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A scandal involving drugs, prostitution and kickbacks for public works is rocking Spain's ruling Socialists ahead of a year-end general election which polls suggest the party will struggle to win.

Protecting life in the vast expanse of ocean beyond national jurisdictions finally has an international roadmap after UN states agreed a landmark high seas treaty at the weekend.

Neymar is set to be sidelined for the rest of the season after Paris Saint-Germain said on Monday the forward will undergo ankle surgery and be out of action for three to four months.

A Czech company producing inflatable weapon decoys, including Himars rocket launchers and Abrams tanks, said Monday it had seen a spike in demand since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started last year.

Graham Potter said on Monday he is confident goal-shy Chelsea can find their cutting edge to beat Borussia Dortmund and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a sphinx statue "with a smiley face and two dimples" near the Hathor Temple, one of the country's best preserved ancient sites, the tourism and antiquities ministry announced Monday.

Former world champion Mads Pedersen won a chaotic mass bunch sprint for the finish line at Fontainebleau on Monday to take stage two of the Paris-Nice and claim the overall lead in the eight-day cycling race.

South Africa's new white-ball coach Rob Walter unveiled his first squads on Monday with Aiden Markram named as the new T20 captain but there was no place for former skipper, Faf du Plessis.

Ukraine pledged Monday to bolster its defences in frontline Bakhmut, after reports that Kyiv was withdrawing from the city that has become a symbolic prize in the war.

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have freed a detained academic, his aide told AFP on Monday, months after he used a television appearance to protest the ban on women's university education.

Consumer organisations on Monday complained that WhatsApp's promises to be more transparent about privacy policy changes were insufficient, after the EU hailed commitments by the messaging service.

Switzerland's famous Matterhorn mountain is gradually disappearing from Toblerone's packaging to comply with "Swissness" laws once its new plant in Slovakia opens, the world-famous chocolate brand's owners said Monday.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday urged the country's Supreme Court to speed up investigations into last week's deadly train crash, that left at least 57 dead and sparked angry protests.

Marcus Rashford said Monday that Manchester United must not let their 7-0 Premier League thrashing by Liverpool define their season and urged his team-mates to "stick together".

Afghan universities reopened on Monday after a winter break, but only men returned to class with a "heartbreaking" ban by the Taliban authorities on women in higher education still in force.

At least 15 people were killed and dozens feared missing after torrential rains and landslides battered one of Indonesia's outermost islands bordering the South China Sea, disaster officials said Monday.

South Africa will be without fast bowler Anrich Nortje for the second Test against the West Indies which starts at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Internet privacy and access company Proton said Monday it would provide German broadcaster Deutsche Welle with virtual private network (VPN) services aimed at helping skirt government censorship.

Ukraine pledged on Monday to bolster its defences in frontline Bakhmut, after reports that Kyiv was withdrawing from the city that's become a symbolic prize in the war.

Few movies have been made about jihadism in Africa and even fewer have focused on the plight of women at the hands of extremists.

Max Verstappen demonstrated that he and Red Bull have the pace to win another world title double when he and Sergio Perez claimed a one-two at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Turkey's bickering opposition leaders met on Monday in a last-ditch attempt to agree on a joint candidate to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the May 14 election.

When British fashion designer Paul Smith was asked to oversee a rehang of the Picasso Museum in Paris to mark 50 years since the artist's death, he decided to have some fun.

Shakib Al Hasan put in a fine all-round performance as Bangladesh pulled off a consolation 50-run win in the third one-day international against England in Chittagong on Monday.

Belarus on Monday sentenced exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to 15 years in prison for spearheading historic protests against the former Soviet country's authoritarian leader.

Italy full-back Ange Capuozzo will miss the remainder of the Six Nations following a nagging shoulder injury sustained while playing against Ireland, the Italian federation said on Monday.

Luke Shaw has apologised for a "completely unacceptable" and "disgraceful" 7-0 loss at Liverpool that he says cannot be allowed to derail Manchester United's season.

Grant Gilchrist will miss the rest of Scotland's Six Nations campaign after being handed a three-week ban following his red card against France, tournament chiefs announced on Monday.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday asked the country's Supreme Court to prioritise any criminal cases over last week's deadly train crash and to shed light on what led to the country's worst rail disaster.

Virgil van Dijk says he is excited by Liverpool's new-look forward line after the 7-0 hammering of bitter rivals Manchester United.

Emanuela Rusta battled combative crowds and misogynistic headlines for years as she navigated Albania's football scene before becoming the country's first female international referee.

The French government said Monday that it had made a deal with major retailers to cap many food prices, in a bid to make inflationary pressures easier to bear for consumers.