AFP news

Diplomatic pressure mounted on Israel Friday to secure a truce that could avert a wider war after more than 10 months of fighting in Gaza, as mediators prepared to meet for a second day of talks in Qatar.

Turning heads as they cruise past office buildings and malls, driverless taxis are slowly spreading through Chinese cities, prompting both wariness and wonder.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo hailed his economic track record on Friday in a final state of the nation address before he leaves office in October after a decade in power.

Kamala Harris is expected to take on companies unfairly jacking up prices as she sets out her economic agenda Friday in her first major policy announcement as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

Members of Congress on Thursday called on Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg to give them details regarding ads for opiods and other illicit drugs on the tech titan's platform.

Though the Sudanese army is still staying away from ceasefire talks in Switzerland, the US envoy convening the negotiations told AFP they were nonetheless in daily contact -- and making progress on humanitarian aid.

Russia is putting generative artificial intelligence to work in online deception campaigns, but its efforts have been unsuccessful, according to a Meta security report released Thursday.

The 37-year-old daughter of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra became Thailand's prime minister Friday, the third member of the influential but divisive clan to lead the country.

American gymnast Jordan Chiles said Thursday that being stripped of a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics has been devastating and heartbreaking and delivered her an unjust blow.

Major pharmaceutical companies lashed out following a landmark deal unveiled Thursday to cut the costs of 10 key medicines, with some saying the price-setting process was not transparent.

Taylor Swift kicked off the first of five sell-out London shows on Thursday, taking to the stage a week after concerts in Vienna were cancelled due to a foiled suicide attack plot.

Five people who allegedly supplied ketamine to "Friends" star Matthew Perry in a bid to exploit his drug addiction for profit have been charged in relation to his overdose death, US officials said Thursday.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made an upbeat show of unity Thursday as they held their first joint public event since Harris replaced the president as the Democratic Party's candidate in November's election.

Ukraine on Thursday rejected as "absolute nonsense" suggestions it was involved in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which transported Russian gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas told a special session of the Turkish parliament on Thursday that he would travel to Gaza.

The EU on Friday formally requested that Meta detail steps it is taking on transparency after the Facebook and Instagram owner scrapped a widely-used tool for tracking disinformation online.

Pakistan said Friday it had confirmed a case of mpox, a day after Sweden recorded the first infection outside of Africa involving a new, more dangerous strain of the virus that has killed hundreds in the DR Congo.

New Zealand will shakeup its defense forces and "reset" its foreign policy to align with traditional allies, the country's prime minister said Thursday.

Pressure built for a Gaza ceasefire to be agreed at talks set to resume Thursday in Qatar, aiming to stop the spread of a war that the Hamas-run territory's health ministry said has killed 40,000.

Britain's economy grew 0.6 percent in the April-June period, a slight slowdown compared with the first three months of the year, official data showed on Thursday.

Thousands took to the streets of Kolkata early Thursday to condemn the rape and murder of a local doctor, demanding justice for the victim and an end to the chronic issue of violence against women in Indian society.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe faces 38 challengers in polls next month, the election commission said Thursday after nominations closed, with ally-turned-rival Sajith Premadasa leading the pack.

The Australian Olympic Committee on Thursday decried what it said was a "vexatious, misleading and bullying" petition targeting Paris breakdancing sensation Raygun.

The party of Thailand's billionaire ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra meets on Thursday to choose a candidate for prime minister, a day after the kingdom's top court dismissed incumbent premier Srettha Thavisin over an ethics violation.

Mobs vowing to guard Bangladesh's student-led revolution roamed the site of a planned rally for ousted premier Sheikh Hasina on Thursday, beating up some of her suspected supporters with bamboo rods and pipes.

Chinese industrial production growth slowed in July while unemployment rose, official data showed Thursday, highlighting an uneven recovery in the world's second-largest economy despite recent government measures to try to stimulate expansion.

The lakeside mansion where Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi spent years under house arrest was put up for auction for the second time on Thursday but once again attracted no bids, AFP reporters said.

Even if Kylian Mbappe had not completed his long-awaited move to Real Madrid this summer they would still be widely tipped to retain La Liga.

Venezuela's CNE electoral council, under fire after declaring a widely rejected election victory for President Nicolas Maduro, on Wednesday described a UN report disputing the outcome as "rife with lies."