Pole vault king Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis says he is raring to return to the site of his first world record this week, just days after raising the bar to a whopping 6.31 metres.
Italian bank UniCredit on Monday made a 35-billion-euro ($40 billion) takeover offer for Commerzbank, a move likely to provoke fierce resistance from the German lender and the government in Berlin.
Beijing said on Monday it is in talks with Washington over an expected visit by US President Donald Trump, who has pressured NATO allies including China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- Oil rises further above $100, most Asian stocks fall as Iran war rages
- Blasts rock Kyiv in rare daytime Russian attack: AFP
Politics
Israel said Monday it had launched ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon while US President Donald Trump piled pressure on world powers to help reopen the vital shipping lane choked off by Iranian attacks.
March 16, 2026
RECENT NEWS
South Korean fans and media basked in the success of "KPop Demon Hunters" on Monday after the film clinched two Oscars and added to the country's growing pantheon of cultural hits.
March 16, 2026
RECENT NEWS
"One Battle After Another" triumphed at the Oscars on Sunday, winning six awards, including the coveted best picture statuette, besting "Sinners" in a thrilling finale to one of the most competitive awards seasons in recent years.
March 16, 2026
Oil prices hovered around $100 a barrel Monday and stocks fluctuated as the Iran war moved into a third week with both sides showing no sign of backing down and diplomats trying to ensure safe passage for tankers through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
March 16, 2026
Andy Farrell will "not be happy" that Ireland finished runners-up in the Six Nations, but he will be satisfied at the depth he has built with the Rugby World Cup looming next year, former Irish prop Mike Ross told AFP.
March 16, 2026
Sports
As a Six Nations tournament widely lauded as the greatest ever came to a close on Saturday, the teams were left to reflect not only on the entertainment, but also on the issues they need to fix with the Rugby World Cup less than 18 months away.
March 16, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Ryan Coogler launched his career with an indie look at police brutality in America. He moved on to transform the Marvel universe culture with his blockbuster "Black Panther" films.
Kings of the league phase, England's six Champions League sides were made to look like paupers in the first legs of the last 16 as they failed to muster a win between them.
Irish actress Jessie Buckley capped her spectacular rise to Hollywood stardom on Sunday, winning a best actress Oscar for her searing portrait of motherhood and love undone by loss in "Hamnet"
Director Paul Thomas Anderson has often been on the outside looking in during an eclectic career of boundary-pushing filmmaking, but he received the ultimate insider's accolade Sunday -- the Oscar for best director of his acclaimed "One Battle After Another."
March 16, 2026
Culture
Michael B. Jordan on Sunday won the best actor Oscar for playing twins confronted with pure evil in vampire race fable "Sinners" -- tortured fighters typical of the roles director Ryan Coogler has repeatedly created for him.
March 16, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Twenty Thai crew members of a cargo ship that was attacked in the crucial Strait of Hormuz arrived in Thailand on Monday, with three of their colleagues still stranded on the vessel in the Gulf.
Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" -- a bittersweet and melancholic story of an ageing absent father seeking forgiveness from his daughters who have learned to get along without him -- won the Oscar for best international film on Sunday.
Kimi Antonelli, 19, converted being the youngest pole-sitter in history into a maiden victory at the Chinese Grand Prix after an action-packed weekend dominated by Mercedes.
Indonesian companies targeted in a palm oil fraud probe supplied European firms including Italian energy giant Eni and Finnish sustainable aviation fuel leader Neste, an investigation by AFP and SourceMaterial has found.
March 16, 2026
- Sean Penn: Hollywood's rebel with a cause wins third Oscar
- Trump pressures NATO, China over Iran's closure of key waterway
- It's 'Sinners' vs 'One Battle' as the Oscars begin
- Ondas Completes Acquisition of Rotron Aerospace Ltd., Expanding Long-Range Propulsion Technologies for Advanced Unmanned Systems for Defense
- Sinner tops Medvedev to win first Indian Wells title
- 'KPop Demon Hunters' wins Oscar for best animated feature
- Left leads in Paris, far right eyes gains in France local polls: projections
- Amy Madigan wins Oscar as 'Weapons' villain Aunt Gladys