AFP news

Senior Russian official Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday told China's foreign minister Wang Yi their two countries' most urgent task should be countering "containment" by the United States, as they met for security talks in Beijing.

Once confined to rectangular screens, chirpy plumber Mario and pointy-eared Princess Zelda are popping up in theme parks and toy stores as Nintendo goes all out to win non-gamer fans.

North Korea has ratified a landmark defense pact with Russia, state media reported Tuesday, deepening security cooperation that has seen Pyongyang send thousands of troops to help Moscow fight Ukraine.

The European Union's designated foreign policy chief said Tuesday that the bloc must back Ukraine "for as long as it takes", as she and other EU heavyweights faced scrutiny by parliament.

Fighter jets and attack drones took centre stage as China's largest air show officially opened on Tuesday, an opportunity for Beijing to showcase its growing military might to potential customers and rivals alike.

Sri Lanka's new leftist leader has drawn strong support from an unlikely source as he seeks to expand his three parliamentary seats to a house majority in elections on Thursday.

Australia will move to stem the exodus of its banks from the Pacific Islands, the country's top economic official said, as concerns mount that China could bolster its influence by filling in the gaps.

The host of the UN climate summit in Azerbaijan on Tuesday defended fossil fuels and the right of countries to exploit them as dozens of world leaders arrived for the COP29 conference.

Alexander Zverev opened his campaign at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday evening by dispatching Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 in their round-robin opener.

US President-elect Donald Trump announced new members of his incoming administration on Monday, and was expected to pick Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

Beleaguered aviation giant Boeing reached a last-minute settlement Monday with the family of a woman killed in the crash of a 737 MAX jetliner in 2019, averting a federal civil trial.

Businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime was sworn in as Haiti's new prime minister on Monday as a gun attack on a passenger jet at the capital's airport underscored the utter breakdown in law and order in the Caribbean country.

One of Europe's biggest tech events, Web Summit, launched on Monday in Lisbon with pop superstar Pharrell Williams among those taking to the stage.

The Mauritius opposition appeared to be headed for victory in legislative elections after Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Monday conceded defeat.

The Kremlin on Monday denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump shared a call about the Ukraine conflict.

China said Monday it will impose "temporary anti-dumping measures" on brandy imported from the European Union, deepening a trade standoff between Beijing and Brussels after similar measures last month.

Air alerts wailed across Ukraine early Monday as Russian strikes killed at least six people, a day after record drone attacks by both sides and US president-elect Donald Trump reportedly urging Russia's Vladimir Putin not to escalate the conflict.

Thousands of people sought shelter and ports shut down in the Philippines on Monday, officials said, as the disaster-weary nation was struck by another typhoon -- the fourth in less than a month.

US president-elect Donald Trump said late Sunday he was bringing back hardline immigration official Tom Homan to oversee the country's borders in the incoming administration.

China's largest online shopping bonanza wraps up on Monday, with analysts and investors watching for signs that consumption is rebounding in the world's second-largest economy after recent efforts by Beijing to boost activity.

The COP29 climate talks opened Monday in Azerbaijan with a call to show global cooperation was not "down for the count", as Donald Trump's re-election hangs over the key discussions.

Arab and Muslim leaders gather in Saudi Arabia Monday for a summit addressing the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, a chance to send a message to US President-elect Donald Trump.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba kept his job in a parliamentary vote on Monday, despite having led the ruling coalition to its worst general election result in 15 years.

Donald Trump's election victory paves the way for a fresh wave of misinformation, not only around politics but also on vaccines and climate, with his expected cabinet picks ready to challenge the scientific community.

Makazole Mapimpi scored two tries as world champions South Africa returned to the top of the world rankings with a 32-15 win over Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Germany's embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday he would be ready to ask for a confidence vote this year to pave the way for snap elections.

Russia should face justice for war crimes committed in Ukraine under any future peace deal and pay for the destruction it has wrought, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday.

When war erupted in Gaza, Palestinian artists had only one way to share their work expressing the harrowing reality of the conflict: having it smuggled out of the besieged territory.

Art teacher Daniil Klyuka believes the headmistress of the provincial Russian school where he worked reported him for doodling horns on pictures of officials in a newspaper.