboarders from around the world rub shoulders at Africa's leading ski resort, which is cultivating a loyal clientele despite its diminutive size and remote location.

Blessed with a coastline that stretches for hundreds of kilometres across flat sandy expanses and rugged coves, Morocco's beaches should be a magnet -- but a litter crisis risks repelling sun seekers, citizens say.

Ryanair pilots unhappy over pay and other work conditions carried out further strike action Friday, unions said, resulting in the cancellation of 24 flights between Ireland and the UK.

A high school drop-out dubbed the "Michael Jordan of eSports" has helped make South Korea a major power in video-gaming -- and is now leading its push to be recognised by the mainstream.

Thousands of experts and activists descend on Amsterdam Monday to bolster the battle against AIDS amid warnings that "dangerous complacency" may cause a resurgence of the epidemic that has already killed 35 million people.

The World Cup may be over but passion for the game burns bright in the world's largest refugee camp, where Brazil and Argentina flags still flutter alongside the red and green of Bangladesh, which hosts nearly a million Rohingya Muslims forced out of Myanmar.

Luxury British fashion house Burberry destroyed tens of millions of dollars worth of its fashion and cosmetic products over the past year to protect its brand.

When a stricken Southwest Airlines jet was expertly landed after an emergency descent in April, saving 148 lives, it was a surprise to some that a woman was at the controls.

The German Football Association (DFB) on Monday rejected claims of racism against their president Reinhard Grindel made by Mesut Ozil in his announcement that he has retired from international football.

Here are the key moments that culminated in Mesut Ozil's bombshell announcement he was retiring from international football after a career including Germany's triumph at the 2014 World Cup:

Defending champion Chris Froome said he is ready to sacrifice a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory if it helps Sky teammate Geraint Thomas claim his maiden yellow jersey.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff denied Monday that the use of team orders in Sunday's spectacular German Grand Prix signalled that Lewis Hamilton would be preferred as the number one driver.

Mesut Ozil's decision to quit playing for Germany unleashed a racism storm in Berlin on Monday, but earned the applause of Ankara with a Turkish minister hailing "a goal against the virus of fascism".

Team Sky chief Dave Brailsford hit out at organisers on Monday for failing to stop "intimidating" abuse of his riders and staff as they attempt to win the Tour de France.

Rangana Herath struck twice late in the morning session to dent South Africa's fightback led by an unbeaten half-century by Theunis de Bruyn on day four of the second Test on Monday.

Mesut Ozil on Monday was warmly applauded by Turkey but faced uproar at home in Germany after announcing he was quitting the German national football team, lambasting "racism" over criticism for the side's World Cup debacle.

World Rugby chiefs have declared the "brutal" knockout format of the World Cup Sevens a success but coaches have urged officials to think twice before using the same system more widely.

New Zealand became the first team in history to win back-to-back World Cup Sevens crowns Sunday, completing a clean sweep of titles with a 33-12 defeat of England in the final at AT&T Park.

New Zealand became the first team in history to win back-to-back World Cup Sevens crowns on Sunday, defeating England 33-12 in the final at AT&T Park.

An agonizing start-and-stop day that saw multiple weather delays at the PGA Tour's Barbasol championship ended before the four co-leaders teed off in the fourth round.

It was expected that recent American dominance of the majors would continue at the British Open, but instead Carnoustie delivered Italy's first ever winner of the Claret Jug in the shape of Francesco Molinari.

Tiger Woods may have had to watch playing partner Francesco Molinari lift The Claret Jug after winning the British Open but all his rivals will have taken note of the American's return to form.

Third seeded Steve Johnson defeated first time finalist Ramkumar Ramanathan of India 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 to capture the ATP Tour's Newport tournament on Sunday.

Italian Gianni Moscon, a Team Sky teammate of defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome, was thrown off the race Sunday after an altercation with a fellow rider, officials said.

Nairo Quintana said he would welcome rivals Chris Froome and Tom Dumoulin paying for their efforts in the Giro d'Italia in May as he looks to relaunch his Tour de France bid in the Pyrenees.

Italy's Francesco Molinari emerged from the pack in a thrilling finale at Carnoustie to win the British Open on Sunday, seeing off the challenges of reigning champion Jordan Spieth and a revived Tiger Woods to win the first major of his career.

Mesut Ozil said Sunday he was quitting the German national football team, citing "racism" in the criticism of him in the side's World Cup debacle.

Tiger Woods at one moment looked like completing an astonishing fairytale comeback when he led the British Open in the final round on Sunday but ultimately came up short, posting a level par 71 to finish five-under for the tournament.

