AFP news

The European Union on Wednesday announced the creation of an "AI Office" of tech experts, lawyers and economists to regulate artificial intelligence under a sweeping new law.

The arrests of six people under Hong Kong's new national security law for posting online messages "seem to confirm" the European Union's concerns about the legislation, an EU spokesperson said Wednesday.

Mining behemoth BHP on Wednesday sought a deadline extension in its takeover pursuit of Anglo American, outlining a suite of measures to soothe shareholder concerns that have derailed previous offers.

South Africa's ruling ANC was fighting Wednesday to defy expectations that it could lose its three-decade-long exclusive grip on power as voters turned out for a watershed general election.

The US and Chinese defence chiefs are set to hold rare direct talks in Singapore this weekend, offering hopes of further military dialogue aimed at preventing flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.

North Korea has sent balloons full of trash, toilet paper and suspected animal faeces into the South, local media reports said Wednesday, with Seoul's military slamming Pyongyang for their "low class" actions.

Temperatures in India's capital soared to a record-high 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 Fahrenheit) Wednesday, as authorities warn of water shortages in the sprawling mega-city.

A major union representing tens of thousands of people at South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that workers will go on strike for the first time ever, potentially threatening key global semiconductor supply chains.

The world's first wooden satellite has been built by Japanese researchers who said their tiny cuboid craft will be blasted off on a SpaceX rocket in September.

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be prosecuted for insulting the monarchy, the attorney general's office said Wednesday, over comments he made almost a decade ago.

Israel carried out fresh strikes on Wednesday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where its forces are battling Hamas militants, after the UN Security Council met to discuss a deadly attack that sparked global outcry.

Equities fell Wednesday on lingering worries about the outlook for US interest rates, while oil prices extended their gains after an attack on a ship in the Red Sea stoked fresh worries about supplies from the Middle East.

Supplies of food and medicine began arriving at the scene of a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea Wednesday, with aid workers discovering children rendered mute by the shock of the disaster.

The world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday.

Israel again bombarded Gaza's far-southern Rafah area on Tuesday despite a global storm of outrage over a strike that set ablaze a crowded tent city, killing 45 people according to Palestinian officials.

Spain and Norway on Tuesday formally recognized a Palestinian state, with Ireland due to follow suit, in a decision slammed by Israel as a "reward" for Hamas, more than seven months into the devastating Gaza war.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te thanked troops on Tuesday after China held military exercises around the self-ruled island, as he urged them to help make it "safer".

The UK's Labour party won the backing on Tuesday of 120 business leaders, in a timely boost as it bids to oust the ruling Conservatives in the upcoming general election.

Prosecutors in the trial of Donald Trump will make a final pitch to the jury Tuesday, in their historic pursuit of the first ever criminal conviction of a former US president.

A Japanese town that mounted a huge barrier to deter unruly tourists from taking photos of Mount Fuji said Tuesday that around 10 small holes have already been poked in the mesh screen.

New Zealand Rugby will hold a crucial vote Thursday over who runs the game in the country that could see top players split from the governing body if they don't get their way.

Using a long-handled net, Ronnel Narvas scoops up discarded plastic soft drink bottles, shopping bags and palm-sized sachets as he wades through a foul-smelling tributary in the Philippine capital Manila.

Shanghai has relaxed rules on buying property in the city, as local governments across China aim to ease an agonising real estate crisis that is dragging on the economy.

After Iran mourned president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, the nation's focus turns to the election for his successor, with the conservative camp seeking a loyalist to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Novak Djokovic begins the defence of his French Open title on Tuesday, confident his Grand Slam pedigree will help overcome his lacklustre season.

Chinese social media censors have blocked multiple influencers known for showing off their lavish lifestyles after an official campaign to curb displays of ostentatious wealth online was announced.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called Monday on the West to "use all means" to force Russia to peace talks during a visit to Madrid, which pledged one billion euros in military aid as a Russian offensive gained new ground.

Argentine President Javier Milei heads for the United States Monday for the fourth time since taking office in December, meeting tech giants as he seeks to "reposition" his economically troubled country, the government said.

North Korea's latest attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit ended in a mid-air explosion, Pyongyang said late Monday, hours after its announcement of a planned launch was criticised by Seoul and Tokyo.