- Morocco's tribeswomen see facial tattoo tradition fade
- Centre-left set to win as pro-Ukraine Lithuania votes
- Colombia guerilla group urges delegations not to attend COP16 in Cali
- Pakistan frets over security ahead of SCO summit
- Ronaldo scores 133rd Portugal goal in Nations League win over Poland
- 40 nations contributing to UN Lebanon peacekeeping force condemn 'attacks'
- Eight dead as heavy rain thrashes Brazil after long drought
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- Morocco crush Central African Republic, Guirassy scores hat-trick
- Dupont scores quickfire hat-trick on Toulouse Top 14 return
- Ronaldo scores in Portugal's Nations League win as Spain sink Denmark
- Interim boss Carsley has not applied for England job
- Mets hurler Senga ready to take on Dodgers in game one of NL Championship Series
- Ronaldo on target again as Portugal defeat Poland in Nations League
- Guardians rip Tigers 7-3 to advance in MLB playoffs
- AFP, BBC win top French war reporting awards
- Carsley goes back to basics as humbled England face Finland
- Alex Salmond: the man who took Scotland to the brink of independence
- Scotland's former leader Alex Salmond dies aged 69: party
- UN warns of catastrophe as Israel fights a two-front war
- Croatia extend Scotland's losing streak
- South Africa, New Zealand boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes
- 'Very challenging': Israel faces Hezbollah in tricky terrain
- Farrell begins to feel at home as Racing 92 beat Toulon
- South Africa boost T20 World Cup semi-final hopes with Bangladesh win
- Samson ton powers India to T20 series sweep after record total
- Djokovic to face Sinner in Shanghai final with 100th title in sight
- UN peacekeepers to remain in Lebanon: spokesman
- Pro-Conquest film fuels debate in Mexico over colonial legacy
- Samson ton powers India to record 297-6 in Bangladesh T20
- New Zealand enjoy perfect start to America's Cup defence over Britain
- Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph
- UN warns against 'catastrophic' regional conflict
- New Zealand crush Ineos Britannia in America's Cup opener
- Djokovic to face Sinner in blockbuster Shanghai Masters final
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- Sri Lanka seeks to match success in W.Indies T20s
- Sinner reaches Shanghai final, will end year number one
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Sabalenka downs Gauff in three sets to reach Wuhan final
- Israel warns south Lebanon residents to 'not return'
- Sinner tames Machac to reach Shanghai Masters final
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- Hezbollah fires at Israel as wars rage on Yom Kippur
- Analysts warn more detail needed on new China economic measures
- China tees up fresh spending to boost ailing economy
- China says will issue special bonds to boost ailing economy
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
Awards night kicks off at politically charged Cannes
A jury led by Greta Gerwig prepared to crown the winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after a politically charged 77th edition packed with blood, sex and powerful feminist messages.
The closing ceremony got underway at the world-renowned festival on the French Riviera with the jury set to announce winners from the 22 entries in the main competition.
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof emerged as a late front-runner for the festival's top prize after his powerful drama "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" about his country's "Women, Life, Freedom" protests premiered on Friday.
Rasoulof fled a lengthy prison sentence in his home country just days before the festival started last week.
"The Iranian regime... is in a panic that our stories will be told. It's absurd," Rasoulof told reporters at the festival on Saturday.
Attention now turns to the jury led by "Barbie" director Gerwig, which includes the actors Omar Sy and Eva Green.
"Star Wars" creator George Lucas walked the red carpet as he prepared to receive an honorary Palme d'Or.
Among the favourites for awards is a highly original musical about a Mexican narco boss having a sex change, "Emilia Perez", by French director Jacques Audiard.
Its title star Karla Sofia Gascon would be the first trans winner of an acting prize at Cannes.
Critics also loved "Anora" by US indie director Sean Baker, a raw and often hilarious story about a New York erotic dancer who strikes gold with a wealthy client, only to face the wrath of his Russian oligarch parents.
Another favourite for the acting prize is Demi Moore after rave reviews for her "fearless" performance in "The Substance", an ultra-gory horror film about the pressures women face to maintain bodily perfection as they age.
Directing legend Francis Ford Coppola was spotted at the festival early Saturday, suggesting he may pick up an award later for his Ancient Roman fable "Megalopolis".
Anticipation was sky-high before the festival for his decades-in-the-making epic: Could he recreate the 1970s magic of "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now", for which he twice won the Palme d'Or?
Critics were deeply divided over whether it was a profound end-of-life philosophical statement or an incomprehensible mess.
- 'Powerful indictment' -
There was a notable paucity of meaty roles for men this year.
Many expect Ben Whishaw -- one of Britain's best character actors, and the voice of Paddington Bear in the popular family films -- to take the prize for "Limonov: The Ballad", in which he plays a dissident Soviet poet.
One of the few other standouts was Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in "The Apprentice", a surprisingly nuanced biopic about the former US president's formative years.
Trump's team called it "garbage" and vowed to sue over its depiction of him raping his wife.
A late dark horse is "All We Imagine as Light", the first Indian entry in 30 years.
It seems almost guaranteed that Rasoulof will get some sort of prize for "The Seed of the Sacred Fig".
Critics described it as a "deeply upsetting masterwork" (IndieWire) and a "powerful indictment of Iranian oppression" (The Hollywood Reporter).
O.Johnson--AMWN