Italian Gianni Moscon, a Team Sky teammate of defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome, was thrown off the race Sunday after an altercation with a fellow rider, officials said.

A history-making chapter in the life of Geraint Thomas may be around the corner, but the "buzz" of wearing the Tour de France yellow jersey is starting to weigh heavily.

A record double-century partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan lifted Bangladesh to a competitive total of 279 for four on Sunday in the opening ODI against the West Indies.

Rory McIlroy put memories of a flat final-round performance at the Masters firmly behind him with a battling last round at the British Open on Sunday as he posted a one-under-par 70 to finish six-under overall.

Italy's Francesco Molinari emerged from the pack on a thrilling final day at Carnoustie to win the British Open on Sunday, seeing off the challenges of reigning champion Jordan Spieth and a revived Tiger Woods to win the first major of his career.

Lewis Hamilton said he'd "never been in a race like this" after his stunning victory in a spectacular rain-hit German Grand Prix which saw title rival Sebastian Vettel crash out of contention.

Lewis Hamilton kept his victory in the German Grand Prix on Sunday despite being summoned to the stewards for an aborted pit stop during the safety car period of the race.

As the crowd swells with anticipation for their leader Shahbaz Sharif's arrival a DJ blares the anthem "Respect the vote", while supporters chant slogans and sway to the synth-driven dance track.

Superstar Denzel Washington had never made a sequel in a career reaching back nearly four decades, but when he did, with the Sony/Columbia production of "The Equalizer 2," it managed to open at the top of the North American box office.

Dozens of hot air balloons dot the skies over Italy's central Umbria region as enthusiasts gather from around the world for two weeks of friendly competition.

A legion of pop culture devotees packed up their graphic novels, nursed hangovers and folded away superhero costumes for another year on Saturday as San Diego Comic-Con began winding down.

Jonathan Gold, the Los Angeles restaurant critic whose reviews of the city's neighborhood eateries became a window into its soul, died Saturday aged 57, his newspaper reported.

Warner Bros. closed the final full day of the Comic-Con International fanfest on Saturday as the belle of the ball, bringing its roster of superheroes to take a bow in San Diego.

The world's largest fan convention bid a poignant farewell to the star of the most successful show in cable TV history on Friday as zombies took over San Diego Comic-Con.

Gabriel Garzon-Montano's career trajectory a few years ago sounded, to his friends at least, to be the envy of a musician on the make.

With its fairytale towers, quirky animated sculptures, fantastical constructions and musical fountains, the inventive world crafted out of discarded junk by the man known as the "Scrap Metal Poet" is tucked away deep in the northwestern French countryside.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise director James Gunn has been axed from the third movie over a series of offensive messages posted on Twitter several years ago.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift will take to the silver screen alongside Jennifer Hudson in a film adaptation of the popular hit musical "Cats," reports said Friday.

YouTube has offered the first glimpse of its new sci-fi thriller series fronted by "Harry Potter" star Tom Felton -- revealing it is an "Alien"-like horror story on an isolated ship.

A Kenyan court has sentenced a 24-year-old jail beauty queen to death for murdering her boyfriend by stabbing him 25 times, drawing criticism from rights groups who called the punishment "inhumane".

Art work, film memorabilia and personal items owned by the late actor Robin Williams will go under the hammer in New York this October, more than four years after his death, Sotheby's announced Friday.

Police in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty have detained a suspect after the murder of Olympic figure skating hero Denis Ten, who won bronze at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the city prosecutor said.

British actress Jodie Whittaker was unveiled Thursday as the first woman to play "Doctor Who," telling fans of the cult BBC series she felt the weight of history -- but that gender should be irrelevant.

Fox kicked off San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday with world premiere footage of its action horror retread "The Predator," showcasing a new supercharged alien hunter.

Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield has spent a quarter-century traveling the world to chronicle excessive consumerism in all its forms and the elusive pursuit of happiness.

Brazilian superstar Neymar on Thursday sought to quash speculation about his future, insisting he planned to remain with French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

DHL heir Larry Hillbroom Jr. was on the run in the Pacific island nation of Palau Friday after failing mandatory drug testing imposed as part of a trafficking sentence.

AMC's "Better Call Saul" made its debut at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, generating buzz among devotees with a new character from sleazy attorney Saul Goodman's future.

Award-winning composers lifted the lid on the sounds behind some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters and hit TV shows as Comic-Con kicked off day one on Thursday.

Chance the Rapper has entered the news business by buying the Chicagoist website -- and announced the purchase through song Thursday.

"First Man", the hotly-awaited new film from Damien Chazelle -- Oscar-winning director of "La La Land" -- will kick off the 2018 Venice Film Festival, organisers announced Thursday.

