AFP news

Syrians in the country's rebel-held north on Monday marked the 10-year anniversary of chemical attacks that killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus, one of the conflict's many horrors that went unpunished.

The crisis in Niger, whose president was overthrown on July 26, is amplifying risks for millions of vulnerable youngsters, the UN's children's fund said.

Niger has been hit by several jihadist attacks since its president was overthrown last month, but analysts caution against concluding that a long-running insurgency is shifting into higher gear as post-coup uncertainty mounts.

Saudi border guards fired "like rain" on Ethiopian migrants trying to cross into the Gulf kingdom from Yemen, killing hundreds since last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report Monday.

Emmerson Mnangagwa became Zimbabwe's second president after outmanoeuvring long-time ruler Robert Mugabe with a military-backed coup in 2017 -- and at 80 shows no signs of wanting to retire.

BRICS leaders meet in South Africa on Tuesday as the loose association of major emerging economies seeks to assert its voice as a counterweight to Western dominance in global affairs.

West African military chiefs held a second day of talks in Ghana on Friday, preparing for a possible armed intervention in Niger after a coup ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and its Black Sea Fleet, officials said Friday, the latest in a surge of attacks on the capital and the flashpoint waterway.

More than four million Yemenis will receive less food assistance as a result of funding shortages, compounding one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, the UN's food agency warned Friday.

Following a July coup, Niger has become the latest hotbed of disinformation in the troubled Sahel regional as West African powers grapple with crafting a response to the political crisis.

Embattled Chinese property giant Evergrande Group filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States on Thursday, court documents showed, a measure that protects its US assets while it attempts to restructure.

North Korea was accused at the UN Security Council Thursday of spending heavily on its nuclear arms program while its people go hungry and lack basic necessities.

Under a cloudy sky in the coastal Senegalese village of Fass Boye, the local chief's voice resounds over a loudspeaker, calling villagers to pray for the souls of their lost loved ones.

France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has stirred outrage in Kyiv and Paris by suggesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be ended with new referendums in occupied territories.

A light plane crashed into a four-lane road near Malaysia's capital on Thursday, killing eight people on board and two motorists on the ground, the local police chief said.

A civilian cargo ship sailing from Ukraine reached Istanbul on Thursday in defiance of a Moscow blockade that sent tensions soaring after Russia opened fire on a Turkish-owned ship.

Troubled Chinese property giant Country Garden risks defaulting on its bond payments next month, which could have disastrous consequences for the world's second-largest economy.

Ukraine will make "long-term" efforts to deepen ties with African countries as it seeks to counter Russia's influence on the continent, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told AFP this week.

South Africa's hosting of a BRICS summit next week has turned a spotlight on ties between Pretoria and the Kremlin that are cosy and, for some, a puzzle.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to South Africa next week, the foreign ministry said Friday, while confirming the president will attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

By 2050 North Africa could become a leading exporter of green hydrogen with Europe its main market, according to a recent report projecting the future of an industry still in its infancy.

Iceland's meteorological office on Wednesday declared that the volcanic eruption near the country's capital Reykjavik was officially over as no activity had been observed for 10 days.

Scores of migrants, many of them children and a pregnant woman, arrived in small boats on England's south coast on Wednesday, undeterred by the dangerous Channel crossing from France which claimed at least six lives over the weekend.

In the Moscow region's Patriot Park, dedicated to the achievements of the Russian army, an officer wearing a green cap stood in front of a captured US MaxxPro armoured vehicle.

Moscow's Luna-25 lander was successfully placed in the Moon's orbit Wednesday, the first such Russian mission in almost 50 years, space agency Roscosmos announced.

Bank of Ireland apologised on Wednesday after fixing a technical issue that allowed customers to withdraw or transfer more money than was in their accounts.

US surgeons who transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a brain dead patient said Wednesday the organ was still working well after a record 32 days -- a significant step in the quest to close the organ donation gap.

More than 60 people are believed to have died after a migrant boat from Senegal was found off West Africa's Cape Verde islands, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday.

The World Health Organization holds its first summit on traditional medicine on Thursday, with warnings that treatments rooted in natural products can be effective alternative healthcare only if scientifically proven.