AFP news

Hiring in the United States picked up significantly more than expected in September while the jobless rate crept lower, according to government data released Friday, offering relief to policymakers ahead of November's election.

EU countries gave a definitive green light on Friday to hefty additional tariffs on electric cars made in China, despite German warnings that it will spark a trade war with Beijing.

As the EU seeks to put a brake on competition from Chinese electric cars, European automakers are stuck in second gear.

Yury Kozynets embraced his wife Alyona Gladkaya in front of the evacuation bus, just before it separated them, whisking her away from the under-fire Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.

How do you defend the indefensible? "I decided to defend Dominique Pelicot because he asked me to," said Zavarro.

Israel bombarded south Beirut at least 10 times late Thursday, Lebanese sources said, after it launched its deadliest strike on the occupied West Bank in decades.

Afghanistan's Islamic State group is staging a growing number of bloody international attacks, presenting a rare but complicated opportunity for foreign cooperation with the Taliban government to counter the jihadists.

Democratic White House candidate Kamala Harris campaigned Thursday with Liz Cheney, a high-profile Republican opponent of Donald Trump who urged Americans to reject the ex-president's "depraved cruelty" and elect his rival.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag desperately needs a reversal in his side's Premier League fortunes on Sunday against an Aston Villa team on a high after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

NATO's chief Mark Rutte told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday that his goal as head of the Western military alliance was to ensure that "Ukraine prevails."

A decade after finding refuge in Lebanon from civil war in his native Syria, Ahmad Mustafa fled in the other direction this week from a new conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iran's missile barrage at Israel this week was meant as a warning that the Islamic republic can hit Israeli territory, but has instead exposed Iranian military limitations, analysts say.

Britain on Thursday said it would give up sovereignty of a remote Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius but will maintain there a strategic military base that it shares with the United States, in what US President Joe Biden described as a "historic agreement".

China's meteoric rise as the world's powerhouse of electric vehicle production makes Western efforts to curb their exports a tough sell -- and means they could even stifle the fight against climate change, analysts warn.

Israel's military said Thursday it had hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital, as troops battled militants near the border and warplanes bombarded their strongholds around the country.

Outside one of the Lebanese capital's most exclusive venues, a large sign advises clubbers to dress "smart casual".

In the semi-abandoned village of Ulken on a giant steppe, Anna Kapustina, a mother of five, hopes controversial plans to build Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant will breathe life into her ailing hometown.

At a laboratory in Beijing, purple and green hybrid-species grapes are laid out on a board for testing, part of the strategy China's nascent wine industry is using to try to combat climate challenges.

The EU voiced concerns about "harmful" content posted on Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube as it told the digital platforms on Wednesday to hand over more information on how their platforms recommend content to users.

US private sector hiring picked up in September, with employers adding more jobs than anticipated, according to data released Wednesday by payroll firm ADP. ADP data showed private sector employment rose by 143,000 jobs, significantly higher than the 120,000 figure that a consensus by Briefing.com expected.

UK armed forces "played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation" after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel, the British government said Wednesday.

Israel's Iron Dome air defence system has intercepted thousands of rockets since it went into operation in 2011, providing the country with crucial cover during times of conflict.

Nike reported a drop in profits Tuesday on sagging revenues as the sports giant cautioned that a turnaround from a rocky period would take time under a new CEO. The athletics company's financials showed lower sales in every operating region, as its CFO pointed to lackluster store traffic in China and excess inventories in leading markets.

Playing a monotonous sound stimulates the activity of a fungus that promotes plant growth, a study suggested on Wednesday, raising the potential that playing music could be good for crops and gardens.

A Netflix period war drama produced by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook will open Asia's largest film festival Wednesday, the first time a streaming title has kicked off the event.

A Brazilian judge on Tuesday ordered the unblocking of the bank accounts of Elon Musk's X in the country after the social media platform agreed to pay more than $5 million in fines.

The two candidates for US president offer starkly different visions of the world, with November's election carrying the potential to dramatically change policy toward Ukraine and other partners.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin he was ready to "expand" cooperation, as the two leaders exchanged congratulations on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, state media said.

Israel's onslaught against Hezbollah in Lebanon is reassuring for Turkey, which could seize the opportunity to strengthen its regional influence in the face of its rival Iran, analysts told AFP. Despite being one of Israel's fiercest critics, Turkey has been measured in its response to the blows struck against the Shiite militant group, armed and financed by Tehran, including the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.