AFP news

Liverpool are within touching distance of the Premier League title after Virgil van Dijk sealed a dramatic 2-1 win over West Ham, while Newcastle climbed into the top four with a 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United on Sunday.

A Russian missile strike on Sunday on the Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least 34 people, authorities said as European and US leaders condemned one of the deadliest attacks in months.

An Israeli air strike early Sunday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, as the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" operating from within the facility.

World Expo opened on Sunday with 160 countries and regions showcasing their technology, culture and food, with host Japan hoping to provide the world with some much-needed hope.

UK lawmakers held a rare Saturday parliamentary debate as the government seeks to pass emergency legislation to stop the last British factory that can make steel from scratch shutting down.

Under heavy skies, the minibus carrying Hong Kong politician Emily Lau rattles along a winding mountain road to Stanley Prison for a visit she finds all too familiar.

Israel announced on Saturday that its military had completed the takeover of a new corridor in southern Gaza, advancing its efforts to seize large parts of the war-battered Palestinian territory.

WHO members on Saturday reached agreement over how to tackle future pandemics after three years of discussions, the co-chair of the negotiating body told AFP. "We have an accord in principle" and the final version will have to be okayed by the various member states, Anne-Claire Amprou, who is also French ambassador for world health, said.

By casting doubt on the world order, Donald Trump risks dragging the globe back into an era where great powers impose their imperial will on the weak, analysts warn.

The United States and Iran begin high-stakes talks on Tehran's nuclear programme on Saturday, with President Donald Trump threatening military action should they fail to produce a new deal.

Every Friday, Alawi crosses the border from Iran into Iraq to sell his produce in the markets of Basra, which serve as a haven for Iranians grappling with economic sanctions.

Three international financial institutions announced $42 billion in fresh support for financially troubled Argentina on Friday, as its president said his country's economy will grow "like never before."

On a sweltering spring day, workers at a Christmas tree factory in eastern China rhythmically assembled piles of branches, wiping away sweat as they daubed white-paint snow onto plastic pine needles.

In normal conditions, Canadian Air Force helicopter pilot Jonathan Vokey uses the treeline to gauge his altitude.

The UK government has recalled parliament this weekend aiming to pass emergency legislation to "take control" of a struggling British Steel plant, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday.

Shaken by Donald Trump's tariff blitz, the EU has embarked on a charm offensive to diversify its alliances in Asia and beyond, with summits lined up back-to-back and trade talks launched in all directions.

Negotiations toward a global agreement on tackling future pandemics came down to the wire Friday, with observers voicing hope that a consensus could be found to seal a landmark deal.

Vast pharmaceutical factories pepper the green landscape in southern Ireland, but the wind turbines next to the plants outside Cork are in the eye of Donald Trump's global trade storm.

Smartphone buyers were cheered by shopkeepers in Jakarta on Friday after Apple's latest smartphone went on sale following a monthslong ban in Indonesia.

Britain's economy grew far more than expected in February, official data showed Friday, in a rare piece of good news for the Labour government as it grapples with unpredictable US tariffs.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), whose future is in doubt since Donald Trump returned to the White House, provides duty-free access to the United States for certain African products.

US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russia's top economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev on Friday, state media reported, the US official's third visit to the country as Washington pushes for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

An Australian IVF clinic has admitted a mix-up led to a mother giving birth to someone else's baby.

Gaza rescuers said a pre-dawn Israeli air strike Friday killed 10 members of the same family, while the UN stated that dozens of recent Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territory had left only women and children dead.

China said Friday it would raise tariffs on US goods to 125 percent but would ignore further levies by President Donald Trump because it no longer makes economic sense for importers to buy from America.

Iran is seeking a "real and fair" agreement with the United States on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman.

Young Bangladeshi men desperate for work allege they have been tricked into fighting for Russia against Ukraine, with the reported death of a 22-year-old sparking a surge of worried calls.

In most places, a night at the opera conjures up images of polite audiences in eveningwear sitting upright to enjoy a bit of Bel Canto.

Fighter jets from the United States, France, Finland and Germany roar into the skies from a Dutch base as part of NATO's biggest air exercise this year.