Pop stalwart Rod Stewart returned Thursday with a wistful song about a child's struggles with drugs as the singer announced a new album.

As eight-year-old Eiki Shimabukuro left Japan in 1959 with his parents and five siblings for the two-month sea voyage to Brazil, passengers were given ribbons linking them to those who stayed behind.

Spanish basketball giant Marc Gasol, star of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, recounted the dramatic sea rescue of a migrant off the Libyan coast in which he took part, in a video sent to AFP Thursday.

Sweden is facing an "extreme" risk of more wildfires in coming days because of hot and dry weather, authorities warned Monday, as dozens of fires raged across the Scandinavian country.

From a distance, the Gile National Reserve in northern Mozambique is a vast, dense ocean of green that reaches as far as the horizon.

Standing in a field of roses in eastern Afghanistan, former poppy grower Mohammad Din Sapai quickly but carefully plucks the delicate petals that will be turned into rose water and oils for sale around the world.

Thailand is in hot pursuit of a cagey crocodile that has made unwelcome appearances off the beaches of resort island Phuket only to slip through the clutches of local authorities.

Young boys scramble up the remains of a crumbling section of the ancient city wall in the Kofar Na'isa area of Kano, in northern Nigeria.

Dozens of French soldiers specialised in firefighting arrived in Sweden early Monday to tackle blazes raging across the country during an extreme heatwave.

Burberry, which has been in the crosshairs for burning tens of millions of dollars of its products, is far from the only firm to destroy unsold goods to maintain the exclusivity and luxury mystique of their brands.

A fire that claimed the life of one firefighter and injured two others near California's Yosemite national park has almost doubled in size in three days, authorities said Friday.

Wildfires in the Arctic Circle, drought-stricken farmers and a spike in hospital treatment for sunburn: an unusually long heatwave this summer has northern Europe in its grip.

A heatwave in Japan that has killed more than a dozen people is reviving concerns about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which will be held during the country's notoriously sweltering summer.

Blessed with a coastline that stretches for hundreds of kilometres across flat sandy expanses and rugged coves, Morocco's beaches should be a magnet -- but a litter crisis risks repelling sun seekers, citizens say.

Australia announced plans Friday to explore concepts such as firing salt into clouds and covering swathes of water with a thin layer of film in a bid to save the embattled Great Barrier Reef.

Never mind Brexit: For a remote peninsula in the Scottish highlands, the buzz is all about hi-tech rocket launchers firing satellites into space.

As an unprecedented drought scorches large swathes of Sweden's green pastures, farmers are having to send their animals to slaughter because they have no hay left to feed them.

The US administration of President Donald Trump on Thursday proposed sweeping changes to the 45-year-old Endangered Species Act which would roll back protections for threatened animals, sparking alarm by environmentalists.

The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Saskatchewan said Thursday they would join forces in opposition to the federal carbon tax, in a setback to government efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change.

Neanderthal man knew how to make a fire by striking stone to create sparks, researchers said Thursday after analysing several tools found at sites in France dating from 50,000 years ago.

An Indonesian volcano known as the "child" of the legendary Krakatoa erupted on Thursday, spewing a plume of ash high into the sky as molten lava streamed down from its summit.

Drinking a bowl of seawater followed by a glass of champagne, four French officers stood out during the traditional "baptism" to mark their inaugural submarine patrol: the first women to join a crew in the country's nuclear-powered fleet.

Their violent kicks rattle the small army plane flying over Siberia as it transports the four rare horses from Prague to the vast Mongolian steppe where the once near-extinct species is slowly recovering.

There's a load of bling buried in the Earth.

Dozens of forest wildfires raged across Sweden Wednesday, prompting Stockholm to ask for emergency EU help to fight the blazes, which broke out during an extreme heatwave in the Nordic region.

Along a quiet residential street on the outer edges of Beijing, a yellow and black cube about the size of a small washing machine trundles leisurely to its destination.

Eyes popping in astonishment, his mouth hanging mutely open, seven-year-old Joel approaches the four-metre-high monster and stands nose-to-nose with one of the deadliest killing machines the world has ever known.

A dozen new moons have been discovered around Jupiter, bringing its total number of known moons to 79, the most of any planet in our solar system, astronomers announced Tuesday.

A ninth critically endangered black rhino has been reported dead after a botched operation to move the animals to a new reserve in southern Kenya, the country's tourism minister said on Tuesday.

Japan has amassed enough plutonium to make 6,000 atomic bombs as part of a programme to fuel its nuclear plants, but concern is growing that the stockpile is vulnerable to terrorists and natural disasters.