Has the World Cup changed Russia?

Blacklisting the Wagner Group would put it on the terror list with al-Qaida, meaning that it would be a criminal offense to be a member of or support the mercenary outfit under UK laws.

The French front pages are gripped by rugby fever as the World Cup kicks off this Friday on home soil. Will France convince as host nation, less than a year before the Olympics? Also: another South Korean elementary school teacher commits suicide as teachers protest nationwide against bullying and pressure from parents.

The 10th edition of the Rugby World Cup opens this Friday, September 8 with a blockbuster match. Hosts France will face New Zealand in one of the most powerful match-ups in the sport's history. This year, organisers are also expecting record attendance for the tournament, highlighting how professionalisation has transformed the sport in recent years.

Threats, tricks and promises — Russia's Defense Ministry has many carrots and sticks when it comes to getting Central Asian migrants to join the military. One of those ways is giving them a path to Russian citizenship.

Estonia has joined Latvia and Lithuania in closing its borders to all vehicles registered in Russia. The ban, which came in response to updated EU guidlines on sanctions, could widen to include other countries.

As France hosts hundreds of thousands of rugby fans from around the world for the 2023 World Cup, we take a deep-dive into the business that surrounds the game with Herbert Mensah, president of Rugby Africa who joins us from Accra in Ghana, as well as Christina Philippou, a principal lecturer at the University of Portsmouth with a particular research interest in sports finance.

Coming off what has been considered a successful G20 summit, India is building on its position as a neutral partner to countries with competing interests.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un headed home with some explosive souvenirs from his weeklong tour of Russia. The visit has fanned Western concerns that Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin might strike an arms deal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un headed home with some explosive souvenirs from his weeklong tour of Russia. The visit has fanned Western concerns that Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin might strike an arms deal.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is due to meet Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The visit is meant to lay the groundwork for a possible Putin visit to Beijing next month.

Kim Jong Un returned to North Korea from Russia, where he deepened "comradely fellowship and friendly relations" with Vladimir Putin. Western countries fear the visit involved plans to arm Russia's war in Ukraine.

Azerbaijan launched an "anti-terrorist" operation in the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku's government said a truce and talks were contingent on the enclave's unconditional surrender.