AFP news

Attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs on Thursday tried to chip away at the credibility of Casandra Ventura, the music mogul's former girlfriend, after two days of her grueling testimony in his trial on sex trafficking charges.

The US Supreme Court appeared divided on Thursday on whether federal judges have the right to issue nationwide blocks to presidential decrees, as they heard arguments about President Donald Trump's bid to scrap birthright citizenship.

Shruti Sharma tearfully hugged her family goodbye and fled her home near the contested border in Kashmir with her three children on the first night of India and Pakistan's worst conflict in decades.

Germany under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz surprised NATO allies on Thursday by signalling plans to massively boost defence spending to five percent of GDP as demanded by US President Donald Trump.

A vast bloom of toxic algae is killing more than 200 species of marine life off the southern coast of Australia, scientists and conservation groups say.

Britain's economy grew more than expected in the first quarter, official data showed Thursday, covering the period before business tax hikes and US President Donald Trump's tariffs blitz took effect.

India and Pakistan accused each other Thursday of failing to control their nuclear weapons, calling on the world to monitor their neighbour's arsenal just days after their most serious military confrontation in two decades.

Russia's former culture minister and Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky took part in failed talks with Ukraine at the start of Moscow's invasion in 2022 and has built a career promoting an ultra-patriotic version of Russian history.

The EU accused TikTok on Thursday of breaking digital rules after concluding that the Chinese-owned social media platform was not transparent enough about advertisements.

Internet giant Alibaba posted on Thursday a six percent increase in annual revenue, the latest positive sign for China's tech sector despite persisting economic uncertainties that include sluggish spending and threatened trade.

Palestinian rescuers reported 94 people killed Thursday in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a US-backed organisation said it intends to begin distributing aid by the end of the month.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday a deal was close on Iran's nuclear programme that would avoid military action, sending oil prices tumbling as he boasted of raising "trillions of dollars" on a Gulf tour.

A Russian delegation landed in Istanbul on Thursday for the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in more than three years, Russian state media reported, but without President Vladimir Putin as many world leaders had urged.

Israel's participation in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest has drawn protests but its competitor Yuval Raphael -- who escaped the Hamas attack on her country -- is hotly tipped to qualify from Thursday's semifinal.

Unfounded online rumours warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan are taking a toll on travel firms and airlines who report less demand from worried Hong Kongers.

Taiwan will turn off its last nuclear reactor on Saturday, fuelling concerns over the self-ruled island's reliance on imported energy and vulnerability to a Chinese blockade.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is treading a fine line on UK-EU relations as hard-right populists make gains at a time when Brexit and immigration remain toxic issues in Britain.

Big tech companies are increasingly waving the US flag in Washington where President Donald Trump is back in charge, pushing his America First agenda.

Sean "Diddy" Combs's former partner Casandra Ventura testified Wednesday that the music mogul raped her near the end of their decade-plus relationship that included routine physical abuse and left her with post-traumatic stress and suicidal thoughts.

US President Donald Trump offered on Wednesday to head to Turkey for talks on ending the Ukraine conflict, so long as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin also showed up.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou struck a defiant tone in parliament on Wednesday as he insisted during a tense hearing that he only knew of claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school from media reports.

Pakistan returned a captured border guard to India on Wednesday, in a fresh sign of detente after a ceasefire ended four days of conflict between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals.

Gaza rescuers said at least 29 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday as negotiations took place in Qatar for the release of hostages still held in the war-battered territory.

Major stock markets diverged and the dollar slid Wednesday as euphoria over easing US-China trade tensions petered out.

The United States and China slashed sweeping tariffs on each others' goods for 90 days on Wednesday, after a temporary ceasefire in a brutal trade war that roiled global markets and international supply chains.

Chinese tech giant Baidu plans to start testing self-driving taxis in Europe for the first time by the end of this year, a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

The French interior minister said Wednesday he will meet with cryptocurrency professionals to discuss how to prevent future kidnappings for ransom following several such high-profile cases in France.

Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" powers into the Cannes film festival for its premiere on Wednesday on a steamroller of hype, with the world asking if this will be the final curtain for agent Ethan Hunt.

US President Donald Trump asked Syria's new leader on Wednesday to normalise relations with Israel after he offered a major boost to the war-ravaged country by announcing the lifting of sanctions.