AFP news

The limited nature of Israel's reported strike on Iran and the restrained immediate Iranian reaction shows both sides, in particular Tehran, are looking to de-escalate after weeks of tensions but the situation remains dangerously explosive, analysts say.

The sum reportedly paid by Nike to lure the German football team away from its historic partner Adidas was "inexplicable", the CEO of the German sportswear giant Bjorn Gulden told AFP in an interview.

Sitting around a fire in the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Ibrahim Abu Alyah and some friends stood watch over his herd in the aftermath of a settler attack on their village.

Iran's state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan Friday, as US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival.

India began voting Friday in a six-week election with an all but assured victory for Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a weakened opposition is pushed to the sidelines.

Startled by nighttime pounding on his door, American political strategist Rick Wilson walked out in his underwear to find policemen with guns drawn.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe's decision to award prize money to Olympic gold medallists may have been welcomed by athletes but the move has upset some of his fellow federation bosses and surprised seasoned observers of the Games.

The United States on Thursday spoiled a long-shot Palestinian bid for full United Nations membership, vetoing a Security Council measure despite growing international distress over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Taylor Swift is primed to release her highly anticipated record "The Tortured Poets Department" on Friday -- the 11th studio album from the megastar who is already having a blockbuster year.

Israel launched more deadly strikes on besieged Gaza on Thursday as world powers watched nervously whether the country would retaliate against a weekend attack by its arch enemy Iran.

The European Union must act fast or risk falling perilously behind the economies of China and the United States, EU leaders heard Thursday as they headed into summit talks on how to leverage the bloc's huge market to stem its decline.

Indonesian rescuers raced to evacuate thousands of people Thursday after a volcano erupted five times, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport and issue a warning about falling debris that could cause a tsunami.

A leading contender to become the Solomon Islands' next prime minister has vowed to rip up a security pact with China, as the Pacific nation began counting votes Thursday in a pivotal general election.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is set to visit India as his businesses seek new markets in the world's most populous nation, with electric carmaker Tesla -- suffering a sales downturn in the United States -- reportedly scouting factory locations.

Receiving dignitaries at his Florida estate and courting leaders shunned elsewhere as autocratic, Donald Trump is increasingly leading a shadow diplomacy diametrically opposed to US President Joe Biden.

The NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life on Wednesday after a bombshell probe found he bet on league matches -- dubbed a "cardinal sin" by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Some 20,000 protesters rallied in Georgia on Wednesday after lawmakers advanced a controversial "foreign influence" law that opponents say will undermine Tbilisi's longstanding European aspirations.

The Republican leader of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday announced a weekend vote on massive new military aid including some $61 billion in long-delayed support for Ukraine, as well as billions for Israel and Taiwan.

Volkswagen employees in Tennessee began casting ballots Wednesday in a vote that could make theirs the first foreign carmaker to unionize in the American South, expanding gains made by organized labor in the auto heartland of Detroit.

Israel faced pressure from its allies on Wednesday to refrain from striking back at Iran for its unprecedented missile and drone attack as Washington and Brussels vowed to ramp up sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell's indication that interest rates could stay higher for longer offset a rebound following the latest bout of Middle East-fuelled selling.

France's far-right National Rally is banking on its youthful and charismatic party leader to be a major asset as it scents massive gains in upcoming European elections.

Even though the United Nations voted last year to observe the Olympic Truce, the Paris Games will still be held under the shadow of international conflict.

India's opposition faces huge challenges as their loose coalition of more than two dozen parties take on the juggernaut of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.

Solomon Islanders began voting Wednesday in an election that could reshape regional security, with citizens effectively choosing if their Pacific nation will deepen ties with China.

The judge in Donald Trump's historic criminal trial warned the Republican presidential hopeful against intimidating jurors on Tuesday as six panelists were chosen with unexpected speed following questioning by both sides.

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran's unprecedented attack and to send troops into Gaza's overcrowded Rafah area in its war against Hamas, but experts say it cannot achieve both goals simultaneously.

Abidjan's soaring Alassane Ouattara bridge lit up at night in the colours of the national flag is Ivory Coast's jewel in the crown after years of investment.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday he had urged Xi Jinping to press ally Russia to end its "senseless" war in Ukraine and that the Chinese president had agreed to back a peace conference in Switzerland.