AFP news

Friends and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were quick to congratulate him on his election win but Western leaders denounced what they called an illegal election.

As a US campaign to sever TikTok from its Chinese parent heads to the Senate, analysts say Beijing's response to a forced sale of the app -- and its 'secret sauce' algorithm -- will be clear: Hands off.

Russia's election commission on Monday hailed what it said were "record" results for President Vladimir Putin, guaranteeing the former spy a fifth term in office after a vote that featured no credible opposition.

Seoul's Unification Ministry on Monday added its voice to growing speculation around Kim Jong Un's succession plans, saying they have not "ruled out" that his daughter could be next in line to lead North Korea.

Fighting disinformation including AI-enabled content is a "vital" national security interest and diplomatic priority for the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday at a democracy summit in Seoul.

Israeli forces launched an operation early Monday in and around Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, with witnesses reporting air strikes and tanks near the complex crowded with patients and displaced people.

World number one Iga Swiatek powered past Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 on Sunday to claim her second Indian Wells WTA title two years after she beat Sakkari for her first.

The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill on Wednesday that would force the wildly popular short-video app to break with its Chinese parent company or face a nationwide ban.

After a clear-the-air meeting in the chancellery, the pair will be joined by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for urgent consultations on further European military backing for Kyiv.

Thousands thronged the streets of the capital Dakar in the early hours between Thursday and Friday, singing and dancing as the two men were driven away from the city's Cap Manuel prison.

Manchester United are aiming to derail Liverpool's bid for a quadruple and salvage a difficult second season for Erik ten Hag in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final.

The cold wallet protects cryptocurrency investments by keeping them offline to prevent hacking attacks.

The crew was not injured and the vessel continued its journey, said the Royal Navy's United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, and security firm Ambrey, after the incident west of the rebel-held port of Hodeida in the early hours of Friday.

In power as president or prime minister since the final day of 1999, the former KGB agent is casting the election as a show of Russians' loyalty and support for his military assault on Ukraine, now in its third year.

Vodafone, which previously rejected offers from French billionaire Xavier Niel's Iliad group for the unit, has been on a cost-cutting campaign that has included layoffs and the offloading of divisions abroad.

The first aid vessel heading to the besieged Gaza Strip via a new maritime corridor was visible Friday off the coast of the war-ravaged territory, an AFP journalist said.

It would release limited catalogue of hits from global artists such as Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice, as well as local favorites, it added.

Relatives say the kidnappers have demanded a large payment for the return of the students abducted from their school in Kuriga village in northwestern Kaduna State on Thursday.

Eight months ahead of the US presidential election, the campaign moves from the parties' nominating contests to the trench warfare of what promises to be one of the longest, most brutal head-to-head showdowns in memory.

Gangs that control most of the capital Port-au-Prince launched an armed campaign almost two weeks ago saying they intended to topple Prime Minister Ariel Henry, sending the nation into violent conflict with warnings of possible famine and civil war.

Her comments came after JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon recently refused to rule out the chance of stagflation, a dreaded scenario where economic stagnation meets rising costs.

OpenAI will be able to use content from Le Monde and Prisa Media publications including El Pais, Cinco Dias, and El Huffpost to train the models powering its artificial intelligence, the San Francisco-based company said in an online post.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is pushing forward on the presidential campaign trail, traversing the country to energize supporters despite having little chance of overcoming the hurdles the state has placed in her way.

After he reviewed the tank crews, Kim "mounted a new-type main battle tank, seized the control lever and drove the tank himself", the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

After an extravagant FIFA football World Cup in Qatar in 2022 that featured air-conditioned stadiums, the Paris Games are hoping to present a more sober model for global sports events.

SpaceX plans on Thursday to attempt another launch of Starship, the world's most powerful rocket that is vital to NASA's plans for landing astronauts on the Moon later this decade -- and Elon Musk's hopes of eventually colonizing Mars.

The main UN aid agency in Gaza said an Israeli strike a day earlier hit one of its warehouses in the southern city of Rafah, killing an employee, although Israel later said a Hamas militant was killed in the rocket strike.

The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese technology giant ByteDance -- and alleged subservience to Beijing's ruling Communist Party -- has fueled concern in Western capitals.

The firm -- also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry -- is the world's biggest contract electronics manufacturer and assembles devices for several companies, most notably Apple's iPhones.