The first gold medal of the 20th Asian Games was won on Sunday by hosts Japan as 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi started in blistering form on the opening day of the multisports extravaganza.
Takumi Hojo got host nation Japan off to a perfect start when he won the first gold medal of the Asian Games on Sunday in the men's individual triathlon.
Warnings of a typhoon partly explained why the Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya took place in front of thousands of empty seats, organisers said Sunday.
- Russians vote on last day of parliamentary elections
- US fears rapid escalation in Mideast after Houthis attack Riyadh
Politics
Hong Kong officials and the public commemorated the city's first post-colonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, at his funeral on Sunday, AFP journalists saw.
September 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Packing for a pope: behind the scenes on foreign trips
Politics
September 20, 2026
- Singer Ed Sheeran says Gaza situation 'unjustifiable' following controversy
- German state elections threaten new shock waves for Merz
- Chile's Bachelet quits race to be next UN chief
- Trump says will not tolerate attempts to slow AI growth
While AI researchers in the United States fret over out-of-control superintelligence wiping out humanity, Chinese policymakers have until now been more focused on immediate risks, from deepfakes to child safety.
September 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
A steady nerve is crucial when keeping watch over hundreds of data centres worldwide, facilities essential to the frictionless online banking, messaging and AI services that society relies on.
September 20, 2026
Tribal leader Petronila Munozwalked across the sweeping Philippine grasslands she has called home for generations, uncertain about its future, as a sprawling tech hub for a US-led initiative takes shape.
September 20, 2026
Prudent yet conciliatory, Pope Leo XIV has gradually imprinted his style on the leadership of the Catholic Church, finding his voice as he takes on some of the world's most pressing issues, from bloody conflicts to artificial intelligence.
September 20, 2026
Culture
It took years for Tenzing Norgay to secure his place in history as the man who, alongside New Zealander Edmund Hillary, first reached the summit of Mount Everest.
September 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Chanting protesters greeted concertgoers Saturday in Philadelphia ahead of pop superstar Ed Sheeran's first show since his tour plunged into turmoil ignited by his opening act's pro-Palestinian comments.
Reigning Top 14 champions Toulouse squeezed past lowly Vannes 29-23 on Saturday, while seven-try Lyon took top spot with an emphatic win against Pau.
Raphinha scored a superb hat-trick to earn Barcelona a 3-1 win at Sevilla on Saturday in La Liga and preserve their 100 percent record.
Two Germans were arrested Saturday after they stuck two paintings on a wall of the hall that hosts the Mona Lisa in Paris's Louvre museum, police sources said.
September 19, 2026
Sports
Belgian star Nafissatou Thiam made a victorious return in her first completed heptathlon since clinching her third Olympic title in Paris two years ago at the Decastar meet in France on Saturday.
September 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said Saturday that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn, after a fire broke out near the Saudi capital's international airport.
France's debt mountain is growing and will this year be at its highest level since 1978 because of a soaring deficit, the country's finance ministry said Saturday.
Cuba worked Saturday to restore power after its seventh major blackout of the year, as the communist-run island grappled with woes triggered by a US fuel blockade.
US President Donald Trump signed a bill on Friday authorizing new sanctions designed to pressure Russia over its war in Ukraine, after Congress gave its approval after months of delay.
September 19, 2026
- Czechs beat USA to qualify for Davis Cup finals
- Dortmund sink Stuttgart to climb to Bundesliga summit
- McIlroy two shots off the lead at Wentworth after eagle on 18
- Martinez brace saves Inter in Serie A top-two clash with Roma
- Rosenior abused but guides Paris FC past old club Strasbourg
- Fire erupts near Riyadh airport as Houthis claim strikes
- Seven-try Lyon beat Pau, climb to Top 14 summit
- Brighton defeat a 'big lesson' against complacency for Arsenal, says Arteta