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China cut the minimum down payment rate for first-time homebuyers on Friday and suggested the government could buy up commercial real estate in a bid to boost the country's ailing housing market, currently battling an unprecedented debt crisis.

This year's Cannes Film Festival hosts a trio of heartthrobs from the back end of the 20th century, making their comeback on the red carpet: Demi Moore, Kevin Costner and Richard Gere.

Brazil was chosen to host the 2027 Women's World Cup on Friday, beating a joint Belgium-Netherlands-Germany bid at a FIFA congress marked by debate about the war in Gaza.

The war in Gaza came to the fore at world football's biggest meeting on Friday as the Palestinian association called for Israel to be immediately suspended from FIFA.

Boeing's annual meeting on Friday comes amid an exceptionally difficult period for the crisis-ridden company, creating potential for drama at an event that is usually a snooze-fest.

One of the latest events in Europe to be hit with accusations of anti-Semitism, the Vienna Festival kicks off Friday, with its new director, Milo Rau, urging that places of culture be kept free of the "antagonism" of the Israel-Hamas war while still tackling difficult issues.

A top Chinese economic official said Friday the state could buy up commercial real estate in a bid to boost the country's ailing housing market, currently battling an unprecedented debt crisis.

Japan's Rapidus project that brings together some of the world's biggest companies is the "last opportunity" to put the country's once-dominant semiconductor sector back on the global map, its chairman warned.

Despite Western calls on China to cut its support for Moscow's war against Ukraine by limiting supplies of dual-use materials and weapons components to Russia, Beijing has no interest in dropping its backing for President Vladimir Putin, analysts say.

The last piece of privately owned land in the strategic Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic is up for grabs, a property likely to entice China but which Norway does not intend to let go without a fight.

Hundreds of military and armed police reinforcements deployed Friday to the riot-scarred streets of France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, seeking to quell clashes that have left five people dead and hundreds injured.

Defending two-time Champions Cup winners La Rochelle face a challenging run-in to the end of the Top 14 season as they look to make the play-offs and avoid a trophy-less year, starting against Pau on Saturday.

As La Liga reaches its penultimate week AFP Sport looks at three hot topics in Spain this weekend.

Emma Hayes had given up hope of ending her spell at Chelsea with a seventh Women's Super League title but the Blues are back in control of the race heading into her final game in charge.

Champions Bayer Leverkusen chase "immortality" in the shape of an undefeated Bundesliga season on Saturday as relegation-threatened Union Berlin face a last-day battle for survival.

Jurgen Klopp will leave Anfield on Sunday as a living legend, having restored Liverpool to the elite of English and European football while building a lasting bond with the city and its people.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin was in the northeastern city of Harbin on Friday, the final day of a visit aiming to promote crucial trade with China and win greater support for his war effort in Ukraine.

The Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed the Denver Nuggets 115-70 on Thursday to force the defending NBA champions to a decisive game seven in their Western Conference semifinal series.

Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te, a staunch defender of the island's democracy, will be sworn into office Monday as Beijing ratchets up military and diplomatic pressure on Taipei.

Israel will on Friday hit back in the United Nations' top court at allegations from South Africa that it has escalated a campaign of "genocide" with its military operation in Rafah.

Chinese leaders are meeting Friday with top housing officials to discuss a possible plan for the government to buy millions of unsold homes in a bid to support the struggling property sector, Bloomberg reported.

Born at the bottom of the Hindu faith's rigid caste system, voters like Anil Sonkar will determine whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to power next month.

Asian markets diverged Friday as hopes for US interest rate cuts played up against profit-taking from another strong week and warnings from Federal Reserve officials that borrowing costs should be kept elevated for now.

The incoming Taiwanese president's best strategy to stop China from seizing the self-ruled island will likely be to bolster an agile defensive "porcupine" approach by spending more on missiles and drones.

Dominican President Luis Abinader is poised for a comfortable re-election on Sunday, analysts say, buoyed by support for his tough stance on migration from troubled neighboring Haiti.

The Dominican Republic, a top tourist destination in the Caribbean, stands in stark contrast to its violence-plagued, unstable neighbor Haiti.

On a November day in 2015, Fausia went to fetch water from a river near her home in rural Honduras. She was attacked by two men who beat and kicked her and put a knife to her throat.

OpenAI will have access to Reddit data for training its artificial intelligence models and will put its technology to work at the popular discussion platform, the companies said Thursday.

A Turkish court on Thursday sentenced the former head of a pro-Kurdish party to 42 years in prison for his alleged role in deadly 2014 protests that erupted as Islamic State group jihadists overran the Syrian town of Kobane.

President Joe Biden's government on Thursday announced a plan to end coal leases in the Powder River Basin, the nation's largest coal-producing region, drawing condemnation from the mining sector and praise from environmentalists.

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday denied widespread allegations that Pyongyang is shipping weapons to Russia, calling the claim "absurd".

Xander Schauffele matched the lowest round in major golf history on Thursday, firing a nine-under-par 62 to seize command after the opening day of the PGA Championship.