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The first polls have closed in Australia's bitterly fought referendum on Indigenous rights, with early results suggesting voters are set to reject reforms to the 122-year-old constitution.

A centre-right coalition Saturday surged to an early lead in New Zealand's election, as voters punished an incumbent Labour government rocked by Jacinda Ardern's surprise resignation earlier this year.

The Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam said Saturday it would no longer hand out a prized Pokemon card after the giveaway sparked crushes by "scalpers" reselling it for exorbitant prices.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said Friday it would be "fully prepared" to join its Palestinian ally Hamas in the war against Israel when the time is right.

Spaniard Jorge Martin won Saturday's sprint race at the Indonesia MotoGP to overtake rival Francesco Bagnaia in the championship standings.

Manaus, the largest city in Brazil's Amazonas state, has for days been engulfed by a toxic cloud of smoke from forest fires lit by what the government labeled "criminals".

France on Saturday said it will deploy 7,000 soldiers after declaring a top-level alert following the fatal stabbing of a teacher by a Chechen-origin man, who also severely wounded three others at a school.

A coalition of centre-right parties was Saturday hoping to sweep New Zealand's government from power, ending a six-year Labour Party reign ushered in by former leader Jacinda Ardern.

Australian sprinter Think About It, ridden by Sam Clipperton, lived up to its billing as favourite Saturday to outgun I Wish I Win and cross the line first in the world's richest turf race, The Everest.

After spending more than a year in space, Frank Rubio now has to get used to that pesky thing Earthlings call gravity.

From sun-baked beaches to dusty outback towns, millions of Australians voted Saturday in a landmark referendum on recognition and rights for Indigenous citizens -- with a string of polls pointing to defeat.

A Guatemalan appeals court on Friday overturned a six-year prison sentence handed down in June to the founder of one of the country's top newspapers, though his legal ordeal is not yet over.

Victor Wembanyama, this year's number one draft pick in the NBA, shined again with an eye-catching 23-point performance in his second pre-season outing for the San Antonio Spurs.

New Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann says he is feeling "pressure" and "responsibility" as well as pride as he takes charge of the team for the first time against the United States on Saturday.

The LPGA's Lexi Thompson missed the cut at the PGA's Shriners Children's Open despite shooting a two-under par round of 69 on Friday.

Hundreds of migrants congregate by the huge wall marking the US-Mexico border in southern California, a tiny glimpse of the crisis unfolding in American cities as new arrivals strain resources to breaking point.

Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to China next week to meet his "dear friend" Xi Jinping, forging even closer ties in a key strategic relationship in which experts say Moscow is increasingly the junior partner.

Three-and-a-half months after she was hospitalised with a bacterial infection that forced the cancellation of her 40th anniversary "Celebration" tour, Madonna returns on Saturday with the start of a 78-date tour.

Skygazers across the Americas are in for a celestial treat on Saturday: an annular solar eclipse.

New Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann says he is feeling "pressure" and "responsibility" as well as pride as he takes charge of the team for the first time against the United States on Saturday.

France, Belgium and Portugal all blinked with a Euro 2024 place in their grasps but clung on for one-goal victories on Friday night which made them the first sides to qualify for next year's tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal edged a 3-2 thriller against Slovakia in Porto on Friday to book their place at Euro 2024.

The LPGA's Lexi Thompson looks set to miss the cut at the PGA's Shriners Children's Open despite shooting a two-under par round of 69 on Friday.

Polls opened Saturday in Australia's historic referendum on rights and recognition for Indigenous citizens, capping a campaign that has exposed deep fissures between the country's white majority and the descendants of its first inhabitants.

Belgium held out with 10 men to beat Austria 3-2 in Vienna on Friday and ensure a top-two finish in Euro 2024 qualifying group F.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Friday it will refer Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) objections about its non-compliant status to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

An elderly US man pleaded guilty Friday to the theft nearly 20 years ago of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz."

England's understudies earned a 1-0 win against Australia thanks to Ollie Watkins' second half strike, but Jordan Henderson was booed by fans during Friday's friendly at Wembley.

Global markets largely slipped on Friday, while oil prices surged by almost six percent, amid fears that Israel's imminent ground offensive of Gaza could turn a localized war into a regional conflict and impact oil supplies in the crude-rich Middle East.

President Joe Biden announced new "hydrogen hubs" across the United States on Friday as part of efforts to boost the economy with green energy ahead of the 2024 election.

American poet Louise Gluck, winner of the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes for her distinctively austere writing, has died, a Yale University spokeswoman told AFP on Friday.

Kylian Mbappe fired France into next year's European Championships on Friday, scoring twice as Les Bleus kept their unbeaten qualifying record with a 2-1 win over a depleted Netherlands in Amsterdam.