Canada’s economy hasn’t buckled under the weight of higher borrowing costs. On the contrary: strong growth has more

Ukraine has signaled it will no longer bar its athletes from competing against Russians who are taking part in sporting events as “neutral athletes."

'Love that you love BTS, Jimmy, and fun that you highlighted them in humor today,' said a fan on social media

Tony Hadley has recalled getting cookies thrown at him on stage and his early raving days.

After a day off, the NBA Playoffs are back, and we get treated to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.While I lean towards Denver winning Game 1 at home where it is 40-7 this season (regular season and playoffs), I don’t feel like layin...

Kylian Mbappe's response to a question about his turbulent 2023 summer transfer window saga that brought interest from Real Madrid and the Saudi Pro League.

The NBA is buzzing with change following the Denver Nuggets' inaugural championship victory. With player trades, new drafts, and a season of thrilling basketball ahead, here are 50 reasons to be excited.

Two days after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger’s democratically elected president, it was still unclear Friday morning who was running the country and what mediation efforts were underway, as analysts warned that political chaos could set back the fight on extremist groups and increase Russia's influence in the region. On Thursday, several hundred people gathered in the capital, Niamey, and chanted support for the Russian private military group Wagner while waving Russian flags. Later, they burned cars and ransacked the headquarters of the president's political party. “We’re fed up,” said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors. “We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush ... Down with the French people. We’re going to collaborate with Russia now,” he said. The soldiers have not announced a leader and President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960, has not resigned. Some of the last public communications from the government included a defiant tweet by the president Thursday declaring that democracy would prevail and a call by the Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, on media outlet France 24, for Nigeriens to stand against the mutiny. Someone close to the president who is not authorized to speak about the situation, told The Associated Press that Bazoum has no intention of resigning and talks were ongoing. However, it's unclear who's involved in these dialogues, the nature of the discussions or how they're proceeding. Analysts say the coup could destabilize the country and threatens to starkly reshape the international community’s engagement with the Sahel region. Bazoum is a key ally in the West’s efforts to battle the jihadists, and the West African nation has been seen as the last major Western partner standing against extremism in a region where anti-French sentiment has paved the way for the Russian private military group Wagner. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso have both ousted the French military, which previously provided aid in their fight against jihadists. Mali has contracted Wagner, and it’s believed the mercenaries will soon be in Burkina Faso. Earlier this week, The Economic Community of West African States said it was sending Benin President Patrice Talon to lead mediation efforts, but as of Friday Talon was not in the country. During their first address to the nation Wednesday night, the mutineers urged “external partners” not to interfere. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told French media Friday that President Emmanuel Macron has spoken several times to Bazoum. Colonna said France believes there are still possible exits from the crisis, and that Paris regards the attempted coup as lacking any legitimacy. On Thursday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, said the country's “substantial cooperation with the Government of Niger is contingent on Niger’s continued commitment to democratic standards". Niger could lose millions of dollars in military aid and assistance, which the United States and European countries have recently poured in an attempt to help in the fight against Islamic extremism. The United States in early 2021 said it had provided Niger with more than $500 million in military assistance and training programs since 2012, one of the largest such support programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union earlier this year launched a 27 million-euro ($30 million) military training mission in Niger. The United States has more than 1,000 service personnel in the country. France has 1,500 soldiers, which conduct joint operations with the Nigeriens. The coup has dashed hopes of collaboration between Sahelian countries and Western powers, which offered a more robust response to the jihadist insurrection when compared with the strategies to arm civilians in Burkina Faso or the responsibility given to Wagner in Mali, said Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, senior Sahel analyst for the International Crisis Group. As uncertainty lingers about who's in charge, insecurity could worsen. “The army officers will be busy positioning themselves in power struggles and abandon the fight against jihadists,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Rights groups also warn that civilians always bear the brunt of these mutinies. “During a coup, the first victims are always the same: the most vulnerable, women and children,” said Drissa Traore, secretary-general of the International Federation for Human Rights. On Thursday the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it has paused operations in Niger, where more than 370,000 people are internally displaced and more than 4 million rely on aid. ___ AP writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Stock market today: Asian shares mixed, Tokyo falls as Bank of Japan adjusts bond purchase policy India and Japan look to collaborate in building semiconductors and resilient supply chains AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

WASHINGTON U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that Fed staff are no longer forecasting a

India’s Tata Sons has confirmed plans to build a 4-billion-pound, or $5.2-billion, electric car battery factory in the U.K. The plant is expected to become one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing sites when it begins production in 2026

Liverpool will be sent the audio from Saturday’s offside controversy at Tottenham first before it is released publicly, the PA news agency understands. The club are understood to have requested the audio related to the “significant human error” which led to Luis Diaz’s goal against Spurs being disallowed, having released a statement on Sunday saying they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution”. PA understands the goal was not given due to a miscommunication between VAR Darren England and the on-field referee Simon Hooper. Professional Game Match Officials Limited is understood to have always been keen to release the audio in a bid to provide transparency, and that first and foremost it must go to Liverpool. The organisation has not ruled out either airing the audio in the next ‘Match Officials: Mic’d Up’ programme which is scheduled for Monday next week, or possibly sooner than that. England and his assistant VAR, Daniel Cook, have not been included among the officials for duty in the coming weekend’s Premier League fixtures. The pair had already been replaced for the remainder of their Matchweek Seven duties – England was due to be fourth official at Nottingham Forest v Brentford on Sunday, with Cook scheduled to be assistant referee for Monday’s Fulham-Chelsea clash. PGMOL is currently conducting a review of Saturday’s incident. Hooper and his assistants had given offside against Diaz on the field, and the PA news agency understands that although England followed the correct procedure in drawing lines, he lost focus and mistakenly thought the initial on-field decision had been onside. This resulted in him issuing a ‘check complete’ notice to Hooper, rather than advising of an intervention and the goal being awarded. Once the officials realised an error had been made, play had restarted and VAR protocols state that once that has happened, there is no way back to revisit a decision. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Spain's goalscoring hero Olga Carmona hailed her "unstoppable" side as they beat England 1-0 to win the Women's World Cup for the first time...