France celebrated their second World Cup win 20 years after their maiden triumph on Sunday, overcoming a passionate Croatia side 4-2 in one of the most gripping finals in recent history.

France erupted in joy on Sunday as the country clinched the World Cup, with fans streaming into the streets, honking car horns and flying the tricolour flag at the start of an enormous national celebration.

Hundreds of Syrian rebels and their relatives left the southern city of Daraa on Sunday under a deal to bring the "cradle" of the country's uprising back under government control.

US President Donald Trump branded Russia, the EU and China as "foes" as he prepared Sunday to go head to head with Vladimir Putin at a historic summit shrouded in Moscow's alleged manipulation of the 2016 US election.

Goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe, as well as a controversial VAR-awarded penalty, helped France beat Croatia 4-2 in an incredible World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday to lift the trophy for the second time in their history.

A ceasefire announced by Hamas largely held Sunday after the most severe exchange of fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip since a 2014 war, easing fears of a wider conflict for now.

Hundreds of Nigerian troops are missing after Boko Haram jihadists overran a military base in the remote northeast, security sources said Sunday, in the second major assault on the armed forces in two days.

Novak Djokovic raced to a fourth Wimbledon title and 13th career Grand Slam crown on Sunday when he defeated a battling but exhausted Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).

A ceasefire announced by Hamas largely held Sunday after the most severe exchange of fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip since a 2014 war, easing fears of a wider conflict for now.

French fans dared to dream of a World Cup victory on Sunday as they prepared to watch the final on a sunny summer weekend after a tournament that has lifted spirits and led to a rare sense of national unity.

The World Cup in Russia has been hailed as a success by foreign visitors but treated with more caution by locals dubious that their seemingly new-found freedoms will survive once the circus moves on.

Excitement reached fever-pitch levels in Croatia as the small nation counted down to its first-ever World Cup final against France on Sunday.

Turkey on Sunday commemorated the second anniversary of a bloody coup attempt which was followed by a series of purges in the public sector and changes to boost President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

Denouncing attacks on human rights, press freedom and dissent, more than 2,000 people protested in Helsinki Sunday as the city prepares to host an historic US-Russia summit.

US President Donald Trump told British Prime Minister Theresa May she should sue the European Union rather than negotiate with them, she said Sunday.

Novak Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite to secure a fourth Wimbledon title on Sunday but he admits he feared his best days were behind him when his career nose-dived over the last year.

The number of Afghan civilians killed in the country's long-running conflict hit a record high in the first six months of 2018, UN figures showed Sunday, with militant attacks and suicide bombs the leading causes of death.

The number of Afghan civilians killed in the country's long-running conflict hit a record high in the first six months of 2018, UN figures showed Sunday, with militant attacks and suicide bombs the leading causes of death.

With its colourful hammocks and table tennis table, a new tech hub in the Lagos metropolis wouldn't look out of place among the start-ups on the other side of the world in Silicon Valley.

Here are five highlights from US President Donald Trump's trip to Europe, as he prepares to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday:

Embattled Haiti Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned on Saturday following deadly violence and looting sparked by a now-abandoned plan to raise fuel prices, triggering a fraught process to form a new government.

Manny Pacquiao rolled back the years as he stopped WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse on Sunday -- the 39-year-old Filipino icon's first knockout win since 2009.

Manny Pacquiao rolled back the years as he stopped WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse on Sunday -- the 39-year-old Filipino icon's first win inside the distance since 2009.

Women sharpen their knives before setting about stinking piles of fish skins, flesh and bones that cover the floor at an unusual artisanal tannery in western Kenya.

Before coming to Europe, US President Donald Trump raised eyebrows by predicting that Monday's historic Helsinki summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would be the "easiest" stage of his tour.

England career goals leader Wayne Rooney was thrilled at his triumphant Major League Soccer debut Saturday, assisting on a goal in DC United's 3-1 victory over Vancouver.

Czech churches are up in arms against Communist Party plans to tax billions in compensation being paid by the state in return for assets, mostly land, seized by the Communists during their Cold War rule.

