POLITICS

Despite a fierce campaign from Guatemala's ruling class to block Bernardo Arevalo from taking office, the president-elect told AFP he is confident he will be sworn in next month, vowing to rule "without fear."

The US Supreme Court played a critical role in deciding the 2000 presidential election when it halted a vote recount in Florida with Republican George W. Bush holding a razor-thin edge over Democrat Al Gore.

Polling stations opened Wednesday in a high-stakes Democratic Republic of Congo general election pitting the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi against a fragmented opposition, while much of the east of the country is mired in conflict.

France and the UK will support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion "for as long as it takes", British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Tuesday, adding it was "essential" that President Vladimir Putin was defeated.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would seek deeper ties with his Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday, during his second visit to the country within four months.

Artificial intelligence allowed Pakistan's ex-prime minister Imran Khan to campaign from behind bars on Monday, with a voice clone of the opposition leader giving an impassioned speech on his behalf.

The proposed measures aim to bolster the U.S.' standing in the global tech race, shaping the future of AI research, development and application in the U.S.

Republicans have yet to provide evidence of corruption by the president, and the Democratic-led Senate would be unlikely to convict the US leader even if the inquiry did lead to an actual impeachment trial.

The new president of Argentina has begun a process of "shock therapy" in a bid to save the country from economic collapse.

The five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court said the special status was a "temporary provision" and ordered that the region should be restored as a state "at the earliest."

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces questions Monday over whether his "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme to help the struggling hospitality sector during the pandemic spurred the spread of Covid-19.

ExxonMobil and Chevron are both waiting to see what happens next for Guyana, as a dizzying set of competing incentives come into play.

Australia clinched a security deal with Papua New Guinea on Thursday, bolstering ties to a key Pacific neighbour that has been courted persistently by China.

Guyana and Venezuela agreed Wednesday to "keep the communication channels open" in a fast-worsening feud over a disputed, oil-rich region as Brazil reinforced troops on its northern border with the neighbors.

Italy's governing right-wing parties on Wednesday scuppered an attempt by the opposition to introduce a minimum wage, which would have brought the country into line with the majority of the EU.

Could a second Donald Trump presidency slide into dictatorship? The most eye-opening piece appeared in The Washington Post by conservative commentator Robert Kagan, with the headline: "A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable.

Argentina's President-elect is expected to withdraw Argentina from a planned expansion of the non-western economic alliance.

President Vladimir Putin will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, the Kremlin has announced, as Moscow courts allies abroad despite being isolated by the West over the Ukraine conflict.

The fate of a long-awaited but controversial Europe-South America trade deal hangs in the balance this week when Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hosts a summit of the Mercosur regional bloc.

Venezuela on Sunday will hold a referendum that it hopes will strengthen its century-old claim to the oil-rich Essequibo territory controlled by neighboring Guyana.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday urged Israel to protect civilians as it battles Hamas in Gaza, saying that shielding noncombatants is necessary for victory in the urban fight against the Palestinian militant group.

The Guinea-Bissau army ordered National Guard forces back to barracks on Saturday, following unrest that left at least two people dead and brought condemnation from the regional bloc ECOWAS. Clashes between members of the National Guard and special forces of the presidential guard broke out Thursday night in the capital Bissau, leaving two dead.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday pushed back against mounting US pressure to cut Ankara's historic ties with Hamas in the wake of the militants' unprecedented attacks on Israel.

A senior Paraguayan official was fired this week after signing a cooperation memorandum with a country he has since learned does not exist.

Far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders suffered a major setback to his goal of forming a governing coalition Wednesday when a key potential partner ruled itself out, uncomfortable with his extreme views.

China is not likely to consider a major invasion of Taiwan for now due to domestic challenges, the island's president Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday, although Beijing is trying to sway its upcoming election.

A French court on Wednesday acquitted France's justice minister in a conflict of interest trial that has been an embarrassment for President Emmanuel Macron's government.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday defended his decision to snub Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accusing his Greek counterpart of playing to the gallery in a row over ancient sculptures.

The House has two days to act on a privileged resolution introduced Tuesday.