AFP news

An escalating cross-border tit-for-tat between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah raised fears Wednesday of a full-blown war, but experts are divided on the prospect of a wider conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defence agreement on Wednesday with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who offered his "full support" on Ukraine.

Friends and family of missing hajj pilgrims searched hospitals and pleaded online for news on Wednesday, fearing the worst after hundreds died during the annual rites in Saudi Arabia.

South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa hailed "the beginning of a new era" on Wednesday as he was sworn in for a second full term as president after his weakened African National Congress (ANC) struck a hard-won government coalition deal to remain in power.

Israeli air strikes and clashes between troops and Palestinian militants rocked Gaza on Wednesday, as Israel's army warned it had readied an "offensive" against the Lebanese Hezbollah movement on the country's northern front.

Heavily armed police officers wearing face masks entered a luxury home at daybreak last week in Spain's southern Costa del Sol to arrest a 40-year-old suspected drug trafficker.

As night falls in central Scotland, beavers appear in a pond under the fascinated gaze of a group of nature enthusiasts.

A Kansas businessman shipped banned avionics equipment to Russia through Armenia, the UAE and other third countries.

In 2023, a newborn Javan rhino in Indonesia raised hopes for the highly endangered species.

Republicans are flooding the internet with out-of-context videos of US President Joe Biden, using what the White House has characterized as deceptive editing tactics to cast the 81-year-old as infirm less than five months from November's election.

Boeing's CEO acknowledged to a US congressional panel Tuesday that the company's culture was imperfect, but insisted the aviation giant was making progress and committed to improving safety.

A new report backed by climate scientists and athletes warned Tuesday about the dangers posed by extreme high temperatures at this year's Paris Olympics.

Coming-of-age musical "The Outsiders" and "Stereophonic," a play about a 1970s band putting together an album, earned top honors Sunday at the Tony Awards, the highest accolades in American theater.

The London Stock Exchange is once again Europe's biggest stock market by valuation after reclaiming the crown from Paris as France is rocked by political turmoil.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday will unveil new rules easing the process for undocumented spouses of US citizens to obtain permanent residency status, the White House said.

Musicians around the world have described artificial intelligence as a threat to creativity, but the CEO of one popular platform told AFP he thinks critics are looking at it all wrong.

Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Tuesday with hip-hop mogul Pharrell Williams putting on his latest branding event for Louis Vuitton at the UNESCO headquarters.

US retail sales came in below expectations for a second straight month in May as gas station revenues fell sharply, the government said Tuesday, while the data for April was revised lower.

Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 13 people in central Gaza, the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run territory said, although fighting has largely subsided as Muslims mark Eid al-Adha.

Australia voiced concern Tuesday about the "ham-fisted" actions of two Chinese diplomats at a media event, tarnishing a highly touted visit in which Premier Li Qiang has sought to celebrate trade and friendship.

When Bae Jin-soo quit his well-paying job at one of South Korea's biggest conglomerates to write stories, his parents were so upset they kicked him out of the house.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday hailed North Korea for "firmly supporting" Moscow's war in Ukraine ahead of a visit to Pyongyang set to boost defence ties between the two nuclear-armed countries.

NATO's chief called Monday for China to face consequences if it keeps up support to Russia as he trumpeted a sharp increase in allies' defense spending since the invasion of Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia on Monday warned of a temperature spike in Mecca as Muslim pilgrims wrapped up the hajj in searing conditions, with more than a dozen heat-related deaths confirmed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to North Korea on Tuesday, in a rare visit that may see Moscow sign a "strategic partnership treaty" with Pyongyang, the Kremlin said.

EU leaders gather Monday in Brussels to thrash out over dinner how to distribute the bloc's top jobs, with Ursula von der Leyen seemingly on track for a second term heading the European Commission.

The trial of a group of rugby players accused of gang raping a student after a 2017 match by leading French team Grenoble was to open Monday.

Israel struck Gaza on Monday and witnesses reported blasts in the besieged territory's south, but fighting has largely subsided after a day of relative calm and as Muslims marked Eid al-Adha.

China hailed mended ties with Australia on Monday, saying relations were "on the right track" as the trading partners moved on from a bitter economic dispute despite a duel for influence in the Pacific.