With its colourful hammocks and table tennis table, a new tech hub in the Lagos metropolis wouldn't look out of place among the start-ups on the other side of the world in Silicon Valley.

Women sharpen their knives before setting about stinking piles of fish skins, flesh and bones that cover the floor at an unusual artisanal tannery in western Kenya.

The screen portrayal of a cancer sufferer whose illegal import of foreign medicines into China spurred national policy changes has become a box-office smash as audiences flock to a rare Chinese film on a hot-button issue.

The World Health Organization has recognised "compulsive sexual behaviour" as a mental disorder, but said Saturday it remained unclear if it was an addiction on a par with gambling or drug abuse.

Led by a huge rainbow flag, tens of thousands of gay rights supporters paraded through Seoul's city centre Saturday as conservatives protested loudly at what they called "obscenity".

At first glance, it may seem like just a black truck filled with bottles of water, but a closer look reveals a darker —- or rather murkier —- side to what's sloshing around inside.

India has been shaken by a spate of mob killings sparked by a hoax about child kidnappers spread on WhatsApp.

Fuchsia-coloured lights glow over a miniature garden where tiny plants pack a wealth of flavour and nutrients headed for the tables of Michelin-starred French chefs.

At the heart of the spread of fake news are the algorithms used by search engines, websites and social media which are often accused of pushing false or manipulated information regardless of the consequences.

The slick freestyle football moves of a Malaysian Muslim girl have boosted her into the spotlight in a country where the sport is dominated by men.

US cigarette maker Philip Morris suffered a setback Friday in a long-running suit when Canada's Supreme Court denied it access to personal data on people suffering from tobacco-related diseases.

In the last instalment of his adventures, film-goers saw James Bond dice with death in the Austrian Alps. Now in the same location, 3,000 metres above sea level, a museum dedicated to the world of the fictional spy has opened its doors.

French authorities said Friday that they would curtail climbers' access to Mont Blanc for at least a week due to severe overcrowding on Europe's highest peak.

The EU on Friday said back pain caused European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker to stumble at a NATO summit and denied "insulting" insinuations that he was drunk.

Economists know that when people invest time or money in something, it's hard for them to pull out -- even when their project is doomed.

The viral spread of hoaxes and misinformation ahead of the US election and Brexit referendum two years ago was a wake-up call for many established news media, who have gone on the offensive to shore up their credibility and help filter out fake news.

Lounging on a sofa in his flowing robes, a gold crown resting on his snowy hair and a stuffed white toy tiger at his feet, Paul Delprat looks every bit a monarch.

Be it a source of national pride or negative stereotypes, vodka is an integral part of Polish identity.

Brazil has taken a stand against the explosion of "fake news" stories swamping the internet by making media analysis studies compulsory for schoolchildren.

US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson was Thursday ordered to pay out $4.69 billion in damages in a lawsuit representing 22 women and their families who alleged a talc sold by the company contained asbestos and caused them to suffer cancer.

Holidaymakers are returning to the Tunisian seaside this summer in a marked turnaround three years since dozens of tourists were killed on one of the country's beaches.

Half of the adults in the United States are trying to lose weight, according to a study published Thursday, with more women than men seeking to shed a few pounds.

In a Damascus park, 21-year-old Abdel Rahman shuttles between tables bringing customers drinks, delighted to be employed at Syria's first cafe staffed by young people with Down's Syndrome.

The tax haven of Andorra has long been a favourite destination for smokers looking to stock up on cheap cigarettes, but the enclave said Thursday that it would soon stop advertising the fact.

Male mice develop a thicker penis if they grow up around other males, a study has revealed.

Jovan got a pair of Nike sneakers and went on holiday to Greece, his reward for having helped turn the small Macedonian town of Veles into an epicentre of "fake news" during the 2016 US presidential race.

He staged Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik's speech from the dock, held multinationals and aid agencies to account for their part in the never-ending war in the Congo, and used children to play out the story of the notorious Belgian paedophile Marc Dutroux.

