AFP news

Ukraine's army said Wednesday it had withdrawn from the eastern town of Vugledar, handing Russia one of its most significant territorial gains in weeks.

Keir Starmer arrived in Brussels on Wednesday on his first visit as British prime minister, looking to build on a promised "reset" of relations with the European Union after the rancour of Brexit.

On the streets of Tehran, a small crowd celebrated Iran's missile attack on Israel while others are worried about the consequences of the Islamic Republic's boldest move yet in a year of escalating Middle East conflict.

US vice presidential candidates J.D. Vance and Tim Walz met Tuesday in likely their only live and televised face-to-face debate.

Afghan journalists have reported hundreds of cases of abuses by government officials, including torture and arbitrary detention, as well as tightening censorship since the Taliban authorities returned to power.

Oil prices extended a rally Wednesday after Iran's missile attack on Israel fanned fears of a Middle East-wide conflict, while the Hong Kong market ploughed on with its China-fuelled surge with more big gains.

At the border with Iran, streams of Afghan refugees return with children in their arms, their entire worldly possessions contained in a large bag.

Arsenal beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in their heavyweight Champions League duel on Tuesday, while last season's beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund gave Celtic a brutal reality check with an emphatic 7-1 win in Germany.

Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in Tuesday as Mexico's first woman president, inheriting a country beset by gang violence and economic uncertainty over controversial reforms passed by her powerful ruling party.

US vice presidential contenders J.D. Vance and Tim Walz face off in what could be an unusually important undercard debate Tuesday as they compete for decisive votes in America's heartland just weeks before the election.

Tens of thousands of workers at major ports on the US East and Gulf Coasts went on strike Tuesday in an action that could drag on the world's largest economy just ahead of a November presidential election.

Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday -- the first ever US president to reach the century mark and another extraordinary milestone for the one-time peanut farmer who found his way to the White House.

Jimmy Carter holds a unique place in US politics: he is the oldest former president and a Nobel peace laureate, who left office under a cloud of unpopularity and has seen his star rise ever since.

France's new Prime Minister Michel Barnier pledged new taxes and spending cuts Tuesday to reduce a "colossal" debt, in a policy address that met with a raucous reception from lawmakers who could topple his government at any time.

Nearly a year of devastating war has left Gaza's 2.4 million people enduring a humanitarian tragedy, with children in the besieged territory the most vulnerable, a UNICEF official told AFP in an interview.

"Fortnite"-maker Epic Games is suing tech giants Google and Samsung, it announced Monday, accusing them of illegally colluding to block competition on Samsung devices.

Every year in India's megacity Kolkata, the world's oldest trade gets fleeting respect from an ancient custom -- when soil outside brothels is considered sacred and collected for Hindu rituals.

British rock band Coldplay's upcoming tour of India has triggered a police investigation and dismayed fans after scalpers bought up cheap tickets to resell online for more than $1,000 apiece.

The eurozone's annual inflation rate fell to its lowest level in three-and-a-half years in September, official data showed Tuesday, dropping below the European Central Bank's two-percent target and fuelling expectations of a rate cut.

German chemicals group Covestro said Tuesday it had accepted a takeover bid from UAE state energy company ADNOC, as one of the key sectors in Europe's largest economy is gripped by crisis.

A Russian strike on a southern Ukraine market killed six people on Tuesday as the nation held a moment of silence to mark a major public holiday honouring troops, authorities said.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said on Tuesday he was released after years of incarceration only because he pleaded guilty to doing "journalism", warning freedom of expression was now at a "dark crossroads".

NATO's new chief Mark Rutte on Tuesday downplayed fears over the impact of a potential Donald Trump victory in upcoming US elections and pledged to keep backing Ukraine, as he assumed leadership of the world's most powerful military alliance.

Qatar Airways unveiled a bid to take a 25 percent stake in troubled airline Virgin Australia on Tuesday, a deal that could shake up Australia's Qantas-dominated market.

Dockworkers at major ports along the US East and Gulf Coasts began walking off the job Tuesday after last-minute negotiations yielded no new labor contract, a stoppage expected to drag on the world's largest economy just ahead of the November presidential election.

Many amateur French sports clubs are struggling to cope with a wave of enquiries and a boom in wannabee players sparked by the Paris Olympics.

As the evening light falls on her vineyards in northwestern Turkey, Zeynep Arca Salliel pinches the grapes and tastes the skin.

Hardcore supporters of AC Milan and Inter Milan were arrested on Monday for alleged organised crime offences as part of a probe into illegal profits made around matches and the infiltration of mafia gangs into so-called "ultras" groups.

The death toll from a devastating storm that battered the southeastern United States climbed to 118 on Monday, as the disaster became a hot topic in an already bitter election campaign, with the White House angrily refuting claims it had been slow to respond.