AFP news

From trash-strewn pavements to street vendors packing meals in polystyrene containers, plastic waste is a constant menace in the urban landscape of Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital and the continent's most populous city.

Two US lawmakers met Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te on Thursday to reaffirm Washington's support for the self-ruled island, which China claims as part of its territory.

Colombia has declared a state of emergency in two regions as dozens of forest fires burned wide swathes of the country and left the capital choking on smoke during record temperatures linked with the El Nino weather phenomenon.

President Emmanuel Macron was given a red carpet welcome and an elephant honour guard on Thursday as he started a two-day visit to India, with France eyeing lucrative deals with the world's fifth-largest economy.

Long gone is the Joe Biden of February 2023, strolling confidently through the streets of Kyiv, basking in the role as champion of the Ukrainian cause in the fight against Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Former US president Donald Trump campaigned on the economy during his failed reelection bid in 2020 and it remains a major theme in his push to retake the White House again in 2024.

Behind the global success of Japanese video games lies a delicate task: appealing to overseas players whose expectations on issues such as sexism are increasingly influencing the content of major titles.

Amazon on Wednesday said it will stop letting police directly ask people for video from the company's Ring doorbell or home security cameras.

The world's second-largest memory chip maker, South Korea's SK Hynix, said on Thursday it had returned to profit after four consecutive quarters of losses driven by demand for chips used in artificial intelligence.

Finnish telecommunications equipment maker Nokia warned Thursday that it expects another tough economic environment in the first half of this year after its net profit sank in 2023.

Liverpool will face Chelsea in the League Cup final after surviving a scare in their 1-1 draw against Fulham in the semi-final second leg on Wednesday.

Morocco's 1-0 win over Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday had the knock-on effect of sending Ivory Coast through to the last 16, after a day in which the tournament hosts sacked their coach.

The announcement of Oscar nominations always generates a bit of buzz, with fans weighing in on which movies and which actors deserved recognition and didn't get it.

From cats and plushies to emojis, a new central London exhibition opening on Thursday is exploring the "irresistible force" of "cuteness".

Clean-energy projects were the largest driver of China's economic growth in 2023, with Beijing investing nearly as much in decarbonisation infrastructure as total global investment in fossil fuels, according to a report released Thursday.

French prosecutors have requested that the former chief of Egypt's Flash Airlines stand trial over a 2004 crash off the Sinai Peninsula that killed 148 people, a judicial source said Wednesday.

Heavy Israeli bombardment of Gaza overnight killed at least 125 people, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said Wednesday, against the backdrop of talks in Cairo aimed at reaching a truce.

A US pastor who sold a worthless cryptocurrency to his flock and pocketed $1.3 million, using some of it to remodel his house, has insisted he was only doing what God told him.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, barred from running in presidential elections this year, accused the authorities of intimidation Tuesday as thousands marched in support of the government.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrives in Turkey on Wednesday for twice-delayed talks aimed at ironing out past differences and trying to halt the spread of the Israel-Hamas war.

German train drivers began on Wednesday their longest-ever strike, piling on travel misery for thousands of passengers in an escalating industrial dispute that economic experts warn could cost the economy up to a billion euros ($1.1 billion).

Top Ukrainian junior Yelyzaveta Kotliar said she was "deeply sorry" after her tennis federation criticised the 16-year-old for shaking the hand of a Russian opponent at the Australian Open.

Israel kept up its heavy assault on the "encircled" Gazan city of Khan Yunis following an outpouring of grief over the army's deadliest single day since ground operations in the territory began.

The European Union will unveil a raft of measures Wednesday to better coordinate action on protecting sensitive technology and stopping critical infrastructure from falling into the hands of geopolitical rivals like China.

Dutch tech giant ASML, which supplies chipmaking machines to the semiconductor industry, reported Wednesday a rise in annual net profit despite a high-tech trade spat between China and the West.

Six people were killed and over a dozen injured in Mongolia's capital Wednesday after a truck carrying gas collided with a car, causing a huge explosion that sent flames soaring into the night sky.

North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state.

Former US president Donald Trump steamrolled to victory in New Hampshire, brushing aside challenger Nikki Haley and virtually cementing his grip on the Republican nomination as he chases another term in the White House.

With around 90 percent of votes counted, Trump's winning margin hovered at about 11 percentage points, but his sole remaining challenger Nikki Haley vowed to fight on.