Tiger Woods played a first British Open practice round in three years at Carnoustie on Sunday and said the Scottish course is playing like St Andrews when he won in 2000 and Royal Liverpool where he captured a third Claret Jug six years later.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said his side had run out of luck after they conceded a controversial penalty awarded by VAR in the 4-2 World Cup final defeat against France on Sunday.

France celebrated their second World Cup win 20 years after their maiden triumph on Sunday, overcoming a passionate Croatia side 4-2 in one of the most gripping finals in recent history.

Novak Djokovic revealed Sunday that the thought of his son seeing him win a Grand Slam title for the first time inspired him to his fourth triumph at the All England Club and 13th crown at the majors.

Heartbroken but proud Croatian fans in Zagreb cheered and wept as their "heroes" went down 4-2 to France in the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday.

The Champs Elysees avenue is the beating heart of Paris, a magnet for millions of tourists but also a place of mass gathering when the French want to celebrate.

Croatia captain Luka Modric won the Golden Ball award for the World Cup's best player despite being on the losing side to France in a thrilling final in Moscow on Sunday.

South Africa's Kevin Anderson vowed to use the pain of his Wimbledon final defeat as fuel to finally win a Grand Slam title.

England's Harry Kane won the World Cup Golden Boot award as top scorer with six goals.

Headlines and sidelines at Wimbledon on Sunday, the final day of the 2018 championship:

Cristiano Ronaldo has landed in Turin ahead of his official unveiling as Juventus' superstar summer signing on Monday afternoon, the Serie A champions announced on Sunday.

France won the World Cup for the second time in their history after beating Croatia 4-2 in an incredible final in Moscow on Sunday that featured goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe as well as a controversial VAR-awarded penalty.

France are world champions for a second time as Les Bleus ran wild while Croatia's energy reserves ran dry to win a thrilling World Cup final 4-2 in Moscow on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic's three-year-old son Stefan grabbed a share of the limelight after his father secured a fourth Wimbledon title on Sunday by playing a cameo role on Centre Court.

John Degenkolb won the Arras-Roubaix ninth stage of the Tour de France on Sunday ahead of Greg Van Avermaet as dozens of falls and multiple withdrawals made for a slapstick spectacle amidst clouds of dust on its famed cobbled sections.

Cristiano Ronaldo has landed in Turin ahead of his official unveiling as Juventus' superstar summer signing on Monday afternoon, the Serie A champions announced on Sunday.

Taiwan's Tseng Chun-Hsin won the Wimbledon boys' title for the first time on Sunday as the 16-year-old claimed his second junior Grand Slam crown this year.

Novak Djokovic celebrated his fourth Wimbledon title -- by munching on the Centre Court grass on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic raced to a fourth Wimbledon title and 13th career Grand Slam crown on Sunday when he defeated a battling but exhausted Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).

Novak Djokovic was once the sick-note Serb whose undoubted promise was at the mercy of a variety of frustrating aches, pains and assorted strains.

Novak Djokovic raced to a fourth Wimbledon title and 13th career Grand Slam crown on Sunday when he defeated a battling but exhausted Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).

Set-by-set highlights of Sunday's Wimbledon men's final between Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson:

John Degenkolb won the Arras-Roubaix ninth stage of the Tour de France on Sunday ahead of Greg Van Avermaet as dozens of falls and multiple withdrawals made for a slapstick spectacle amidst clouds of dust.

Yuzvendra Chahal has explained MS Dhoni's strangely sluggish innings during the second one-day international against England at Lord's by saying it was a "chance to get a knock".

World champion Marc Marquez cruised to his ninth consecutive German Grand Prix win to extend his MotoGP lead at the Sachsenring circuit on Sunday.

French fans dared to dream of a World Cup victory on Sunday as they prepared to watch the final on a sunny summer weekend after a tournament that has lifted spirits and led to a rare sense of national unity.

The World Cup in Russia has been hailed as a success by foreign visitors but treated with more caution by locals dubious that their seemingly new-found freedoms will survive once the circus moves on.

