WHO pandemic agreement talks face deadline crunch

World number one Scottie Scheffler launches his Masters title defense Thursday focused on tackling the intricacies of Augusta National rather than the chance to join a select band of back-to-back champions.
The Turkish opposition will fight "until the end" against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the opposition CHP party told AFP in an interview Wednesday, accusing the head of state of staging a "coup" with the arrest of Istanbul's opposition mayor.
Argentina is bracing for fresh austerity protests Wednesday, with a 24-hour general strike slated to start at midnight against President Javier Milei, who remains focused on Washington and a new IMF loan.
German auto giant Volkswagen said Wednesday that tariffs on car imports into the United States ordered by President Donald Trump had dragged down its first quarter operating profit.
Relatives of people trapped under the rubble of a Dominican Republic nightclub that collapsed, killing over 120, waited anxiously for news Wednesday as hopes of finding their loved ones alive began to fade.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said Russia was "dragging" China into the war in Ukraine, as he accused Beijing of knowing that dozens of its citizens were being recruited by Moscow's army to fight.
A wildebeest, a gorilla and a giraffe were among the life-size puppets to begin a 20,000-kilometre (12,400-mile) trek across the globe Wednesday from the DR Congo capital, to raise awareness about migration due to climate change.
Opener Sai Sudharsan struck his third half-century of this season to guide Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL table with a 58-run thrashing of Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
Israel said Wednesday its troops are seizing "large areas" in Gaza and making the Palestinian territory "smaller and more isolated", as an air strike on a residential block killed at least 23 people.
US President Donald Trump abruptly backed down Wednesday in his global trade war with a 90 day tariff pause for most countries -- but slapped even more levies against China in what has become a brutal duel between the world's two largest economies.
The US retail giant Amazon is preparing to launch Wednesday its first full batch of Project Kuiper satellites, marking a crucial milestone in the battle with Elon Musk's Starlink to provide high-speed internet.
Opener Sai Sudharsan struck his third half-century of this season to guide Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL table with a 58-run thrashing of Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Mike Huckabee, an evangelical Christian who has said Israel enjoys a divine right to the West Bank, as ambassador to Israel.
US President Donald Trump abruptly backed down Wednesday in his global trade war with a 90 day pause for most countries -- but slapped even more levies against China in what has become a full-scale confrontation between the world's two largest economies.
Federal judges in New York and Texas temporarily blocked the Trump administration on Wednesday from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members without a court hearing.
Augusta National has no plans to offer LIV Golf players a direct qualifying path to the Masters like those available to the US and British Opens, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Beijing knows Russia is recruiting its citizens to fight in Ukraine, claiming Kyiv had the details of at least 155 Chinese nationals who had been deployed to the front.
UK cinemas have pleaded with audiences to stop throwing popcorn and disrupting screenings of "A Minecraft Movie" after a TikTok trend around the hit video game-based film went viral.
Russia Wednesday denounced France for the brief detention of a government employee at a Paris airport, calling it a "shameful spectacle" that aggravated already strained relations between the two countries.
A dry winter is intensifying wildfires in Nepal, experts said Wednesday, as the capital Kathmandu continued to suffer from hazardous air quality that ranks it among the most polluted cities globally.
Jamaican sprint star Kishane Thompson has told AFP he sees a big margin for improvement after the "major stepping stone" of his surprise Olympic 100 metres silver medal in Paris last year.
Novak Djokovic said he felt "horrible" as he crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday, losing his opening second round match 6-3, 6-4 to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
Augusta National chairman Fred Riley defended on Wednesday the club's decision to invite 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera to this year's tournament after he served 30 months in prison for domestic violence.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday during a visit to Panama that the United States does not seek war with China, but will counter what he called the threats it poses in the Americas.
NASA will prioritize sending astronauts to Mars, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the US space agency said Wednesday, shifting focus beyond a long-planned return to the Moon -- but insisting both were achievable.
Universal will build its first European theme park in Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday, unveiling a mega deal with the US film studio that could create thousands of jobs and attract millions of tourists.
US President Donald Trump brushed off global market panic Wednesday after China and the European Union announced retaliatory tariffs, telling Americans to stay "cool" despite his spiraling trade war.
Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday when he lost his opening second round match 6-3, 6-4 to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
Rescue workers raced Wednesday to find any remaining survivors under the rubble of a Dominican Republic nightclub, a day after the roof collapsed, killing at least 124 people in the country's worst disaster in two decades.
Delta Air Lines withdrew its full-year profit forecast Wednesday and shelved some planned capacity hikes, pointing to a weakening demand outlook amid recession worries and worsening trade wars.
Convoys of Afghans pressured to leave Pakistan are driving to the border, fearing the "humiliation" of arrest, as the government's crackdown on migrants sees widespread public support.
Ecuadorans go to the polls on Sunday under the shadow of surging drug violence and a troubling explosion in the number of local gangs and mafias.