AFP news

Every day in a simple temple in an Indian village, Hindu priest Subhramanya Sharma prays to his god for JD Vance to become vice-president of the United States.

For Hamed al-Rafidain, a Saudi human resources worker, an electric vehicle offers welcome savings, especially since his other car is a fuel-guzzling four-wheel drive favoured by motorists in the desert kingdom.

A rejuvenated United States team under new coach Emma Hayes are targeting a record-extending fifth women's football gold medal at the Paris Olympics but face stiff competition, not least in the shape of World Cup holders Spain and their all-star line-up.

US President Joe Biden will give what could be his final Oval Office speech Wednesday to explain why he dropped out of November's election and deny that he will spend six months as a lame duck.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to the US Congress Wednesday, seeking to rally support at a time of tensions between his country and its main military backer over the war in Gaza.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday will launch a new initiative against world hunger ahead of an upcoming G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro.

The EU launched an investigation on Tuesday to determine whether online food-delivery companies Delivery Hero and Glovo engaged in anti-competitive practices.

Israel swiftly condemned an agreement brokered by China Tuesday which Beijing said would bring Hamas into a "national reconciliation government" for post-war Gaza.

As Polish lawmakers debated easing stringent abortion laws, Warsaw-based lawyer Jerzy Podgorski was in court defending a man from the remote town of Pinczow charged with aiding his partner's abortion.

India's government will spend $24 billion on employment and training, it said Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks to address uneven economic growth and mollify disgruntled voters after a surprising election setback last month.

With its castle, medieval tower and river-side beach, the western Ukrainian tourist town of Starokostiantyniv doesn't seem an obvious target for Russian missile and drone strikes.

As Paris prepares for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 26 with what promises to be a spectacular parade of boats along the river Seine, AFP looks back at memorable Olympics curtainraisers of the past.

After winning support from Democratic party heavyweights, Kamala Harris will test her potential candidacy with voters Tuesday at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, a critical "swing state" for her likely face-off with Donald Trump.

Donald Trump constantly attacked his Democratic opponent Joe Biden over his age and fitness, but the 78-year-old Republican could find those same arguments coming back to haunt him after the president ended his reelection bid.

Several western US states including California and Utah were battling wildfires on Monday as millions of Americans in the region were once again under heat alerts.

Britain accused Israel of allowing its troops to run "out of control" during a huge military operation in the occupied West Bank two decades ago, UK government archives showed Tuesday.

Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar on Monday pulled out of the Paris Olympics citing "tiredness", his Slovenia team announced.

Doctored images, sexual slurs, racial innuendos -- false narratives around Kamala Harris surged online as she emerged as the Democratic frontrunner in the US presidential race, with researchers warning of an incoming flood of gendered disinformation.

When Joe Biden returns to the Oval Office on Tuesday after nearly a week at his beach home recovering from Covid, he risks being the lamest of lame ducks for his remaining six months in office.

Semiconductor shares were among the big winners Monday, rebounding from recent weakness as US stocks climbed ahead of major earnings and economic data later this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington to speak at the United States Congress this week in a context of tense relations between the two countries over the Gaza war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Southeast Asia this week to deepen ties with Washington's strategic allies, an official said Monday, as the United States seeks to bolster its regional stance against an increasingly assertive China.

Delta Air Lines struggled on Monday with lingering effects from a global IT outage, canceling hundreds more flights than US aviation rivals.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday he had been "scared" by Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro's warning of a "bloodbath" if he loses elections on Sunday.

Last-minute US presidential candidate Kamala Harris is racing to craft her image -- and social media users are moving even more swiftly to signal support, flooding the internet with jokes about coconuts and "brat summers."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Monday to reduce the UK's "long-term reliance on overseas workers" as he unveiled a new skills training organisation aimed at boosting productivity and economic growth.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will testify on July 30 in a preliminary corruption inquiry into his wife Begona Gomez's business ties, a Madrid court said Monday, an issue that caused him to consider resigning three months ago.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington on Monday to deliver a key speech, as the military ordered fresh evacuations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis before sending in troops.

More than 500 people, including some opposition leaders, have been arrested in Dhaka over violence that has wracked Bangladesh and killed 163 people since students started protesting against civil service hiring rules, police said Monday.