AFP news

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Thursday, while Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi were expected in Uzbekistan, amid renewed diplomatic interest in the region.

Meta on Wednesday said that advertisers will soon have to disclose when artificial intelligence (AI) or other software is used to create or alter imagery or audio in political ads.

European stock markets rose Thursday as investors awaited fresh signals from the Federal Reserve about the direction of US interest rates, but Hong Kong dipped and Shanghai flatlined on renewed concerns over the Chinese economy.

Crying in a hospital bed with a nebuliser mask on his tiny face, one-month-old Ayansh Tiwari has a thick, hacking cough.

Israeli air strikes pounded Gaza City Thursday as soldiers battled street-by-street with Hamas militants, and tens of thousands of Palestinians desperate for safety fled their homes southwards in the besieged territory.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Thursday that military ties between North Korea and Russia are "growing and dangerous", and called on China to restrain Pyongyang.

Endangered giant Galapagos tortoises continue to swallow plastic and other human waste despite a ban on disposable plastic items in the Ecuadoran archipelago, according to a study published Wednesday.

Thwarted Thai election winner Pita Limjaroenrat vowed Thursday to run for prime minister again, defying conservative forces that blocked him from the job this year and despite a looming court case.

Myanmar's junta-backed president said the country is at risk of breaking apart if the military cannot crush a joint offensive by ethnic armed groups along the border with China, state media reported Thursday.

Japanese electronics titan Sony lifted its full-year net profit and sales forecasts on Thursday, citing strength in the company's gaming, music and image-sensor sectors.

The European Court of Justice's top legal advisor recommended on Thursday that an EU court make a new ruling in the long-running 13-billion-euro ($14-billion) tax case between Apple and Brussels.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday opened a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza by calling for a "ceasefire", echoed by other delegates looking to support the Palestinian territory under bombardment by Israel since the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Israeli troops and Hamas were locked in heavy, close quarters fighting in Gaza City on Thursday, including a 10-hour battle that Israel said toppled one of the Palestinian militants' "strongholds".

The EU announced investigations on Thursday into YouTube and TikTok to find out what action the US and Chinese-owned platforms are taking to ensure the safety of minors on their platforms.

With companies cutting back on office space as working from home remains popular, Europe's biggest business district is looking to students to fill the void left by workers.

More than 10 million Australians were cut off from internet and phone services on Wednesday after unexplained outages struck one of the country's largest communications companies.

German chemicals giant Bayer said Wednesday it would cut management jobs and was examining splitting off one of its divisions after reporting a massive third-quarter loss.

Israel said it was tightening the "stranglehold" around Hamas in Gaza City as the military operation on Wednesday aimed at smashing the Palestinian militants gathered pace despite ceasefire calls.

When Jessica Martinez moved away from home in 2020, a temporary contract brought her to New Jersey as a nurse on the frontlines of the pandemic.

The EU's executive was expected Wednesday to recommend opening formal membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, nudging them further along the long road to joining.

James Spratt recalls dashing home from school as a teenager to band together online with friends to do battle in "Call of Duty", the global video game juggernaut that never gets old.

Equity markets struggled Wednesday as investors tried to figure out the Federal Reserve's interest rate plans, while demand concerns saw oil prices struggling to recover from the previous day's plunge.

The US state of Ohio voted Tuesday to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution, while the Democratic governor of Kentucky won reelection, in results that boosted President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 White House race.

Israel's campaign to destroy Hamas pushed into its second month Wednesday as its forces battled the Palestinian militants in Gaza City, despite mounting calls for a ceasefire.

Plans to expand oil, gas and coal production by major fossil fuel countries would push the world far beyond the Paris deal's 1.5C global warming limit, the UN warned Wednesday.

China's red carpet treatment for "handsome boy" Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered an intriguing blueprint for Beijing's shifting approach to international diplomacy.

The "extreme" drought gripping Iraq, Syria and Iran would not have occurred without climate change caused primarily by burning fossil fuels, scientists said Wednesday, warning that punishing dry spells will become more intense as the world warms.

French automaker Renault and Japanese partner Nissan officially launched their "rebalanced" alliance on Wednesday as they seek to reset a rocky 24-year-old partnership.

Among the glittering chandeliers and wooden benches of a stately and solemn New York City courtroom, Donald Trump took the stand Monday, raising his right hand and swearing his testimony would be truthful.