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Benin presidential election favourite Romuald Wadagni was on course for victory Monday as his opponent conceded defeat even as votes were still being counted.

SCANDIC COIN (SNC) is a newly launched international blockchain project operated by the Scandic Finance Group (SFG) as a brand ecosystem. The Hong Kong-based group has created a digital currency that connects real-world companies with over 30 years’ experience in finance, property, mobility, data and lifestyle. The official website describes SCANDIC COIN (https://www.SCANDIC COIN.dev) as the “transactional heart” of an ecosystem.

Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz said Monday his battle with new world number one Jannik Sinner was giving him extra inspiration ahead of the Barcelona Open.

Dominik Szoboszlai has apologised to Liverpool fans as the Reds midfielder claimed there was a "misunderstanding" over his body language after the recent FA Cup defeat at Manchester City.

Goldman Sachs reported strong first-quarter earnings on Monday, pointing to continued client interest in dealmaking that so far has not been derailed by the Middle East War.

Barcelona's teenage winger Lamine Yamal said Monday he was taking inspiration from basketball great LeBron James and Brazilian footballer Neymar to try and inspire a Champions League comeback against Atletico Madrid.

Sales at the world's leading luxury group, LVMH, fell six percent in the first quarter of the year as the war in the Middle East depressed business in the region.

The Rolling Stones have mysteriously released a new limited edition single on vinyl only, under the band name The Cockroaches, further fueling speculation the British rockers are poised to drop a 25th studio album.

Serie A clubs endorsed on Monday Giovanni Malago, who headed the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, for the presidency of Italy's football federation after the men's national team failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup.

Arne Slot admits Liverpool will need a "very special" performance to overturn their 2-0 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus are free to participate under their own flags in senior World Aquatics events after the global governing body on Monday lifted a ban on them competing.

US President Donald Trump warned Monday that any Iranian attack boats that approach the naval blockade he has ordered around the country's ports will be destroyed, despite international calls for a ceasefire to be respected and negotiations to resume.

Two Peruvian right-wing candidates looked set on Monday to advance to a presidential runoff, after an election marred by logistical foul-ups and deep voter anger.

A Norwegian man has been effectively cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from his brother, doctors announced on Monday.

A French court Monday handed a suspended one-year jail sentence to a teacher for bullying an 11-year-old pupil who killed herself in 2019, in a rare such verdict in the country.

The market was packed, like it was every Saturday, when the Nigerian air force jets screamed overhead.

Pope Leo XIV said Monday he had "a moral duty" to speak out against war and didn't "fear" President Donald Trump after the US leader criticised his calls for an end to the conflict in the Middle East.

A 21-year-old man scrolls through Snapchat ads on his phone promoting nitrous oxide, a sedative gas increasingly used by young people in France to get high.

Hungarian prime minister-elect Peter Magyar pledged on Monday to usher in a "new era" after defeating nationalist leader Viktor Orban in elections seen as a blow to hard-right populism.

A UK teenager's 2024 frenzied stabbing spree in northwest England which killed three young girls and sparked nationwide anti-immigration riots was "foreseeable and avoidable", a public inquiry concluded Monday.

Iran's judiciary said Monday authorities had released the assets of the captain of Iranian women's football team which had been seized after she made and then withdrew an asylum claim in Australia last month.

A French court on Monday fined the cement group Lafarge over $1.3 million and sentenced its former boss to six years in prison for paying protection money to the Islamic State group and other jihadists to maintain its business in war-torn Syria.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke said Monday his team must play with "personality" to stop Barcelona mounting a Champions League quarter-final comeback.

As rumours emerged of a papal visit, some of Cameroon's Catholics voiced fears the trip would give longtime President Paul Biya a chance to polish his image six months on from deadly protests following his contested re-election.

The new leader of South Africa's second-largest party, the Democratic Alliance, said Monday he would recast it beyond its white-voter base, betting that the country's once rigid racial divides are easing.

Colombian reggaeton star Karol G delivered rhythm, dance, charisma and Latin empowerment in her headlining performance at Coachella on Sunday.

Oil prices surged and stock markets broadly fell Monday after US-Iran peace talks broke down and President Donald Trump announced a plan to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, ratcheting up fears for Middle East energy supplies.

Pope Leo XIV began a landmark visit to Algeria Monday in the first trip to the Muslim-majority country by a pontiff that risked being overshadowed by criticism from US President Donald Trump.

A desperate voice crackled down the phone -- Mariano Nkogo Mba Nchama's 22-year-old son pleaded for help to get home to Equatorial Guinea from Ukraine, where he is fighting for the Russian army.

Germany on Monday unveiled 1.6 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in fuel price relief for households and businesses struggling with the energy shock unleashed by the Middle East war.

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 and now risks hanging more in the the wake of the war against the US and Israel, two NGOs said Monday, urging the West to put capital punishment "at the heart" of any negotiations with Tehran.

After years of holdups and bitter horse trading, EU leaders breathed a resounding sigh of relief at Viktor Orban's crushing defeat in Hungary's elections.