AFP news

A civilian cargo ship sailing from Ukraine reached Istanbul on Thursday in defiance of a Moscow blockade that sent tensions soaring after Russia opened fire on a Turkish-owned ship.

Troubled Chinese property giant Country Garden risks defaulting on its bond payments next month, which could have disastrous consequences for the world's second-largest economy.

Ukraine will make "long-term" efforts to deepen ties with African countries as it seeks to counter Russia's influence on the continent, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told AFP this week.

Israel said the United States on Thursday approved the "landmark" sale of the Arrow 3 hypersonic missile defence system to Germany in the country's biggest military deal, worth $3.5 billion.

Police were guarding a Christian neighbourhood in central Pakistan on Thursday, after hundreds of Muslim men rampaged through its streets setting fire to churches and ransacking homes over accusations of blasphemy a day earlier.

After riding a fossil-fuel boom for decades, Gulf Arab states are eyeing "green" hydrogen as they try to transition their economies and ease the climate crisis at a stroke.

Asian stocks joined a global sell-off Thursday on fresh worries the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates again, while China's economic woes continued to shred traders' nerves.

The World Health Organization holds its first summit on traditional medicine on Thursday, with warnings that treatments rooted in natural products can be effective alternative healthcare only if scientifically proven.

Moscow's Luna-25 lander was successfully placed in the Moon's orbit Wednesday, the first such Russian mission in almost 50 years, space agency Roscosmos announced.

More than 60 people are believed to have died after a migrant boat from Senegal was found off West Africa's Cape Verde islands, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday.

Intel Corporation has terminated a $5.4 billion deal to buy Tower Semiconductor in Israel after failing to get needed regulatory approval, the US chip maker announced Wednesday.

US surgeons who transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a brain dead patient said Wednesday the organ was still working well after a record 32 days -- a significant step in the quest to close the organ donation gap.

The UK risks being left behind in the production of "green" electricity, despite having once being considered a leader in the energy transition, according to a new study.

In the Moscow region's Patriot Park, dedicated to the achievements of the Russian army, an officer wearing a green cap stood in front of a captured US MaxxPro armoured vehicle.

Wall Street stocks fell Wednesday as US Treasury bond yields surged to multi-year peaks, while the pound rallied following British inflation data.

Iceland's meteorological office on Wednesday declared that the volcanic eruption near the country's capital Reykjavik was officially over as no activity had been observed for 10 days.

Hundreds of Muslim men set fire to churches and vandalised Christian homes during a rampage in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said, after Christians were accused of blasphemy.

China's troubled property giant Country Garden said Wednesday there were "major uncertainties" over payments on its bonds, with fears swirling about the health of the country's heavily indebted real estate sector.

Bank of Ireland apologised on Wednesday after fixing a technical issue that allowed customers to withdraw or transfer more money than was in their accounts.

Chinese internet giant Tencent announced on Wednesday a 41 percent year-on-year jump in second-quarter net income, but missed analyst forecasts for revenue.

Britain's annual inflation rate dropped sharply in July to a 15-month low, official data revealed Wednesday, off the back of lower energy prices and in line with economists' expectations.

Hong Kong's stock exchange operator reported a "strong" first-half net profit of HK$6.31 billion ($807 million) on Wednesday, up 31 percent on the same period last year despite IPO activity being impacted by "global market fragility".

Kyiv announced Wednesday a cargo vessel had exited its southern port of Odesa along a new maritime corridor, despite an earlier warning from Russia it could target vessels using Ukrainian ports.

Seventeen troops died in a jihadist ambush in Niger, the government said, in a reminder of the nation's deep security crisis as its military rulers face off against neighbours determined to reverse last month's coup.

As Iranian seizures threaten oil tankers plying the Gulf, the United States is raising its military presence -- a move long demanded by Gulf Arab states who accused Washington of retreating from the region.

Gun battles between two leading armed groups in the Libyan capital Tripoli have killed 27 people and wounded 106, a toll update from the Emergency Medicine Centre said Wednesday.

The number of people known to have died in the horrific wildfire that levelled a Hawaiian town topped 100 Tuesday, the state's governor said, as a makeshift morgue was expanded to deal with the tragedy.

Asian markets fell Wednesday on concerns about the Chinese economy and after stronger-than-expected US retail sales data increased the likelihood of a further Fed rate hike.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was forced Tuesday to scrap her trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after her plane suffered recurring technical problems, the latest in a series of incidents with the German fleet.