AFP news

Carles Puigdemont -- the former leader of Catalonia who fled Spain over his role in a failed 2017 independence bid for the wealthy region -- returned to Spain on Thursday to address supporters before vanishing despite an extensive police deployment to arrest him.

Russia's army was fighting a major Ukrainian border incursion for the third day running, Moscow said Thursday, with independent analysts saying Kyiv's troops had advanced up to 10 kilometres (six miles) into Russia.

Rights advocates are alarmed by a bill introduced to Iraq's parliament that, they fear, would roll back women's rights and increase underage marriage in the deeply patriarchal society.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was flying back to Bangladesh on Thursday to lead a caretaker government after a student-led uprising ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina.

Asian stocks were mixed Thursday after a sell-off on Wall Street, with analysts warning the volatility that has roiled markets this week still has some time to run as traders fret over the global economy.

Sitting at a cafe in Moscow, Yulia swiped through a carousel of men on her phone's dating app, trying to guess if the people in the pictures shared her views.

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to be the rightful winner of the country's presidential election, on Wednesday defied a Supreme Court summons over the disputed results.

Some 14,000 ecstatic voters packed a Philadelphia arena Tuesday to see their favorite candidate.

After all the doubts, the grumbling and the gloom, Paris has finally embraced the Olympics, with some of its famously cynical residents even returning early from holidays to take part in the fun.

Thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets in several English cities on Wednesday to oppose days of far-right violence that have had UK police on high alert.

One of the two boxers who have sparked a gender eligibility row won again at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday to ensure she has a shot at a gold medal.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday he is "not confident" Donald Trump would concede peacefully if he loses the US election, as the Republican's rival Kamala Harris warned a Trump victory would usher in a lawless administration set on curtailing Americans' freedoms.

Elon Musk's X sued an advertising group and several large corporations on Tuesday accusing them of causing billions of dollars of losses by "illegally" boycotting the social media platform.

A Saudi Arabian woman appears to have been abducted from Australia and flown to the Gulf state, her lawyer has told AFP, saying she fears her client is in detention.

Global stocks recovered further and the Japanese yen slid against the dollar on Wednesday as the Bank of Japan issued a dovish signal it will not hike interest rates amidst market volatility.

Disney reported Wednesday better revenues than anticipated in the most recent quarter, atop a first profit in its streaming business, but its theme parks are coming under pressure.

Russia was battling a major cross-border incursion from Ukraine for a second day on Wednesday, with authorities evacuating several thousand civilians due to fighting, officials said.

Sony raised its annual net profit forecast on Wednesday after a solid performance in the first quarter, predicting strong sales in video games and music, as well as image sensors used in iPhones.

Hamas named the alleged mastermind of the deadliest attack in Israeli history as its new leader, further inflaming regional tensions as the Gaza war entered its 11th month on Wednesday.

China carried out a combat patrol to test "strike capabilities" near a flashpoint reef in the South China Sea on Wednesday, as the United States and its allies held joint military drills in the same waters.

Sheltering under a palm tree in Saudi Arabia's capital, a Pakistani delivery driver stole a quick break during the lunch rush when orders -- and scorching temperatures -- are at their peak.

Patricia Russell was only six when she said farewell to her father Eric Liddell for the final time but she retains fond memories of the athlete immortalised in the Oscar-winning film "Chariots of Fire".

Quantum computing promises society-changing breakthroughs in drug development and tackling climate change, and on an unassuming English high street, the race to unleash the latest tech revolution is gathering pace.

US transportation investigators pressed officials from Boeing and a top supplier on Tuesday over manufacturing lapses that led to a near-catastrophic January incident on a 737 MAX that necessitated an emergency landing.

Russia said Tuesday it deployed air and artillery firepower to try to quash an armed Ukrainian border incursion after pro-Kyiv fighters stormed across the border with tanks and armoured vehicles.

Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred targets an Olympic sprint double on Tuesday, while Nikola Jokic's Serbia made an epic comeback to stay in the basketball tournament.

As far-right riots grip England, provocative tech billionaire Elon Musk is posting sympathy for the anti-immigration demonstrators, angering the UK government, which blames social media companies for fuelling the unrest.

Bangladesh Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus said Tuesday he is ready to head a caretaker government, a day after the military took control as mass protests forced longtime ruler Sheikh Hasina to flee.

Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday, opting for the Minnesota governor as the partner most likely to complement her in a historic -- and bruising -- bid for the White House.