AFP news

False or misleading US election claims posted on X by Elon Musk have amassed nearly 1.2 billion views this year, a watchdog reported Thursday, highlighting the billionaire's potential influence on the highly polarized White House race.

European and Asian stock markets mostly rose Friday, the end of a roller-coaster week for equities, after US jobs data soothed concerns that the world's top economy could tip into recession.

US rapper Travis Scott was arrested early Friday over a fight at a five-star hotel in the French capital, prosecutors said.

Crowds fleeing Khan Yunis after an Israeli evacuation order gave way to empty streets on Friday as Palestinian residents tried to escape a new Israeli military operation in Gaza's main southern area.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and his newly named interim government set out Friday to restore "law and order" after a student-led uprising and deadly mass protests forced predecessor Sheikh Hasina into exile.

E-commerce tycoon Colin Huang has become China's richest man, an index showed Friday, capping an ascent for the former Google employee whose shopping site Temu has sucked in consumers with its low prices and all-powerful algorithms.

A thrilling open-water swim in the River Seine kicked off Friday's Olympic action in Paris, which will later see Algerian gender eligibility row boxer Imane Khelif go for gold.

Ukraine pressed on with a major cross-border incursion into Russia on Friday, also launching a significant air attack on a Russian airfield hundreds of kilometres behind the front lines.

Donald Trump proposed three September debates against Kamala Harris Thursday as he sought to wrest back some of the attention lavished on his rival since her blockbuster entry into the US presidential election.

Venezuela's opposition on Thursday warned of a potential mass exodus of migrants if President Nicolas Maduro remains in power following his contested reelection, with the US calling on the strongman not to arrest protest leaders.

Botswana's Letsile Tebogo snatched a stunning Olympic gold in the men's 200m Thursday to deny Covid-hit Noah Lyles the sprint double as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone smashed the world record to win the 400m hurdles.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Thursday to maintain intensive efforts to stop further far-right riots in English towns and cities, as more people were convicted for their roles in the unrest.

Boeing's new CEO Kelly Ortberg began work Thursday at the embattled aviation giant, vowing closer attention to operations as the company seeks to rebound from stumbles and restore its financial health.

Iran accused Israel on Thursday of wanting to spread war in the Middle East, as diplomatic efforts sought a regional de-escalation following the killings of Tehran-allied militant leaders.

German industrial giant Siemens said Thursday its quarterly profits jumped sharply, driven by demand for production software as well as the "boom" in artificial intelligence and customers upgrading power grids.

Israel committed a costly "strategic mistake" with its killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, Iran's acting foreign minister told AFP in an interview on Thursday.

Donald Trump scheduled a short-notice media event Thursday at his Florida resort as rumblings of discontent hit his presidential campaign and poll numbers surge for his election rival Kamala Harris.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview published Thursday that he was "sorry" that Hamas was able to carry out its October 7 attack, without explicitly taking responsibility.

Ukraine could soon unleash robot dogs on its front lines, replacing soldiers for perilous missions like spying on Russian trenches or detecting mines.

The Vienna leg of a tour by American mega-star Taylor Swift has been cancelled after Austria arrested an Islamic State sympathiser in connection with an attack plot, the organisers said Wednesday.

It is "increasingly likely" 2024 will be the hottest year on record, despite July ending a 13-month streak of monthly temperature records, the EU's climate monitor said Thursday.

Carles Puigdemont -- the former leader of Catalonia who fled Spain over his role in a failed 2017 independence bid for the wealthy region -- returned to Spain on Thursday to address supporters before vanishing despite an extensive police deployment to arrest him.

Russia's army was fighting a major Ukrainian border incursion for the third day running, Moscow said Thursday, with independent analysts saying Kyiv's troops had advanced up to 10 kilometres (six miles) into Russia.

Rights advocates are alarmed by a bill introduced to Iraq's parliament that, they fear, would roll back women's rights and increase underage marriage in the deeply patriarchal society.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was flying back to Bangladesh on Thursday to lead a caretaker government after a student-led uprising ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina.

Asian stocks were mixed Thursday after a sell-off on Wall Street, with analysts warning the volatility that has roiled markets this week still has some time to run as traders fret over the global economy.

Sitting at a cafe in Moscow, Yulia swiped through a carousel of men on her phone's dating app, trying to guess if the people in the pictures shared her views.

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to be the rightful winner of the country's presidential election, on Wednesday defied a Supreme Court summons over the disputed results.

Some 14,000 ecstatic voters packed a Philadelphia arena Tuesday to see their favorite candidate.