POLITICS & POLICY

Pro-Kremlin sites masquerading as US "news" outlets have dished out unfounded claims that Democrats plotted to assassinate Donald Trump, a prime example of how phony AI-powered portals are spewing inflammatory falsehoods in a high-stakes election year.

Ukraine said Sunday it had struck a second key bridge in the Kursk region, seeking to disrupt Moscow's supply routes as Kyiv's unprecedented incursion on Russian soil stretched through its second week.

French film legend Alain Delon, a divisive star known to some as a sex symbol and to others an egotistical chauvinist, has died at the age of 88, his children announced Sunday in a statement to AFP. The actor, known for his roles in classics "Purple Noon" (1960) and "Le Samurai" (1967), died in the early hours of the morning, his son Anthony told AFP. He had been suffering with lymphoma.

For months, Safaa Yassin has dressed her child in the same white bodysuit, an all-too-familiar tale in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by 10 months of war.

Actor Alain Delon -- who has died Sunday aged 88 -- was France's greatest screen seducer.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in Israel on Sunday as mediators seek to cement a Gaza ceasefire deal, while a senior Hamas official dismissed "American diktats" in negotiations.

Yulia's husband was different from most Ukrainians captured by the Russian army, usually prisoners of war whose fate moved crowds.

The Thai king on Sunday formally appointed Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 37-year-old daughter of controversial billionaire ex-premier Thaksin, as Thailand's new prime minister.

Deadly Israeli strikes hit Lebanon and Gaza on Saturday as the US secretary of state headed back to Israel aiming to finalise a Gaza truce agreement, which diplomats say could help avert a wider regional conflagration.

Russia is putting generative artificial intelligence to work in online deception campaigns, but its efforts have been unsuccessful, according to a Meta security report released Thursday.

Though the Sudanese army is still staying away from ceasefire talks in Switzerland, the US envoy convening the negotiations told AFP they were nonetheless in daily contact -- and making progress on humanitarian aid.

Kamala Harris is expected to take on companies unfairly jacking up prices as she sets out her economic agenda Friday in her first major policy announcement as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

Under the ANZUS Treaty, Australia and New Zealand strengthened their defense cooperation by promising to take coordinated military action against cyber threats.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said, "These critical reforms will revolutionize defense trade, innovation and cooperation, enabling collaboration at the speed and scale required to meet our challenging strategic circumstances."

When Nicolas Maduro was declared president-elect for a third successive term, Colombian-based Venezuelan migrant Jose Ochoa started packing his bags for the long and dangerous trek to the United States.

Ukraine has claimed fresh advances in its offensive into Russia, saying on Thursday it seized over 1,100 square kilometres in the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II. Ukraine said it now controlled dozens of settlements and Sudzha, a town eight kilometres (five miles) from the border.

Five people who allegedly supplied illicit ketamine to "Friends" star Matthew Perry in a bid to exploit his drug addiction for profit have been charged in relation to his overdose death, US officials said Thursday.

The presidents of Brazil and Colombia, with US backing, called Thursday for fresh elections in Venezuela after international condemnation of last month's vote the opposition says strongman Nicolas Maduro stole.

Australia has accepted nearly 3,000 visa applications from Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank, while rejecting 7,000, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

Once a day, Umm Omar picks up the phone and calls her late husband, humouring their four-year-old daughter who does not understand yet her father was killed early in the Gaza war.

Pressure built for a Gaza ceasefire to be agreed at talks set to resume Thursday in Qatar to avert a wider war involving Iran, after months of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.

Kylian Mbappe enjoyed a "great night" as he struck on his Real Madrid debut to help his new side claim a record sixth UEFA Super Cup with a 2-0 win over Atalanta on Wednesday in Warsaw.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers celebrated three years in power on Wednesday with a military parade paying homage to their homemade bombs used in war, fighter aircraft and goose-stepping security forces.

Israeli air strikes targeted Gaza on Wednesday ahead of ceasefire talks that the United States hopes will stop Iran striking Israel in retaliation for the killing of a Hamas leader.

Blindfolded, handcuffed and bundled out of his secret prison for the first time in eight years, Bangladeshi barrister Ahmad Bin Quasem held his breath and listened for the sound of a cocked pistol.

"I'm a software engineer," says Josephine Wright, cocktail in hand, as she introduces herself to another woman at a bar in west London.

Polls opened in the Pacific nation of Kiribati on Wednesday after a campaign dominated by the increasing cost of living, rising sea levels, and questions about the benefit of deeper ties with China.

Manchester City face a strong challenge from Arsenal as the champions look to win an unprecedented fifth successive Premier League title.

Ukraine said Tuesday that its troops had advanced further into Russia's Kursk region and now control 74 settlements after launching a surprise cross-border incursion a week ago.