AFP news

First responders in Gaza said Thursday that their operations were at a near standstill, more than two months into a full Israeli blockade that has left food and fuel in severe shortage.

China's Xi Jinping was in Moscow on Thursday for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin's grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia's army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce.

Dubai's Emirates Group, which includes the Middle East's biggest airline, announced on Thursday gross annual profit of $6.2 billion, its third record in three years.

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo forecast Thursday that it would sell 15 million units of its hotly awaited Switch 2 console in the current financial year but warned US tariffs could hit its bottom line.

Faced with fresh flight safety problems at a major US airport, the Trump administration is set Thursday to unveil a modernized air traffic control system.

Pakistan's army said Thursday it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades.

The United States and Britain were reportedly set to announce a trade agreement on Thursday that could have implications for President Donald Trump's tariffs assault, but the scope of the deal could be limited.

Thick black smoke billowed Thursday from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in a sign that cardinals again failed to elect a new head of the Catholic Church.

Paris Saint-Germain clinched a place in the Champions League final as goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave them a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the second leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 aggregate triumph.

The UN's human rights chief told AFP Wednesday that Israel's plan for an expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip represented "a very dangerous moment" for civilians there.

Hansi Flick's brilliant young Barcelona side won hearts in this season's Champions League and re-established themselves at Europe's top table but fell agonizingly short of reaching the Munich final after one of the competition's greatest semi-finals.

German premium carmaker BMW said Wednesday that it expected to largely ride out the impact of US tariffs over the coming year, and that it hoped to soften their impact.

Russia and Ukraine traded a barrage of drone strikes overnight on Wednesday, in attacks that killed two in Kyiv and forced Moscow to shut major airports hours before a swathe of foreign leaders was to arrive.

Deadly clashes between India and Pakistan have prompted concern and calls for restraint from around the world on Wednesday.

The EU and Britain look set to seal a defense pact at a landmark summit this month as worries about US President Donald Trump and the war in Ukraine spur them beyond the wrangles of Brexit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping headed to Moscow on Wednesday for a key three-day visit including a grand Victory Day parade and a show of support for Vladimir Putin.

Sara, a Dubai-based journalist, joined the US-funded Alhurra TV news channel hoping for job security.

From influencer-only briefings to memes of Donald Trump as the pope and a "Star Wars" Jedi master, the White House is creating its own alternate media reality.

Motown legend Smokey Robinson was facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit on Tuesday from four former housekeepers who allege the soul singer repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them.

Romania's liberal interior minister Catalin Predoiu became interim premier on Tuesday, a day after the prime minister's resignation deepened political tumult in the EU nation.

Ford reported a 65 percent drop in first-quarter profits Monday, citing a near-term drag on auto sales from new vehicle launches, as it withdrew its forecast amid tariff uncertainty.

Cardinals will on Tuesday begin moving into the Vatican accommodation where they will stay during the conclave, on the eve of their historic, secretive meeting to elect a new pope.

A barrage of Ukrainian drones forced Russian airports, including in Moscow, to restrict flights on Tuesday -- three days before the Kremlin will hold its grand military parade on Red Square to mark the defeat of the Nazis.

US delivery service DoorDash has agreed to take over UK peer Deliveroo in a deal worth GBP2.9 billion ($3.9 billion), according to a joint statement on Tuesday.

A senior Hamas official said Tuesday the group was no longer interested in truce talks with Israel and urged the international community to halt Israel's "hunger war" against Gaza.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meets Donald Trump on Tuesday for the first time since he won reelection on a pledge to stand up to the US president's tariffs and threats to annex the United States' northern neighbor.

The dollar rose in Asia on Tuesday fuelled by hopes for trade deals to avert Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, while equities were mixed as investors await the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision.

Germany's conservative leader Friedrich Merz suffered a serious blow on Tuesday when he failed to win a parliamentary majority in the first round of voting on him becoming the next chancellor.

Jannik Sinner is the star of the show at the upcoming Rome Open as the world number one and Italian tennis hero gears up for his return to the courts after a contested doping ban.