WORLD

A rubber dinghy brings back dozens of people from one of six boats the Tunisian coastguard intercepted in a 24-hour period off Sfax, a migrant launchpad for Europe.

The number of new Covid-19 cases reported worldwide rose by 80 percent in the last month, the World Health Organization said on Friday, days after designating a new "variant of interest".

Many are also worried about possible electoral violence in the West African nation, which suffered back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that left more than 250,000 people dead.

The death toll from record-breaking rains across northern China rose to at least 78 on Friday, as authorities warned of more flooding and another storm approached the country.

US consumer inflation inched up in July, government data showed Thursday, rebounding slightly for the first time in around a year and weighing on policymakers as they mull further interest rate hikes.

Linda Yaccarino, CEO of social media platform X, said Thursday that the company formerly known as Twitter is "close" to breaking even and is hiring to beef up a staff slashed by owner Elon Musk.

Ukraine urged civilians near the northeastern front line to evacuate on Thursday as Russia ramped up an assault to capture territory already seized once during the conflict.

Russia is launching its first mission to the Moon's surface in nearly 50 years on Friday, hoping to reclaim prestige in space despite military and diplomatic setbacks at home over the Ukraine conflict.

Brushfires on the west coast of Hawaii's Maui island -- fueled by high winds from a nearby hurricane -- broke out Tuesday and rapidly engulfed the seaside town of Lahaina.

Russia launched its first probe to the Moon in almost 50 years on Friday, a mission designed to give fresh impetus to its space sector, which has been struggling for years and become isolated by the conflict in Ukraine.

Four months into a battle both believed they would win, Sudan's army has lost its grip on Khartoum to paramilitaries, who are unable to declare victory and instead are accused of waging war on civilians.

At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned a historic Hawaiian town to ashes, officials said Wednesday, as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport.

Ethiopia's restive Amhara region was largely "calm" on Thursday, local residents said, after the federal government announced it had driven back militia fighters following days of fierce clashes.

Amnesty International said it has gathered testimonies alleging excessive use of force during the riots.

Two weeks after the coup that toppled Mohamed Bazoum, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it is seeking a diplomatic solution but has not ruled out using force to resolve the crisis.

The United States on Wednesday accused Sudan of having threatened to expel the United Nations mission from the war-torn country if the UN envoy, already in Khartoum's crosshairs, speaks before the Security Council on the atrocities of the conflict.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued an executive order aimed at restricting certain American investments in sensitive high-tech areas in China -- a move Beijing blasted as being "anti-globalization".

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday accused the World Bank of using money to try to "coerce" the government over its controversial anti-gay legislation.

There is "no evidence" that the growth in using Facebook led to "widespread psychological harm", the largest independent scientific study on the topic concluded Wednesday, contradicting previous analyses and widespread perceptions.

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered the first evidence that Mars once had a climate which alternated between wet and dry seasons similar to Earth, a study said on Wednesday, suggesting the red planet may have once had the right conditions to support life.

In central Moscow, retired businessman Igor Inkin is preparing to turn down simple pleasures like dessert as the value of the ruble in his pocket continues to slide.

Forty-one migrants including three children are feared dead after being shipwrecked last week in the Mediterranean, UN agencies said, citing four survivors brought to the Italian island of Lampedusa Wednesday.

Artificial intelligence firms must ask for permission before using copyrighted text and images to generate content, a consortium of news groups said on Wednesday.

Niger's new military rulers on Wednesday accused France, the country's traditional ally, of releasing captured jihadists and breaching a ban on air space on the eve of a key summit on the Sahel's latest crisis.

The Ethiopian government said Wednesday that major cities in the Amhara region had been "freed" after days of fighting between army troops and militia fighters.

Thirty-three people have been confirmed dead and 18 are still missing after Beijing's heaviest rains on record, officials said Wednesday.

Two weeks after the coup in Niger, France has abandoned its tough tone on the crisis and is now inclining towards diplomatic solutions, with military action seemingly ruled out for now, experts said.

Scientists have identified the maximum mix of heat and humidity a human body can survive.

China on Wednesday reported it had entered deflation for the first time since 2021 -- the latest indicator pointing to a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.