AFP news

Israeli helicopters struck Gaza's Rafah on Thursday, residents said, with Hamas militants reporting street battles in the southern city after top US diplomat Antony Blinken said a truce was still possible.

Facilities at Gordonstoun School in northeast Scotland include a climbing wall, rifle range and a five-hole golf course, while pupils can even avail themselves of bagpipe lessons.

Far from Parisian bistros serving up Burgundy snails, one Japanese man has figured out how to farm the slimy species -- a feat that has long eluded the French.

Euro 2024 kicks off on Friday in Germany as the continent's footballing heavyweights prepare to fight it out over the next month with the aim of taking the crown away from reigning champions Italy.

When Hurricane Sally slammed coastal Florida in 2020, US pilot Dean Legidakes was aboard a scientific aircraft flying directly into the storm's core.

The United Arab Emirates is in "complete alignment" with the US on developing artificial intelligence, the oil-rich country's AI minister told AFP, confirming a shift away from China.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed on Wednesday that Budapest would "not block" the defence alliance from contributing more to Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion.

Britain's economy stagnated in April after emerging from recession in the first quarter of the year, official data showed Wednesday, dealing a setback to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of next month's general election.

The world is likely to have a major surplus of oil by 2030 as production is ramped up while the clean energy transition tempers demand, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

France mourned the loss of a singular voice and "an icon of French song" on Wednesday, as the death of Francoise Hardy took one of the last great figures of its 1960s heyday.

US consumer inflation continued to cool last month, according to US government data published Wednesday, giving the US Federal Reserve some positive news shortly before it publishes its latest interest rate decision.

The European Union threatened on Wednesday to hit Chinese electric car imports with additional tariffs of up to 38 percent from next month following an anti-subsidy probe, a move that risks triggering a trade war.

Deadly fighting rocked Gaza on Wednesday as US top diplomat Antony Blinken on a Middle East tour pushed for an elusive truce and hostage release deal to end the war raging since October 7.

Pope Francis will address G7 leaders on Friday on artificial intelligence, an unprecedented appearance that reflects the Vatican's growing interest in the new technology, its risks and rewards.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's battle with migrant rescue charities is increasingly ending up in court, with judges often siding with NGOs but not yet calling the law into question.

The Hong Kong government said Wednesday it had cancelled the passports of six democracy activists who fled to the United Kingdom, calling them "lawless wanted criminals".

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have flocked to the Saudi holy city of Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage unfolding this year in the shadow of the Gaza war.

After the roar of Israeli warplanes terrified her baby grandson, Umm Hassan's family sought solace on a south Lebanon beach, hoping to escape the escalating cross-border violence.

French singer Francoise Hardy, whose crystalline voice and melancholy lyrics shot her to international stardom in the 1960s, has died at the age of 80, according to her son.

Naran Unurtsetseg became one of Mongolia's most well-known journalists by exposing sexual abuse in a Buddhist boarding school, violence in the military and by taking on some of the country's most powerful people.

Japanese 89-year-old Tomiji Suzuki started coding in retirement and is now making apps for the fast-growing elderly demographic, using ChatGPT to fine-tune his skills.

Norway's Karsten Warholm fired out a broadside at Olympic contenders in the run-in to the Paris Games by winning a third successive European title in Rome on Tuesday as a galaxy of global stars showcased some scintillating form.

Electric automaker Tesla has launched a charm offensive to try to coax shareholders to vote Thursday for billionaire CEO Elon Musk's giant pay package, after the windfall was nixed in court.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) said Tuesday it had offered $10,000 in compensation to passengers who suffered minor injuries on a flight hit by extreme turbulence last month and will discuss higher payouts with those more badly hurt.

Down a Tokyo street lined with bright signs, up narrow stairs and behind a windowless door is a "snack bar" long cherished by regulars but hidden from tourists -- until now.

European equities and the euro extended a sell-off Tuesday, fuelled by EU political uncertainty, while Asian markets also took a hit as investors looked ahead to inflation data and an interest rate decision in the United States.

South Korean troops fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border this week, Seoul's military said Tuesday, with tensions high over Pyongyang's barrage of trash-carrying balloons and the South's retaliatory loudspeaker campaign.

Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima was killed in a plane crash, the nation's president said on Tuesday, after searchers located the wreckage of the aircraft in a foggy forest.

The World Bank raised its global growth outlook on Tuesday on the back of resilient consumer spending in the United States, but warned that growth remains weak by historical standards.