POLITICS

US presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump clashed on China and economic issues Tuesday, with the Democratic candidate saying he "sold us out" on China while the former president declared "they've destroyed the economy."

Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, began a visit to Iraq on Wednesday, aiming to deepen already close ties with the neighbouring country on his first trip abroad since taking office.

The US and British top diplomats headed together into Ukraine on Wednesday to discuss further easing rules on firing Western weapons into Russia, whose alleged acquisition of Iranian missiles has raised new fears.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for "a negotiated solution" at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to end a stand-off between Beijing and the European Union.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets the new UK government on Tuesday, with the close allies expected to share their resolve on Ukraine and paper over differences on Gaza.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will clash in their first and possibly last televised debate Tuesday, in a potentially game-changing moment for the blockbuster 2024 US presidential election.

Controversial proposals by Mexico's outgoing president to allow voters to elect judges face a final hurdle in Congress against a backdrop of opposition street protests, diplomatic tensions and investor jitters.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Monday for a "fair trade order" during a visit to China where he met leader Xi Jinping and aimed to boost ties despite a tariff standoff between Beijing and the European Union.

Venezuela's battered opposition is running out of options for challenging President Nicolas Maduro's claim to have won reelection.

Algeria's incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been re-elected with almost 95 percent of the vote, the country's electoral authority ANIE said Sunday.

Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan gathered in Islamabad on Sunday despite authorities' attempts to block the protesters' main routes into the capital, AFP journalists noted.

The US presidential race remains neck-and-neck according to polls released Sunday, two days before Kamala Harris and Donald Trump hold their first -- and potentially only -- televised debate.

United States climate envoy John Podesta said on Friday that plans were moving forward for a summit with China on reducing emissions of methane and other highly polluting non-CO2 gases.

France's new right-wing Prime Minister Michel Barnier started consulting all sides Friday to cobble together a government capable of mustering a majority in parliament after two months of political deadlock.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared in person at a meeting of Ukraine's international backers in Germany on Friday to rally support for Kyiv days after one of the deadliest Russian strikes of the war.

Donald Trump announced Thursday that if elected president he would appoint billionaire Elon Musk to lead an audit of government spending and implement "drastic" reform.

Joe Biden's son Hunter pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial on Thursday, without reaching the deal he had sought with prosecutors, in a case that has been an embarrassment for the US president.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he supported Kamala Harris in November's US presidential election, an apparent wry remark a day after the United States issued indictments accusing Moscow of vote interference.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday pledged over $50 billion in financing for Africa over the next three years, promising to deepen cooperation in infrastructure and trade with the continent as he addressed Beijing's biggest summit since the pandemic.

Donald Trump's case on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election returns to a courtroom on Thursday, but a trial of the former US president appears remote.

Vice President Kamala Harris travels to the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania on Thursday, where she will reportedly spend five days preparing for next week's presidential debate.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered a major political blow on Wednesday when a small leftist faction in parliament pulled its support for his minority Liberal government.

The historian running the memorial at Germany's former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald is no stranger to hate crime and threats, but he fears more trouble ahead after the far-right AfD's election triumph.

The public deficit in France is at risk of reaching 5.6 percent of GDP this year and even 6.2 percent in 2025, the finance ministry has warned, as a political crisis rumbles on.

Concerns grew Tuesday over the chances of securing a Gaza truce, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected making any "concessions" in stalled talks towards a hostage release deal.

US climate envoy John Podesta will visit China this week for talks with counterpart Liu Zhenmin, state media said Tuesday, ahead of the COP29 summit in Baku in November.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has made her first picks for her top team, with the key economy vice-president job going to Italy's far-right nominee, German newspaper Die Welt reported Tuesday.

A Venezuelan court granted an arrest warrant Monday for opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to have rightfully won July elections that authorities awarded to incumbent Nicolas Maduro.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that his army was rapidly advancing in east Ukraine, citing this as proof that Kyiv's cross-border incursion into the Kursk region was failing.