AFP news

Twitter won fame in the Arab uprisings nearly a decade ago as a pivotal source for real-time crisis information, but that reputation has withered after the platform's transformation into a magnet for hate speech and disinformation under Elon Musk.

Argentines will vote for a new president on Sunday, gripped by anxiety and with one thing in mind: escaping an economic quagmire that has seen annual inflation hit almost 140 percent.

Britain's Conservative Party lost two parliamentary seats to Labour on Friday, another ominous setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his ruling party ahead of a general election expected next year.

Asian markets fell and oil prices extended gains Friday on worries that an expected ground invasion of Gaza by Israel will spark a wider conflict in the Middle East.

A pair of jaguars discovered in a cage on a ranch exposed a cruel new fashion among Ecuador's drug lords.

Trucks stuffed with international aid for Gaza should be rolling "in the next day or so," the United Nations said Friday, with Palestinians desperate for life-saving supplies after relentless bombing from Israel, still reeling from its bloodiest-ever attack.

Netflix on Wednesday said subscriber numbers grew nearly 11 percent to 247 million in the recently ended third quarter as it cracked down on password sharing and refined an ad-supported tier.

For months, the mayor of Tibu, a Colombian town under the yoke of guerrilla violence, was forced to do his job from more than 115 kilometers (71 miles) away, after receiving death threats.

UK police on Wednesday charged Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg with a public order offence, following her detention at a protest outside an annual gathering of energy industry figures in London.

Tesla's results for the third quarter missed analyst estimates on Wednesday, as the Elon Musk-run company was hit by higher costs and the fallout from price discounts.

Football superstar Neymar has a torn ligament and meniscus in his left knee and will have to undergo surgery after being injured during Brazil's 2-0 loss to Uruguay, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said Wednesday.

US lawmakers rejected hard-line conservative Jim Jordan's bid for speaker of the House of Representatives for a second time on Wednesday, as the leadership vacuum paralyzed Washington for a 15th day with no clear resolution in sight.

Chinese property giant Country Garden denied Thursday its founder and chairwoman had fled the country, as the debt-saddled builder flirts with a default that could send shockwaves through the industry.

The European Union on Thursday awarded its top rights honour, the Sakharov Prize, to Mahsa Amini, the Iranian Kurdish woman who died in Iranian custody a year ago, and the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement her death triggered.

A French teacher stabbed to death last week by an Islamist former pupil was to be laid to rest on Thursday, after a funeral in the northern city of Arras attended by President Emmanuel Macron.

Global stock markets and oil prices dropped Thursday as traders assessed the likelihood of the Israel-Hamas crisis turning into a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Amazon on Wednesday said it hopes to expand drone delivery into Britain and Italy by late next year, as it unveiled new warehouse robots and tech in its race to get shoppers what they want quickly.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with North Korea's Kim Jong Un on Thursday, after slamming US policy towards the nuclear-armed state as "dangerous".

Finnish telecom giant Nokia said Thursday it would cut up to 14,000 job as profits fell on weakening demand for its 5G equipment in North America.

The United States will ease some oil and gas sanctions against Venezuela after the South American country's government and opposition agreed to hold elections next year.

US President Joe Biden will give a rare Oval Office speech Thursday to try to get Americans behind the defense of Israel and Ukraine as the crises facing Washington's allies pile up.

The EU announced probes Thursday into Facebook owner Meta and TikTok, seeking more details on the measures they have taken to stop the spread of "illegal content and disinformation" after the Hamas attack on Israel.

Artificial intelligence models lack transparency, according to a study published Wednesday that aims to guide policymakers in regulating the rapidly-growing technology.

A TikTok army of American moms claiming to be "detox" specialists is pushing unproven treatments for childhood behavioral disorders -- while hiding that their misinformation is actually a marketing campaign aimed at making money.

Tesla mechanics in Sweden will walk off the job on October 27 unless the electric carmaker agrees to sign a collective wage agreement, the metalworkers union IF Metall said Wednesday.

Venezuela's government and opposition agreed in a fresh round of negotiations Tuesday that presidential elections will be held in the second half of next year, with international observers present.

US lawmakers rejected hard-line conservative Jim Jordan's bid for speaker of the House of Representatives in the first round of voting Tuesday, entrenching a stalemate that has paralyzed Washington for two weeks.

China's economy grew more than expected in the third quarter, data showed Wednesday, but the reading was still below target and officials continue to face calls for more stimulus while struggling to contain an unprecedented property crisis.

The African Football League (AFL) kicks off in Tanzania on Friday, bearing little resemblance to the original concept.