AFP news

Afghanistan is among the worst countries in the world for deaths in childbirth, "with one woman dying every two hours", UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said earlier this month.

Diniz, 49, has shot to fame in his homeland, even combining his role with the South American champions as interim Brazil coach, on the back of an innovative set-up that seeks to bring the skills honed as kids in street football into the professional arena.

Daihatsu said Wednesday it would suspend domestic and overseas shipments of all its vehicles in light of an independent panel's report that found it had been manipulating tests as long ago as 1989

Sales of Sony's PlayStation 5 have crossed 50 million units, the Japanese electronics giant said, pointing to "strong momentum" this year for its flagship gaming console.

Chinese authorities are facing a "race against time" to ensure victims of the deadliest earthquake in years can be sheltered from freezing winter temperatures, a local official told AFP on Thursday.

United Nations relief chief Martin Griffiths called the surging death toll a "tragic and shameful milestone" as the UN Security Council was to again discuss a draft resolution calling for a pause in the bloodiest ever Gaza war.

The UN Security Council on Thursday will try once again to pass a resolution calling for a halt in fighting between Israel and Hamas after previous efforts to win Washington's backing fell short.

Pharmacy group Rite Aid was ordered Tuesday to stop using facial recognition for the next five years by a US regulator, which said the company falsely identified consumers as shoplifters using the technology.

Donald Trump is ineligible for the US presidency because of his involvement in the January 2021 assault on the Capitol, Colorado's supreme court ruled Tuesday, setting off a political earthquake that could upend next year's election.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were joined in the semi-finals by Fulham, who beat Everton on penalties, and second-tier Middlesbrough, 3-0 winners against Port Vale.

Britain's ruling Conservatives face another potentially bruising by-election early next year after voters in a central English constituency ousted its Tory lawmaker following his suspension from parliament over misconduct allegations.

The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate said Tuesday that Washington will not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before year's end, as the two sides continue to seek a compromise.

State broadcaster CCTV said at least 131 people were killed in northwestern Gansu province and neighboring Qinghai after a shallow tremor on Monday night damaged thousands of buildings.

Online games such as "Grand Theft Auto" or "World of Warcraft" provide perfect cover for cartels to discreetly sell drugs or find personnel.

The United Nations Security Council was due to vote Wednesday on a much-delayed resolution calling for a pause to the Israel-Hamas war after members wrangled over wording while aid efforts in the Gaza Strip neared collapse.

Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu said Wednesday it will suspend shipments of all car models in Japan and abroad, following news it had rigged safety tests.

The Qatar-based Hamas chief, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in Cairo for discussions on the "aggression in the Gaza Strip and other matters", the group said in a statement.

An Indian court has weighed into one of the country's most bitter religious disagreements by greenlighting cases on whether a mosque in the holy city of Varanasi should be opened to Hindu worshippers.

Smiles light up the faces of the children, huddled amid the tents outside the south Gaza town of Rafah which shelter hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by more than two months of relentless Israeli bombardment.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday sought to restore unity to his centrist ruling party after the adoption of a tough immigration bill under pressure from the far right sparked an unprecedented rebellion within its ranks.

EU governments, officials and MEPs hailed the preliminary accord on the bloc's new pact on asylum and migration as "historic", saying it updated procedures to handle growing irregular arrivals while maintaining respect of human rights.

Meta's independent oversight board on Tuesday criticized the social media titan of removing posts that showed human suffering in the Middle East conflict.

French sports retail giant Decathlon has secretly continued selling clothes in Russia despite officially pulling out in protest at Russia's war in Ukraine, a media report published Tuesday said.

A US jury on Monday ordered chemical company Monsanto to pay $857 million to seven people at a school in the western state of Washington who said they were sickened by chemicals leaking from light fittings.

Rising Hollywood star Jonathan Majors was convicted Monday of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, prompting Marvel to drop him from a prime role in its superhero blockbusters.

About six percent of global maritime trade passes through the canal each year, and the Panama Canal Authority earns money from tolls and services rendered to ships.

When news broke about a bedbug outbreak in his native South Korea, 29-year-old blockchain engineer and self-professed insectophobe Kang Jae-gu got straight to work -- on the data.

Rescuers in remote villages of northwest China dug through the rubble of collapsed homes on Tuesday after the country's deadliest earthquake in years killed at least 126 people and injured hundreds more.

In Germany, where politicians have voiced steadfast backing for Israel following Hamas' devastating attack in October, a wave of cultural events and prize ceremonies have been axed after participants expressed views considered too anti-Israel.