AFP news

The Kremlin refused to comment Monday on the Islamic State group's claims that it was behind the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades, as rescuers searched for bodies amid the rubble of the burnt-out Moscow concert hall.

Nine people including a teenage girl were wounded Monday after Ukrainian air defence systems downed two Russian missiles over the capital, sending metal debris crashing to the ground.

Donald Trump faces twin legal crises on Monday in New York, where he could see the possible seizure of his storied properties over a massive fine as he separately fights to delay a criminal trial even further.

European and Asian stock markets mostly rose and the dollar fell Tuesday ahead of US consumer data that could make clearer the outlook for interest rates in the world's top economy.

Debt-ridden French IT group Atos, the cybersecurity and data provider for the Paris Olympics, posted a huge annual loss Tuesday but vowed that its troubles would not disrupt the Games.

Israeli troops battled Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, with no sign of a let-up in the war despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an "immediate ceasefire".

Rescuers are racing to find any survivors after a major bridge collapsed in the US city of Baltimore after being struck by a heavily laden container ship.

The EU called on Facebook, TikTok and other tech titans on Tuesday to crack down on deepfakes and other AI-generated content by using clear labels ahead of Europe-wide polls in June.

Planting trees in the wrong places can actually contribute to global warming, scientists said on Tuesday, but a new map identifies the best locations to regrow forests and cool the planet.

Asian markets mostly fell on Monday as investors set their sights on the release of key US inflation data due at the end of the week.

When Yasushi Sasaki moved from Japan to Belgium at the age of 19, he spoke not a word of French and had no clue what he would do with his life.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, adding a meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo.

Hong Kong's justice minister has warned that posting and sharing criticism of the city's newly enacted national security law could be in breach of the legislation, which lays down harsh penalties for sedition.

The Philippines said Monday it had summoned a Chinese envoy over "aggressive actions" by the China Coast Guard and other vessels near a reef off the Southeast Asian country's coast.

The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a new draft resolution on an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza, after Russia and China vetoed an earlier text proposed by the United States.

The revelation that Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, has cancer prompted a swift backlash over a torrent of lurid social media speculation around her health, including by those positing she was secretly dead.

For three decades Joe Lau has tied his racehorse training career to the rising and falling fortunes of the Macau Jockey Club, but in a few days it will all be over.

Shohei Ohtani remained mum on Sunday on the gambling and theft allegations surrounding his former interpreter, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he hoped Ohtani's plans to speak on Monday would bring "clarity."

An uncrewed American lander that became the first private spaceship on the Moon has met its ultimate end after failing to "wake up," the company that built it said.

Simon Harris, who is set to become Ireland's youngest ever prime minister after being appointed party leader on Sunday, will be hoping his social media skills and fresh face can save his party's flagging fortunes as elections loom.

Russia's opposition has slammed Vladimir Putin's broken security promise in the wake of the Moscow concert hall attack, saying the country's intelligence agencies were too focused on hunting Kremlin critics instead of actual threats.

Malaysia on Friday decided against hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games because of the cost, the government said, in a fresh blow to an event seen as outdated by some.

The Bank of England on Thursday held its key interest rate at a 16-year high, opting against a reduction as inflation remains elevated despite recent slowdowns.

A coalition of Russians fighting for Ukraine on Thursday vowed to continue their brazen cross-border raids into Russia.

Haiti's gangs have made advances in Port-au-Prince, a UN official reported Thursday, with political parties inching toward forming a transition government and new bloodshed roiling the troubled Caribbean nation.

The United States, which has repeatedly blocked calls for a truce in Gaza, will submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council Friday on the need for "an immediate ceasefire," while Russia pushes for even more explicit demands for peace.

A "large group of migrants" crossing into the United States from Mexico broke through razor wire Thursday and rushed the border wall, the border patrol said, the latest episode in a simmering national immigration crisis.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Israel Friday to press for a truce in Gaza, ahead of a key UN Security Council vote on a US draft resolution on the need for an "immediate" ceasefire.

Venezuela on Thursday faced a rising tide of international criticism over its arrest of two top aides to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a rival to President Nicolas Maduro.