Sony's "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" booked a stay at the top of the North American box office, taking $44.1 million in ticket sales, according to industry estimates Sunday.

Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, who won back the welterweight world title in stunning fashion on Sunday, is idolised by tens of millions in the poverty-afflicted Philippines after rising from the streets to the pinnacle of boxing.

Manny Pacquiao rolled back the years as he stopped WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse on Sunday -- the 39-year-old Filipino icon's first knockout win since 2009.

Celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth have focused attention on South Africa's progress since the euphoric 1994 elections that marked the end of apartheid.

The screen portrayal of a cancer sufferer whose illegal import of foreign medicines into China spurred national policy changes has become a box-office smash as audiences flock to a rare Chinese film on a hot-button issue.

Femi Kuti has spent his life railing in song against the ills holding back Africa. But these days he is feeling some optimism.

Nancy Sinatra Sr, the teenage sweetheart and first wife of legendary singer Frank Sinatra, has died. She was 101.

Scarlett Johansson has quit an upcoming movie role as a transgender criminal following an angry backlash against her casting, she revealed in an interview reported widely in US media on Friday.

Britain's best known football song "Three Lions" topped the British pop charts on Friday -- two days after England was knocked out of the World Cup semi-finals by Croatia.

It was the soapy period drama about the upstairs-downstairs lives and loves at an English country estate that enjoyed astonishing success on both sides of the Atlantic -- and now it's back. "Downton Abbey" the movie is in the works.

Colombian pop star Shakira on Friday visited the village in Lebanon where her paternal grandmother was born, an AFP journalist said.

Queen Elizabeth II welcomed US President Donald Trump for tea at Windsor Castle on Friday -- a meeting which many Britons find the toughest part of his already contentious trip to swallow.

In the last instalment of his adventures, film-goers saw James Bond dice with death in the Austrian Alps. Now in the same location, 3,000 metres above sea level, a museum dedicated to the world of the fictional spy has opened its doors.

The EU on Friday said back pain caused European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker to stumble at a NATO summit and denied "insulting" insinuations that he was drunk.

As Beck has solidified his role as one of music's most influential figures, listeners have accepted a bargain -- on record, or live, they never know exactly what they're going to get.

The mother of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who has refused food for two months in a Russian prison, has appealed to President Vladimir Putin to pardon him as hopes fade for a speedy release.

With her husband busy plunging UK-US relations to new lows, Melania Trump took time out during the couple's four-day visit to Britain on Friday to meet veterans and make paper flowers with schoolchildren.

The mother of Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who has refused food for 60 days, has appealed to President Vladimir Putin to free her son as hopes faded that the Kremlin critic would get out of a Russian prison alive.

Lounging on a sofa in his flowing robes, a gold crown resting on his snowy hair and a stuffed white toy tiger at his feet, Paul Delprat looks every bit a monarch.

A glance through the summer movie schedules reveals one rather depressing common denominator: every single big budget release is a sequel -- apart from one.

Charges were dropped against adult film star Stormy Daniels on Thursday after an Ohio strip club arrest that her lawyer slammed as a "politically motivated" setup against the woman suing President Donald Trump.

Tom Cruise on Thursday attended the red carpet premiere of the latest instalment in the Mission: Impossible film series in Paris, the city where which much of the film was shot.

Record-breaking fantasy epic "Game of Thrones" made a storming comeback Thursday to Hollywood's awards circuit after a year off, dominating this year's Emmy nominations with a whopping 22 nods.

France paid a national hommage Thursday to revered filmmaker Claude Lanzmann, whose nine-hour documentary "Shoah" is regarded as the best ever made about the Holocaust.

HBO's fantasy epic "Game of Thrones" led the field for television's prestigious Primetime Emmy awards on Thursday, with a whopping 22 nominations, including one for best drama series.

Folk rock legend Paul Simon on Thursday announced an album with fresh takes on previously released songs as he prepares to retire from touring.

When triple Emmy-winning animation guru Genndy Tartakovsky put together the final touches for 2015's "Hotel Transylvania 2" he decided he'd had enough of his old pal Count Dracula.

