AFP news

The upgraded version of Sony's flagship gaming console is retailing for $699.99 in the United States -- $250 more than the previous PlayStation 5 model.

The firm, which also owns Instagram, violated South Korean laws prohibiting the use of information on political opinions, religious beliefs and people's sex life unless the individual provides explicit consent, Seoul's Personal Information Protection Commission said.

The exceptional Mediterranean storm that lashed eastern Spain a week ago triggered surging torrents of muddy water that have left a trail of destruction.

The search of "various locations" in France by specialist financial investigators relates to suspicions of "covering up serious tax fraud and off-the-books work" and is part of a probe opened in November 2022, the source said.

The world's biggest economy saw its trade gap jump 19.2 percent to $84.4 billion, said the Department of Commerce, with imports growing by 3.0 percent.

The announcement came a day after the parliament in Somalia, which is heavily dependent on international aid, approved a $1.36 billion national budget for 2025.

The nationalist leader -- a big fan of Donald Trump -- has faced backlash for his country's norm-defying EU presidency, which saw him jetting to Moscow right after taking over the six-month stint in July. Orban's frequent attacks on Brussels and fellow leaders have also left him isolated.

The world's top-selling automaker said unit sales were hit by production cuts in its home market, related to a failure to fully comply with vehicle inspection standards.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister Tuesday after public differences over the war in Gaza, replacing him with the country's former top diplomat.

The 2024 US presidential campaign has been a particularly volatile one, and security was ramped up given concerns over possible civil unrest, election chicanery and violence against poll workers.

Sporting stole the show with their performance in Lisbon, but the Portuguese champions had to come from behind after Phil Foden put City ahead early on.

On the Republican side, Trump has survived two assassination attempts, and frequently uses extremely violent rhetoric about immigrants.

While polls have shown the race for the White House on a knife edge, the Republican appeared to be faring better than his Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris in early projections.

The agreement formalizes months of deepening security cooperation between the two nations who were Communist allies throughout the Cold War.

The U17 triumph came after North Korea -- largely closed off to the outside world -- also lifted the Women's World Cup at under-20 level in September.

As polling stations open nationwide on Election Day, Democratic vice president Harris, 60, and Republican former president Trump, 78, are dead-even in the tightest and most volatile White House race of modern times.

Scientists at Kyoto University expect the wooden material to burn up when the device re-enters the atmosphere -- potentially providing a way to avoid generating metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth.

Nintendo downgraded its annual sales forecast on Tuesday as net profit plunged 60 percent year-on-year in the first half, with fans awaiting the announcement of a new console.

Nearly 600 police officers in England and Wales were sacked in the year to March 2024, figures showed Tuesday, as police chiefs battle to restore public confidence after a string of scandals.

Asian markets fluctuated Tuesday as traders jockeyed for position a day before results from the US presidential election rolled in, with opinion polls showing the vote on a knife-edge as the two candidates wrapped up their campaigns.

Analysed by AFP over several days, the large-scale operation, powered by artificial intelligence, points to a sophisticated, coordinated influence campaign not unlike those carried out by Russia in recent years -- though its instigator and objectives remain unclear.

The 2024 US presidential campaign has been a particularly volatile one, and security for Election Day on Tuesday is being ramped up to unprecedented levels given concerns over possible civil unrest, election chicanery, or violence against election workers.

Turkey's foreign ministry said Sunday it had submitted the letter to the United Nations, with the signatories including the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, is currently producing roughly nine million barrels per day (bpd), well below its capacity of 12 million bpd.

France became the latest country to quit the International Boxing Association (IBA), to "guarantee French boxing its place at the Olympic Games", governing body FFBoxe said in a statement on Monday.

Their meeting on Monday was four and a half hours long, according to Japanese media, which said the two also discussed a possible head-to-head between President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba this month at a summit in Peru.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 said it had ratified the offer by a vote of 59 percent after rejecting two prior offers.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has been mired in bloody conflict since the military toppled the government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, terminating a 10-year experiment with democracy and sparking a widespread armed uprising.

The man surnamed Chang and the woman surnamed Hung were charged Monday with violating Taiwan's anti-infiltration law, the district prosecutors' office in southern Chiayi city said in a statement.