AFP News

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said he hoped Ukraine's allies took "seriously" Moscow's recent use of a hypersonic missile in the conflict there, and warned that Russia was ready to use "any means" to defend itself.

South Korea's ruling party chief demanded Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol stand down over his martial law attempt, warning he posed a great danger to the country.

A US judge rejected a criminal settlement with Boeing over the 737 MAX crashes on Thursday, slamming diversity policies at the aviation giant and the Justice Department that made him "skeptical" of a fair outcome.

Billionaires have seen their combined wealth shoot up 121 percent over the past decade to $14 trillion, Swiss bank UBS said Thursday, with tech billionaires' coffers filling the fastest.

Tsunami waves were expected to start hitting the California coast Thursday after a powerful earthquake struck offshore, US seismologists said.

New York police released a new security camera picture Thursday of the man believed to have shot a top health insurance executive at close range in a brazen daylight murder outside a Manhattan hotel.

University professor Ahmed Abu Shaban often gets up at 3:00 am in Toronto to remotely teach his students in Gaza -- motivated by loyalty to his trapped pupils, and a deep sense of guilt.

India on Thursday successfully launched into space a pair of European satellites that will create artificial solar eclipses to help scientists catch a rare glimpse of the Sun's mysterious atmosphere.

The US trade gap narrowed more than expected in October, government data showed Thursday, as imports slipped more than exports.

The Bahamas on Thursday said it had rejected a proposal from the incoming Trump administration to take in deported migrants, as the next US president seeks to follow up on pledges to slash immigration.

A new artificial intelligence-based weather model can deliver 15-day forecasts with unrivaled accuracy and speed, a Google lab said, with potentially life-saving applications as climate change ramps up.

New York police scoured the city Thursday for a masked gunman who shot a top health insurance executive at close range in a brazen daylight killing outside a Manhattan hotel.

By approving a merger of Vodafone and Three in the UK, the country has secured a commitment from the mobile phone operators to invest billions of pounds on 5G connectivity.

The European Commission on Thursday said it had stepped up its monitoring of TikTok, after receiving information about possible Russian interference in Romania's presidential election.

John Elkann, who is taking the wheel at Jeep and Fiat owner Stellantis after the ouster of its CEO, is the discreet but steely heir to an Italian dynasty associated with Juventus, Ferrari and The Economist.

A South Korean politician who grabbed a soldier's gun in a tense standoff during President Yoon Suk Yeol's abortive attempt at martial law told AFP she was scared but that democracy was worth fighting for.

"Positive" talks between Greece and the British Museum over the Parthenon Marbles have rekindled hope that the ancient friezes could be on their way back to Athens after more than two centuries.

An Afghan TV station has been shut down after its office was used for dubbing "vulgar" programmes for banned media, the Taliban morality ministry said on Thursday, with the channel's employees saying six people have been detained.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Thursday her participation at a summit of South America's Mercosur bloc, saying a controversial free-trade deal between the EU and the group was within reach.

In a year set to be declared the hottest on record, natural disasters caused $310 billion in economic losses globally in 2024, as climate change increasingly takes its toll, Swiss Re said Thursday.

British energy giant Shell and Norway's Equinor announced plans Thursday to merge their UK offshore oil and gas assets to create a new jointly owned company.

Amnesty International accused Israel Thursday of "committing genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war last year, saying its new report was a "wake-up call" for the world.

Georgia's prime minister vowed Thursday to "eradicate" the country's "liberal-fascist" opposition, escalating the government's bitter campaign against its rivals as mass pro-EU protests enter their second week.

Syrian government forces were locked in heavy fighting around the central city of Hama on Thursday, trying to halt an advance of Islamist-led rebels, a war monitor said.

The fall of Syria's second city, Aleppo, to Islamist-led rebels has brought flight and displacement for some, but for others like Bahria Bakkur, it has led to long-awaited reunions.

President Yoon Suk Yeol faces an impeachment vote this Saturday after briefly imposing martial law in South Korea.

The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers were due to attend an OSCE summit in Malta on Thursday, with Sergei Lavrov making his first visit to an EU state since his country's 2022 invasion of its neighbour.

Vodafone and Three, the UK division of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, are set to create Britain's biggest mobile phone operator after the country's competition regulator backed the deal Thursday.

Bitcoin broke $100,000 for the first time Thursday as traders cheered Donald Trump's decision to pick a crypto fan to head the US securities regulator, reinforcing optimism the new president will push through measures to deregulate the sector.