Women sharpen their knives before setting about stinking piles of fish skins, flesh and bones that cover the floor at an unusual artisanal tannery in western Kenya.

Is it a blue whale or not? The slaughter in Iceland of what is claimed was a member of the endangered species has triggered outrage and left experts puzzled about its true identity.

Fuchsia-coloured lights glow over a miniature garden where tiny plants pack a wealth of flavour and nutrients headed for the tables of Michelin-starred French chefs.

The two companies leading the pack in the pursuit of space tourism say they are just months away from their first out-of-this-world passenger flights -- though neither has set a firm date.

A tiny but critically endangered lizard found in Argentina's extensive Vaca Muerta petroleum field could pose a major challenge to companies planning multimillion-dollar investments in the area.

Economists know that when people invest time or money in something, it's hard for them to pull out -- even when their project is doomed.

A massive iceberg drifting off Greenland has triggered fears of flooding if it breaks up, leading the authorities to evacuate a high-risk zone.

Eight critically endangered black rhinos died after being moved to a new reserve in southern Kenya, the government said Friday, doubling the number of deaths from similar operations in the previous dozen years.

Climate change has helped melt nearly a fifth of Colombia's mountaintop glacier cover in just seven years, the government said Thursday.

Driving through the endless dunes and cacti of the Chihuahuan desert in northern Mexico, a shimmering blue field suddenly appears on the horizon -- not a mirage, but the largest solar park in Latin America.

A French farmer kept quiet for years after stumbling across the skull of an extinct ancestor of the elephant near the Pyrenees mountains, the Natural History Museum of Toulouse has told AFP.

For months, a major recycling facility for the greater Baltimore-Washington area has been facing a big problem: it has to pay to get rid of huge amounts of paper and plastic it would normally sell to China.

Nepal on Thursday gifted China a pair of endangered one-horned rhinos in a diplomatic gesture to its powerful neighbour and major investor.

New Zealand scientists have performed the first-ever 3-D, colour X-ray on a human, using a technique that promises to improve the field of medical diagnostics, said Europe's CERN physics lab which contributed imaging technology.

Indonesia will take a controlling stake in one of the world's biggest gold and copper mines for $3.85 billion, the government said Thursday, as it moves to claw back control of the country's vast natural resources.

Male mice develop a thicker penis if they grow up around other males, a study has revealed.

Nepal's last known dancing bear has finally found a home in neighbouring India, to the relief of animal activists who feared for his safety after the death of his buddy.

People who had lived with a fear of heights for decades became less afraid after virtual reality (VR) therapy that saw them riding a flying whale, researchers said Thursday.

Rock icon Patti Smith will lead a fresh benefit concert to combat climate change on the sideline of talks in San Francisco, organizers said Wednesday.

The remains of crudely fashioned stone tools unearthed in China advances the presence of human ancestors in Asia by around 200 millennia to 2.1 million years ago, scientists said Wednesday.

A Turkish court on Wednesday handed jail terms of up to 22 years to five top managers convicted of negligence over Turkey's worst ever mining disaster, which claimed hundreds of lives.

The fishing village of Agbekope and other seaside communities along Togo's coast have long lived with the consequences of erosion from the strong winds and waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Kaon Omori peeked into her classroom in the Japanese town of Kurashiki, gawping at evacuees forced from their homes by devastating flooding and landslides that have killed 179 people.

Eight Mexican wolf cubs -- a jumbo-size litter -- have delighted conservationists fretting over the endangered species once common along the US-Mexico border.

Ecuador's highest court upheld in a ruling released Tuesday a $9.5 billion damages award against oil giant Chevron over decades of pollution that harmed indigenous people.

Tropical Storm Chris surged Tuesday into hurricane strength as it churned away from the US East coast and became the second hurricane of the Atlantic season, forecasters said.

Ancient Roman hunters may have precipitated the disappearance of grey and right whales from the Mediterranean, a study said Wednesday, suggesting commercial whaling is much older than we thought.