AFP news

The country's developers are still reeling from the effects of Beijing's 2020 crackdown on excessive borrowing and rampant speculation in the property sector, with many facing restructuring following defaults.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year saw Ukraine's Black Sea ports blocked by warships until a deal signed in July allowed for the safe passage of exports of critical grain supplies.

The shooting took place at about 8:40 pm (1840 GMT) on Dizengoff Avenue, a popular nightlife spot in the centre of Tel Aviv, where a Palestinian attack killed three people in April 2022.

In an unusual step for a UN agency, the UN Development Program said it signed a contract to purchase a crude carrier from major tanker company Euronav that will head to Yemen to remove the oil from the beleaguered FSO Safer.

NATO has warned Bakhmut could fall to the Russians within days. Russian mercenary group Wagner claims to control the town's eastern side, but Kyiv has ordered Ukrainian troops to bolster defences.

The decision after the March 20, 2003 ground invasion to dismantle Iraq's state, party and military apparatus deepened the chaos that fuelled years of bloodletting, from which the jihadist Islamic State group later emerged.

The Palestinian ministry announced the "martyrdom" of three men shot by Israeli forces in Jaba, near the flashpoint northern city of Jenin.

Under the UN, the IOM collaborates with the refugee agency UNHCR to provide life-saving assistance to migrants in official detention centres.

Since the start of Russia's invasion more than a year ago, many women like Tetyana have volunteered with non-governmental organisations to help wounded soldiers.

Condemnation of Russia by Western governments has essentially severed Europe from Russian supplies, leaving it more reliant on the Middle East and the United States.

PSG's run to the 2020 final now looks even more like an anomaly, coming in a pandemic-hit season when the Champions League was reduced to a mini-tournament behind closed doors.

Markets have been falling since the start of February as a string of forecast-beating indicators have shattered hopes the US central bank could pause its tightening campaign soon, and even cut borrowing costs by the year's end.

The Taliban administration is proving adept at collecting tax -- and seemingly without the corruption associated with the previous administration.

For months Russia has been pummelling key facilities in Ukraine with missiles and drones, disrupting water, heating and electricity supplies for millions of people.

The case highlights the vulnerability of Saudi exiles amid a widening crackdown on dissent under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the oil-rich country's de facto ruler.

He is one of some two dozen foreigners jailed in Iran who campaigners see as hostages held to extract concessions from the West.

About 20 women held a rare demonstration in a Kabul street on Wednesday, calling on the international community to protect Afghans, AFP journalists witnessed.

Erdogan had spent months ridiculing opposition leaders for repeatedly trying and failing to settle their rivalries and forge a common front at the ballot box.

Since 2018 UNESCO has raised more than $150 million for projects in Iraq, mostly the reconstruction of Mosul.

The cause of the blast remained unclear but fatal building fires and explosions are common in Bangladesh, where safety enforcement is often lax.

The 36-year-old self-made investor, who was raised by a single mum and first shot to public attention by winning a popular South Korean TV quiz show, started asking uncomfortable questions.

The UN is concerned about the protection of minorities such as the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Tibetans, Turk said in his main speech to the current UN Human Rights Council session.

Switzerland bars re-export of Swiss weaponry to nations at war, but the issue of the country's long tradition of neutrality has been under debate since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago.

Fighting is raging around Ukraine's eastern town of Bakhmut, with President Volodymyr Zelensky warning that if the town fell, Moscow would gain an "open road" for offensives deeper into his country.

The interior ministry said in a statement on Tuesday "a number of people" suspected of manufacturing hazardous substances had been arrested in six provinces, including a pupil's parent.

Witnesses said Israeli troops entered the camp and surrounded a house as a group of militants fought back, with the army reporting "explosive devices and blocks" were hurled at their soldiers.

Lethwei is considered one of the most aggressive combat sports in the world, with fighters eschewing boxing gloves for thin gauze bandages wrapped around hardened knuckles.

Ali Hasnain showed off the new clothes he would wear as he prepared for the long journey west to a better life.

Since US-led coalition troops ousted Saddam's Sunni Arab-dominated regime, Iraq's Shiite majority has led Iraq under a confessional power-sharing system.