AFP news

South Africans vote on Wednesday in what may be the most consequential election in decades, as dissatisfaction with the ruling ANC threatens to end its 30-year political dominance.

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that there would be "serious consequences" if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia, as sought by Kyiv.

OpenAI was forced to apologise to actor Scarlett Johansson last week for using her voice -- or something very similar -- on its latest chatbot, throwing the spotlight on to voice-cloning tech.

France's President Emmanuel Macron on Monday raised the alarm over the "ill wind" of the rise of the far right in European politics, during a state visit to Germany ahead of key EU elections.

Argentine President Javier Milei heads for the United States Monday for the fourth time since taking office in December, meeting tech giants as he seeks to "reposition" his economically troubled country, the government said.

An Argentine court on Monday ordered President Javier Milei's government to release tons of food meant for the poor -- about half the population -- but held in storage pending an audit he had ordered.

Asian and European stock markets wavered Tuesday as investors geared up for key inflation numbers later in the week, while London returned to action after a three-day long weekend.

Chinese social media censors have blocked multiple influencers known for showing off their lavish lifestyles after an official campaign to curb displays of ostentatious wealth online was announced.

Waves wash over abandoned homes in a Mexican village slowly being swallowed by the sea -- a symbol of the climate change effects being felt by the major fossil fuel producer.

Georgian lawmakers geared up on Tuesday to overturn a presidential veto and push through a controversial "foreign influence" bill that opponents say will place onerous restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and derail the country's path to the European Union.

The world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday urged US leader Joe Biden to attend a June peace summit in Switzerland, as he accused Russia's Vladimir Putin of trying to derail the gathering.

Israel's war in Gaza since the October 7 attack has revived a global push for Palestinians to be given a state of their own.

Closing arguments began Tuesday in the hush money trial of Donald Trump with the White House hopeful facing the prospect of becoming the first criminally convicted former president in US history.

Novak Djokovic begins the defence of his French Open title at a rainswept Roland Garros on Tuesday, confident his Grand Slam pedigree will help overcome his lacklustre season.

Bangladeshi weather experts said Tuesday that a deadly cyclone that carved a swath of destruction was one of the quickest-forming and longest-lasting they'd experienced, blaming climate change for the shift.

Israel again bombarded Gaza's far-southern Rafah area on Tuesday despite a global storm of outrage over a strike that set ablaze a crowded tent city, killing 45 people according to Palestinian officials.

Using a long-handled net, Ronnel Narvas scoops up discarded plastic soft drink bottles, shopping bags and palm-sized sachets as he wades through a foul-smelling tributary in the Philippine capital Manila.

The UN Security Council was set to convene an emergency meeting Tuesday over an Israeli strike that killed dozens in a displaced persons camp in Rafah, as three European countries were slated to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

After Iran mourned president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a recent helicopter crash, the nation's focus turns to an election next month for his successor, with the conservative camp seeking a loyalist to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Speeding along crumbling roads past dusty villages and herds of sheep, a team of cyclists turns heads in China's Inner Mongolia with their unusual equipment.

Whether they admit it or not, there is no doubt Real Madrid consider themselves favourites to beat Borussia Dortmund on Saturday and win a record-extending 15th Champions League trophy.

A painting by Italian master Caravaggio, once mistakenly thought to be by an unknown artist and nearly auctioned off for a song, was unveiled at Madrid's Prado Museum on Monday.

Rafael Nadal says he will be facing "one of the toughest opponents possible" when he plays Alexander Zverev in the French Open first round on Monday, after Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner eased through their openers.

Israel said it was looking into the "tragic accident" and its impact on civilians after the latest mass casualty event in the Gaza war, which has raged since October 7.

Leaders from South Korea, China and Japan reaffirmed their goal of a denuclearised Korean peninsula Monday, during a rare summit at which they also agreed to deepen trade ties.

More than 2,000 people have been buried in a Papua New Guinea landslide that destroyed a remote highland village, the government warned Monday as it called for international help in the rescue effort.

Mexico is on course to elect its first woman president this weekend, with two front-runners competing to break the highest political glass ceiling in a country with a history of gender violence and inequality.

For a decade, Park Hyeon-su lived in a windowless micro-apartment in Seoul, working double shifts and saving every penny for a deposit on a nice home.