AFP news

Modi remains popular across much of India and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win the poll when it concludes early next month.

No damage or casualties were immediately reported but images showed a column of ash soaring into the sky on Halmahera island in North Maluku province.

An all-out Israeli offensive on the Gaza city of Rafah would provoke "anarchy" without eliminating Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday, as Washington stepped up a pressure campaign against such an assault.

The family-owned hedge fund run by Hwang had taken huge bets on a few stocks with money borrowed from banks, and when several of those bets turned sour, the fund was unable to meet "margin calls" to cover the losses.

US wellness influencers are increasingly targeting birth control pills, pushing their followers to abandon the contraceptives with false claims about infertility and low libido that researchers say leave them vulnerable to unintended pregnancies.

Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia's most active volcanos into two districts on Sumatra island Saturday evening, while flooding inundated roads, homes and mosques.

The central government will begin issuing some 30-year bonds on Friday as part of a planned sale of more than $138 billion of debt, according to a notice posted to the ministry's website.

Since winning office last year, President Mohamed Muizzu has reoriented the atoll nation -- known for its upmarket beach resorts and celebrity vacationers -- away from traditional benefactor India and towards Beijing.

Despite last year's pyrotechnical unveilings for superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar, the new-look Saudi Pro League has provided few fireworks since.

The ex-Soviet republic has been gripped for weeks by huge protests over the bill, dubbed the "Russian law" as it resembles repressive legislation used by the Kremlin.

The biggest single commitment is by Microsoft which on Sunday announced four billion euros in investment for developing data centers.

Brussels also said it would investigate whether social media platform X, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, can be exempted from the rules.

Clashes also raged in northern and central areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, AFP correspondents and witnesses said, as Israel prepared to mark a somber Independence Day, beginning Monday night, more than seven months into the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has staked his political reputation on his plan to "stop the boats", pushing the controversial deportation plan despite opposition from rights groups and judicial rulings.

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi and struggling US rival Novavax announced Friday an alliance to sell a Covid vaccine and develop another that combines with a flu shot.

Seven months into the devastating conflict, the gentle approach is over. Biden, who memorably once wrote to Netanyahu "I love you," has for the first time raised the ultimate leverage the United States has on Israel -- military aid, which totals $3 billion a year.

Social media users immediately criticized the ad, which was posted on X by Apple CEO Tim Cook, as painfully tone-deaf at a time when the creative community is worried about its future with the emergence of generative AI.

Under examination that frequently veered hostile, Daniels was quick on her feet, toeing a tight line between tenacity and vulnerability as jurors watched the defense deride her career and assail her credibility.

The students are part of a course at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) that is testing the use of "AI lecturers" as the artificial intelligence revolution hits campuses around the world.

A shrewd vice-presidential pick could help the Republican tycoon broaden his support base, and a handful of names have emerged as most likely to appear at Trump's side as he limbers for a second showdown with Joe Biden in November.

With the war in Gaza raging, the Palestinians in April relaunched a request dating back to 2011 to become full members of the United Nations, where their current status is a "non-member observer state."

Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams left Cairo Thursday after what the Egyptian hosts described as a "two-day round" of indirect negotiations on the terms of a Gaza truce, according to Egyptian intelligence-linked Al-Qahera News.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company controls more than half the world's output of chips, and supplies them for everything from Apple's iPhones to Nvidia's cutting-edge artificial intelligence hardware.

Sunak -- whose governing Conservatives are trailing the main opposition Labor Party before a general election and suffered heavy losses in English local polls last week -- has made economic growth one of his top priorities.

Japanese auto giant Honda on Friday logged a record annual profit thanks to improving global vehicle sales, but issued a cautious outlook for the current fiscal year.

BBVA's new bid came three days after Sabadell's board of directors rejected a merger proposal, saying it was "not in the best interest" of the bank.

The Olympic torch relay began in Marseille on Thursday with football legend Basile Boli taking the flame in front of the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, a day after it made a spectacular entrance by sea.

Concord, a rival to Hipgnosis, said in a statement that it would not hike its $1.5-billion bid after Blackstone agreed a $1.6-billion offer.

The demand is part of the EU's probe into US tech billionaire Elon Musk's X, the former Twitter, that was launched in December under a law clamping down on illegal content online.