AFP news

Irish author Paul Lynch won the 2023 Booker Prize for fiction on Sunday for his novel "Prophet Song," a dystopian work about an Ireland that descends into tyranny.

Former airline boss Christopher Luxon formally took office as New Zealand's prime minister on Monday, vowing to tame inflation and bring down interest rates.

Indian military engineers were preparing to dig by hand Monday to reach 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for 16 days, a rescue operation hit by repeated setbacks.

Six teenagers go on trial in Paris on Monday for their role in the 2020 beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, the first of two trials in a case that horrified France.

He has used science to underpin his moral missives on climate change. - 'Change of direction' - Two years after picking a papal name in honour of the patron saint of ecology, Francis in 2015 published a landmark thesis called "Laudato Si" (Praise Be To You) which lambasted manmade climate change and -- in an unprecedented move for a religious leader -- used science to do so.

President Joe Biden will miss the latest UN climate summit in Dubai, after two years of attending the talks in hopes of highlighting US leadership, a US official said Sunday.

The UAE's Sultan Al Jaber, the president of the forthcoming UN climate conference in Dubai, is "cautiously optimistic" that the pivotal talks will be successful, he told AFP in an interview on Saturday.

Oil and gas firms will face a crucial choice at UN climate talks next week between contributing to the climate crisis or embracing the clean energy transition, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.

They are both abrasive, have a penchant for insults and vulgarity, and boast an untamed mop of hair.

Turkey's central bank on Thursday surprised the market with a larger-than-expected interest hike as it ramped up its fight against inflation and efforts to support the slumping lira.

"I am here to take you home. From a manual for trauma care to medical support, even the first words the soldiers escorting them home will say have been carefully scripted, with experts warning many could face a long road to recovery.

Venice announced on Thursday that it would introduce a fee for day tourists to enter the city's overcrowded historic centre on 29 days next year as it seeks to come to grips with overtourism.

A gas-guzzling fossil fuel exporter trying to spearhead more ambitious climate action, the United Arab Emirates remains heavily dependent on hydrocarbons for its prosperity.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk broke his silence Thursday on a strike against his company in Sweden, saying it was "insane" that it may block new car deliveries.

With the world's largest biometric ID database, a pioneering digital payment system for daily transactions and a flagship space and satellite programme, India knows the power of connected technology.

Max Verstappen on Thursday rejected the notion, rumoured and reported in recent days, that his Red Bull team were considering approaching Lewis Hamilton to partner him in a dream line-up.

Liverpool will become the latest team to attempt to storm Manchester City's Etihad fortress this weekend as Everton focus on Premier League survival following a punishing points deduction for breaching financial rules.

Ecuador's new president, the 35-year-old millionaire heir to a business empire, Daniel Noboa, took office Thursday as the leader of a country gripped by a bloody drug war.

Latin American governments are learning not to get too comfortable in office, as disgruntled voters repeatedly topple incumbents, often in favor of outsiders or inexperienced politicians.

The retail sector's efforts to entice holiday gift purchases builds to a crescendo this weekend with the annual "Black Friday" shopping day followed by the newer "Cyber Monday."

Most Asian markets fell Friday following a broadly healthy week, with traders hoping for fresh Chinese moves to help the country's troubled property sector after officials called on banks to provide support.

US Department of Defense officials will visit Guyana next week, the South American country's vice president said Thursday, as he pledged that "all options" are on the table in its row with neighboring Venezuela.

Chinese basketball great Yao Ming says that criticism of the men's national team has gone too far after some players were abused online following a series of disappointing results.

British music retailer HMV returns to the iconic site of its former flagship store in central London on Friday, in a much-needed boost to the flagging fortunes of the capital's premier shopping street.

Just a few metres of rock and earth separate Indian rescue teams from 41 workers who have been trapped inside a collapsed road tunnel for nearly two weeks, officials said Friday, saying they were optimistic of success within hours.

A spate of thefts of rare Russian classics worth millions of euros from libraries across Eastern Europe has left a trail that points all the way to auctions in Russia.

The government of Venezuela lambasted Peru on Wednesday following a controversial football match, at one point accusing Lima of kidnapping its national team by refusing to allow the aircraft bringing the players home to refuel.

One year after the Qatar World Cup, billboards emblazoned with the tournament's official slogan, "All is now," still stand by Doha's roadsides.

Just five days after winning in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen will climb into his Red Bull for the final time this year on Friday when he begins his bid for another record-extending triumph at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.