AFP news

Russia on Wednesday accused the US of prolonging the "war in Ukraine" by stepping up weapons deliveries to Kyiv ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

A painting by Rene Magritte shattered an auction record for the surrealist artist on Tuesday, selling for more than $121 million at Christie's in New York.

Gunshots, screams, eerie laughter: South Korea's border island Ganghwa is being bombarded nightly with blood-curdling sounds, part of a new campaign by the nuclear-armed North that is driving residents to despair.

The UN Security Council is expected to vote Wednesday on another draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in its latest attempt to exert pressure to end the war.

Japan is readying a $65-billion push in microchips and artificial intelligence aimed at reclaiming its status as a global tech leader and meeting the urgent challenges of its ageing, shrinking population.

Landmines and unexploded munitions claimed more victims in Myanmar than in any other country last year, a monitor said on Wednesday, warning the true toll could be double or triple its estimate of 1,000 people killed or wounded.

India head into a hotly anticipated five-Test showdown against Australia starting in Perth on Friday wounded by their first home series loss in 12 years and with a point to prove.

China's President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Brazil Wednesday, fresh off a warm reception at summits of the G20 and APEC groups, both held under the cloud of Donald Trump's White House return.

Senior US and Israeli officials will meet in early December to address American concerns over harm to civilians caused by military operations in Gaza, the State Department said Tuesday.

Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he was appointing Mehmet Oz, a former surgeon and TV celebrity known as "Dr. Oz," to lead the United States' massive public health insurance program.

Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai insisted his newspaper had championed democracy and "freedom" as he took the witness stand Wednesday for the first time in his trial for collusion with foreign forces.

US President-elect Donald Trump nominated Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of his transition team, as his commerce secretary on Tuesday -- a choice set to bring a tougher stance on China from the incoming administration.

The European Union is key to a deal being done at UN climate talks in Baku by Friday -- viewed as a bridge both with China and poorer nations -- after climate sceptic Donald Trump's triumph in the US elections.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was under growing pressure Tuesday to step aside as the top candidate of his Social Democrats (SPD) for snap polls in February, as the party heads for a historic drubbing.

The first time G20 leaders took their photo together at a summit in Rio they forgot Joe Biden.

French regional daily Ouest-France, the top-selling paper in the country, announced Tuesday it was joining several other European publications by suspending posts on X following the takeover of the site formerly known as Twitter by billionaire Elon Musk.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused $71 billion in environmental damage and led to a surge in greenhouse gas emissions, the Ukrainian government told the COP29 summit in Baku.

Two telecommunications cables cut in the Baltic Sea in 48 hours prompted European officials to say Tuesday that they suspect "sabotage" and "hybrid warfare" linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Anti-poverty campaigners have hailed a decision by G20 leaders meeting in Rio to make sure the world's billionaires "are effectively taxed."

The IMF said Tuesday that it has reached agreement with Ukraine on a loan program review that paves the way for an additional $1.1 billion in much-needed funds.

British farmers massed in London on Tuesday for protests against controversial government plans to change inheritance tax rules for land ownership, which they claim threatens to break up the sector and hit food production.

Ukraine said Tuesday that its forces would never surrender to Russia, 1,000 days after Moscow launched its brutal invasion, while the Kremlin also pledged victory and escalated its nuclear sabre-rattling.

Spain's royals will make a highly anticipated return to the epicentre of catastrophic floods on Tuesday after a chaotic trip where survivors hurled mud and insults at them, local media said.

Negotiators sought Tuesday to break a deadlock at UN climate talks after G20 leaders backed the need for "trillions" of dollars for poorer countries but left key sticking points unresolved.

US special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday for talks with officials on a truce plan, which Lebanon has largely endorsed, to halt the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Every Friday, Lada leaves her small apartment to take tourists around Prague's underworld.

SpaceX is poised for its next Starship megarocket test flight on Tuesday, with US President-elect Donald Trump expected to witness the second ever attempt to catch its descending booster stage in the launch tower's "chopstick" arms.

Donald Trump's allies voiced vehement criticism Monday of President Joe Biden's decision to let Ukraine use US-supplied long-range missiles for attacks inside Russia, accusing him of a dangerous escalation.

A Hong Kong court on Tuesday jailed all 45 defendants convicted of subversion in the city's largest national security trial, with "mastermind" Benny Tai receiving the longest term of 10 years.