AFP news

The United States on Wednesday accused Sudan of having threatened to expel the United Nations mission from the war-torn country if the UN envoy, already in Khartoum's crosshairs, speaks before the Security Council on the atrocities of the conflict.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued an executive order aimed at restricting certain American investments in sensitive high-tech areas in China -- a move Beijing blasted as being "anti-globalization".

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday accused the World Bank of using money to try to "coerce" the government over its controversial anti-gay legislation.

There is "no evidence" that the growth in using Facebook led to "widespread psychological harm", the largest independent scientific study on the topic concluded Wednesday, contradicting previous analyses and widespread perceptions.

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered the first evidence that Mars once had a climate which alternated between wet and dry seasons similar to Earth, a study said on Wednesday, suggesting the red planet may have once had the right conditions to support life.

In central Moscow, retired businessman Igor Inkin is preparing to turn down simple pleasures like dessert as the value of the ruble in his pocket continues to slide.

Forty-one migrants including three children are feared dead after being shipwrecked last week in the Mediterranean, UN agencies said, citing four survivors brought to the Italian island of Lampedusa Wednesday.

Artificial intelligence firms must ask for permission before using copyrighted text and images to generate content, a consortium of news groups said on Wednesday.

Niger's new military rulers on Wednesday accused France, the country's traditional ally, of releasing captured jihadists and breaching a ban on air space on the eve of a key summit on the Sahel's latest crisis.

The Ethiopian government said Wednesday that major cities in the Amhara region had been "freed" after days of fighting between army troops and militia fighters.

Thirty-three people have been confirmed dead and 18 are still missing after Beijing's heaviest rains on record, officials said Wednesday.

Two weeks after the coup in Niger, France has abandoned its tough tone on the crisis and is now inclining towards diplomatic solutions, with military action seemingly ruled out for now, experts said.

European stock markets rebounded on Wednesday as bank shares recovered and after a mixed showing by Asia.

Scientists have identified the maximum mix of heat and humidity a human body can survive.

China on Wednesday reported it had entered deflation for the first time since 2021 -- the latest indicator pointing to a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.

The coup that shook Niger nearly two weeks ago triggered an international outcry and curbs on domestic freedoms, yet many people in the capital say the change is a breath of fresh air.

The World Food Programme has started distributing food aid in Ethiopia's war-scarred Tigray region, in a test for new monitoring measures after halting assistance over the diversion of supplies, the United Nations agency said on Tuesday.

Nigeria's president has not ruled out military intervention in neighbouring Niger after its president was ousted in a coup but believes diplomacy is the "best way forward" to resolve the crisis, his spokesman said Tuesday.

The United States is seeking to prevent Russia from scoring a major new win with coup-hit Niger, wagering despite initial disappointment that long-standing military ties will keep the country in the Western orbit.

NASA's Artemis 3 mission, set to return humans to the Moon in 2025, might not involve a crewed landing after all, an official said Tuesday.

Uncertainty over the future of Kylian Mbappe hangs over French football ahead of the new Ligue 1 season, which starts this weekend.

China slipped into deflation as consumer prices contracted last month for the first time in more than two years, official data showed Wednesday, as slowing domestic spending weighs on the country's post-Covid economic recovery.

Two Ukrainian combat drones headed for Moscow were shot down, Russian officials said on Wednesday, the latest in a surge of drone attacks targeting the capital.

Kenya's government and the opposition are set to launch talks Wednesday aimed at resolving a bitter political feud following a spate of deadly protests over electoral reforms and the high cost of living.

Stock markets stuttered Tuesday on renewed concerns that the Federal Reserve will hike rates again, while another weak batch of trade data compounded worries about the struggling Chinese economy.

July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, the European Union's climate observatory confirmed Tuesday.

Much of the eastern United States was lashed by intense storms Monday, leaving at least two people dead, hundreds of thousands without power and thousands of flights canceled or delayed.

Rescue workers combed through the rubble of damaged buildings in the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, the day after Russian strikes killed at least seven people.

On election day in Zimbabwe this month, Tendai and his wife will leave home and head in opposite directions.