AFP news

The United States said Sunday that it had a strong military presence in the Middle East after deploying reinforcements amid Israel's widening of the war to include hundreds of targets in Lebanon.

US singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, a country music legend who notably hit the silver screen opposite Barbra Streisand in "A Star is Born," has died at the age of 88, his family announced Sunday.

The UK's last coal-fired power station will officially close its doors on Monday, making Britain the first G7 country to end its reliance on the fossil fuel to produce electricity.

Japan's incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday he aimed to call snap elections for October 27, as equities plunged on a strong yen and fears that tax hikes are on the cards.

Britain's economy grew less than initially estimated in the second quarter, revised official data revealed Monday, dealing another early blow to new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour government.

Search and rescue teams in Nepal's capital picked through wrecked homes on Monday after waters receded from monsoon floods that killed at least 200 people around the Himalayan republic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Monday to achieve all his "goals" in Ukraine and celebrated the second anniversary of annexing four Ukrainian regions, as his army claimed fresh advances in the conflict.

Germany's anti-cartel watchdog said Monday it had placed US tech giant Microsoft under closer surveillance for any possible abuse of its market position.

Six of China's biggest banks said they would tweak interest rates on existing mortgages following a request to lower them from Beijing's central bank, state media said Monday, as the country seeks to pull itself out of a housing sector slump.

Shares in Hong Kong and mainland China rocketed Monday, extending last week's surge after Chinese authorities unveiled a raft of measures aimed at kickstarting the world's number two economy.

Israel's long-contentious relationship with the United Nations has since October 7 spiralled to new depths, amid insults and accusations and even a questioning of the country's continued UN membership.

Incoming NATO chief Mark Rutte brings new leadership this week to one of the world's most powerful-sounding roles -- helming the nuclear-armed Atlantic alliance.

Dutch former prime minister Mark Rutte will take the reins as NATO's new secretary general on Tuesday at a perilous time for the Western military alliance.

Israel carried out an air strike on a Beirut apartment block on Monday, a Lebanese security source said, killing four people in its first such raid on the heart of the city since the outbreak of the Gaza war last year.

The death toll from powerful storm Helene jumped to at least 91 on Sunday, with one county in North Carolina alone reporting 30 deaths, authorities said, as rescuers battled to reach people in need across the southeastern United States.

Austrians headed to the polls on Sunday in a general election that could see the far right narrowly beat the conservatives for a historic win in the Alpine EU nation.

Israel said on Sunday it was carrying out new air raids against "dozens" of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after killing the Iran-backed group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Taxi driver Surendra Parajuli's decision to buy an electric cab would have been unthinkable a decade ago, when chronic power cuts left Nepalis unable to light their homes at night.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Moscow for "waging war on hospitals" after Russian strikes on a hospital in the border city of Sumy killed 10 people Saturday.

The killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is a major boost for embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced huge protests at home and growing criticism from abroad, analysts said Saturday.

Gunfire, murders and threats -- insecurity is part of everyday life across much of Mexico and one of the main challenges awaiting Claudia Sheinbaum when she becomes president on Tuesday.

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has been a powerful domestic and regional force, politically and militarily, but the group's confirmation on Saturday of its leader's killing marks an unprecedented blow.

Israeli fighter jets bombarded the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital Beirut overnight into Saturday, sending panicked families fleeing massive strikes reportedly targeting Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday questioned China's sincerity in seeking peace in Ukraine as he directly pressed his counterpart over exports that boost Russia's military.

Oswards Ruiz said he had no choice but to flee Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro claimed reelection in a July election the opposition says he stole.

Kamala Harris pledged Friday she would tighten the border and fix America's broken immigration system on her first visit to the US-Mexico frontier as a presidential candidate.

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held high-stakes talks Friday following several attacks by the White House hopeful on the Ukrainian president as the looming American election raises questions over long-term US support for ally Kyiv in its war with Russia.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene rose Friday to at least 33 people across the southeastern United States, authorities said, as torrential flooding inundated communities and emergency responders launched massive rescue operations.

A record wave of wildfires, fueled by severe drought linked to climate change and deforestation, is causing havoc across South America.