AFP news

UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi kicked off a visit Tuesday to "independently assess" conditions at Russia's Kursk nuclear plant following Ukraine's unprecedented cross-border offensive into the Russian region.

The UAE said Tuesday it had requested consular services for Telegram's Pavel Durov after the Dubai-based tech boss was arrested in France over alleged failings to curb criminality on the app.

The boss of social media platform Telegram has been arrested in France, accused of allowing the sharing of illegal content.

A Thai court will sentence Thursday a famed Spanish actor's son charged with murdering and dismembering a Colombian plastic surgeon he met online.

Israel's military struck the Gaza Strip on Monday a day after truce talks in Cairo coincided with a major but brief cross-border escalation involving Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

France held the Russian-born founder of Telegram Pavel Durov in custody for a second day of questioning on Monday over alleged offences related to the popular but controversial messaging app, which insisted he had "nothing to hide".

Fans of British rock band Oasis buzzed with anticipation Monday as Liam and Noel Gallagher teased that they could be returning to the stage together, 15 years after the band's last performance.

Russian missile and drone strikes battered Ukraine's power grid on Monday, killing at least four people and forcing authorities to introduce emergency blackouts.

Sri Lanka's main Marxist leader and a key presidential hopeful in elections next month pledged on Monday to selectively welcome foreign investors, especially in green energy, if he wins.

The Dutch data protection watchdog said Monday it hit ride-hailing app Uber with a 290-million-euro ($324 million) fine over the transfer of personal data of European drivers to US servers.

Emissions-belching nations were challenged to stump up for climate-related damage as a key Pacific islands summit opened on Monday, with low-lying Tuvalu declaring: "If you pollute, you should pay."

Australia gave millions of workers the legal right to "disconnect" on Monday, allowing them to ignore unreasonable out-of-hours calls, emails and texts from their bosses.

North Korea has unveiled a new "suicide drone", state media said Monday, with leader Kim Jong Un overseeing a performance test of the weapons, which experts said could have come from Russia.

A jersey belonging to US baseball legend Babe Ruth shattered the record for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever auctioned on Sunday, fetching $24.1 million.

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in hiding since shortly after the country's disputed presidential election, is due to appear before prosecutors Monday in a criminal investigation launched by officials considered close to President Nicolas Maduro.

Lydia Ko said she had enjoyed a "Cinderella" story after ending an eight-year wait for a major title by winning the Women's British Open at St. Andrews on Sunday, just a fortnight after her Olympic gold medal triumph in Paris.

Standing opposite a mansion in the elegant English city of Bath, Tegan Shirdon marvelled at the window from where Penelope, one of the heroines of "Bridgerton", would eye her love interest Colin in the hit show.

China's coast guard said it rescued Filipino "personnel" who fell overboard Sunday after a Philippine vessel collided with one of its ships near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

Thai authorities raided an illegal bitcoin mine west of Bangkok after residents complained of frequent blackouts in the area for more than a month, local authorities said Sunday.

President Joe Biden's skeptical approach to corporate mergers has been a hallmark of his administration's business policy -- a stance generally expected to ease if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Flash floods wrought havoc in Bangladesh on Friday as the country recovers from weeks of political upheaval, with the death toll rising to 13 and millions more caught in the deluge.

Icelandic authorities said Friday that a second fissure had formed on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula after lava started spewing forth for the sixth time in the region since December.

Israeli negotiators were in Cairo Friday for talks on a Gaza truce, a spokesman said, but a dispute over the presence of Israeli troops on Gaza's southern border remained among sticking points.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump set out Friday on the final 10-week sprint to election day, with the Democrat surging after an electrifying speech accepting the Democratic Party nomination.

Nestle shares fell Friday after the surprise departure of chief executive Mark Schneider, which followed slowing sales growth and bad headlines at the Swiss food group.

Divers searching for the last person missing after a superyacht sank off Sicily found a body Friday, presumed to be the teenage daughter of UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who also perished.

French President Emmanuel Macron began a round of thorny consultations with political leaders on Friday, hoping to cobble together a viable ruling coalition after last month's inconclusive election.

Pacific island leaders gather for a key summit in the Kingdom of Tonga on Monday, aiming to navigate rapidly rising seas, damaging great power rivalries and violent unrest in New Caledonia.

UK's Labour government has vowed to tax private schools in order to boost public education and create thousands of teaching posts, but the policy is causing concern for families already hard-pressed to meet the fees.