WORLD

False or misleading US election claims posted on X by Elon Musk have amassed nearly 1.2 billion views this year, a watchdog reported Thursday, highlighting the billionaire's potential influence on the highly polarized White House race.

Donald Trump on Thursday voiced frustration at the independence of the Federal Reserve and suggested that the US president should have "at least a say" over the course of monetary policy.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro suspended access to the social media site X on Thursday, as he faced renewed pressure from a trio of friendly Latin American nations to release data proving his claimed reelection was valid.

Donald Trump proposed three September debates against Kamala Harris Thursday as he sought to wrest back some of the attention lavished on his rival since her blockbuster entry into the US presidential election.

Israel has agreed to resume Gaza ceasefire talks on August 15 at the demand of US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday, as regional tensions skyrocket over the war.

Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman of the United States as husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, on Thursday announced the US would make an exceptional contribution over $2 million to UN cultural agency UNESCO to boost the fight against anti-Semitic hatred.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview published Thursday that he was "sorry" that Hamas was able to carry out its October 7 attack, without explicitly taking responsibility.

A top Spanish judge demanded explanations on Friday from police and government as to how fugitive Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont was able to return to Spain despite a pending arrest warrant and vanish again.

Rights advocates are alarmed by a bill introduced to Iraq's parliament that, they fear, would roll back women's rights and increase underage marriage in the deeply patriarchal society.

Hundreds of Hindus in Bangladesh were gathered along the Indian border hoping to cross, security officials said Thursday, days after a student-led uprising toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of Catalonia who fled Spain over his role in a failed 2017 independence bid for the wealthy region, returned to Spain on Thursday after seven years on the run despite a pending arrest warrant but promptly disappeared again.

The UK government and police breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after further anticipated far-right riots failed to materialize overnight and thousands of anti-racism protesters massed on the streets instead.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus hailed Bangladesh's "second independence" as he returned Thursday to lead his country back to democracy after a student-led uprising ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina.

Russia's army was fighting a major Ukrainian border incursion for the third day running, Moscow said Thursday, with independent analysts saying Kyiv's troops had advanced up to 10 kilometres (six miles) into Russia.

US President Joe Biden warned that he was "not confident at all" of a peaceful handover of power to Kamala Harris if Donald Trump loses November's election, in an extract of a CBS interview broadcast Wednesday.

Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked his prime minister Ahmed Hachani without explanation on Wednesday and replaced him with social affairs minister Kamel Madouri, according to a statement from his office.

Standing on a balcony of the presidential palace, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro bellowed to a crowd of supporters: "Let's get them!"

It is "increasingly likely" 2024 will be the hottest year on record, despite July ending a 13-month streak of monthly temperature records, the EU's climate monitor said Thursday.

The Vienna leg of a tour by American mega-star Taylor Swift has been cancelled after Austria arrested an Islamic State sympathiser in connection with an attack plot, the organisers said Wednesday.

Thousands of UK riot police on Wednesday stood ready to deal with more potential outbreaks of violence, which erupted more than a week ago after three children were murdered.

Hamas named the alleged mastermind of the deadliest attack in Israeli history as its new leader, further inflaming regional tensions as the Gaza war entered its 11th month on Wednesday.

China carried out a combat patrol to test "strike capabilities" near a flashpoint reef in the South China Sea on Wednesday, as the United States and its allies held joint military drills in the same waters.

Sheltering under a palm tree in Saudi Arabia's capital, a Pakistani delivery driver stole a quick break during the lunch rush when orders -- and scorching temperatures -- are at their peak.

"Say no to WhatsApp!" "WhatsApp is being used to threaten Venezuela and so I'm going to delete my WhatsApp from my phone forever."

Kamala Harris made her debut Tuesday with new White House running mate Tim Walz, who unleashed a stinging rebuke of their Republican rival Donald Trump, questioning his commitment to the country and skewering his record in office.

Bangladesh's Nobel-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus will lead an interim government after mass protests forced longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee, the presidency announced Wednesday.

Russia said Tuesday it deployed air and artillery firepower to try to quash an armed Ukrainian incursion after pro-Kyiv fighters stormed across the border with tanks and armoured vehicles.

The United States said it was working "around the clock" to avert an all-out war in the Middle East, as Israel remained on high alert Tuesday for potential Iranian retaliation for two high-profile killings.

The UK government said on Tuesday that 6,000 specialist police officers were ready to deal with far-right rioting that broke out following the murder of three children, triggering a week of violence.