AFP news

To study semiconductors at Japan's top university, first you need the right clothes -- protective overalls, shoe covers, plastic gloves and a lightweight balaclava to keep your hair out of the way.

Dick Schoof is a veteran spy chief known for running tight ships within the Netherlands' immigration and secret service communities -- roles that now landed him the nomination for the country's top job.

Temperatures in India's capital soared to a national record-high of 52.3 degrees Celsius (126.1 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, figures from the government's weather bureau showed, as it warned of dangerous heat levels in the sprawling megacity.

A major union representing tens of thousands of people at South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that workers will go on strike for the first time, potentially threatening key global semiconductor supply chains.

North Korea has sent balloons full of trash, toilet paper and suspected animal faeces into the South, local media reports said Wednesday, with Seoul's military slamming Pyongyang for their "low class" actions.

The US and Chinese defence chiefs are set to hold rare direct talks in Singapore this weekend, offering hopes of further military dialogue aimed at preventing flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.

The European Union on Wednesday announced the creation of an "AI Office" of tech experts, lawyers and economists to regulate artificial intelligence under a sweeping new law.

Wealthy countries met their target of providing $100 billion in annual climate aid to poorer countries for the first time in 2022 though two years later than promised, the OECD said Wednesday.

Mining behemoth BHP on Wednesday sought a deadline extension in its takeover pursuit of Anglo American, outlining a suite of measures to soothe shareholder concerns that have derailed previous offers.

Equities fell Wednesday on lingering worries about the outlook for US interest rates, while oil prices extended their rally after an attack on a ship in the Red Sea stoked fresh worries about supplies from the Middle East.

Supplies of food and medicine began arriving at the scene of a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea Wednesday, with aid workers discovering children rendered mute by the shock of the disaster.

South African voters turned out for a landmark general election on Wednesday, with the ruling ANC's exclusive grip on power in doubt three decades after the advent of democracy.

Israel carried out fresh strikes on Wednesday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where its forces are battling Hamas militants, after the UN Security Council met to discuss a deadly attack that sparked global outcry.

The Euclid space telescope has discovered seven more rogue planets, shining a light on the dark and lonely worlds floating freely through the universe untethered to any star.

Influential Ethiopian women's rights activist Betelehem Akalework says she has been forced to move home twice in two years after enduring a barrage of online abuse, death threats and physical harassment.

One runs an aerospace parts maker, the other works in a restaurant near a major new oil refinery -- both women will vote in Mexican elections this weekend, but they could be from different countries.

Rohingya mother Sofura Begum has spent years in a squalid refugee camp after fleeing Myanmar.

South Africans vote on Wednesday in what may be the most consequential election in decades, as dissatisfaction with the ruling ANC threatens to end its 30-year political dominance.

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that there would be "serious consequences" if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia, as sought by Kyiv.

OpenAI was forced to apologise to actor Scarlett Johansson last week for using her voice -- or something very similar -- on its latest chatbot, throwing the spotlight on to voice-cloning tech.

France's President Emmanuel Macron on Monday raised the alarm over the "ill wind" of the rise of the far right in European politics, during a state visit to Germany ahead of key EU elections.

Argentine President Javier Milei heads for the United States Monday for the fourth time since taking office in December, meeting tech giants as he seeks to "reposition" his economically troubled country, the government said.

An Argentine court on Monday ordered President Javier Milei's government to release tons of food meant for the poor -- about half the population -- but held in storage pending an audit he had ordered.

Asian and European stock markets wavered Tuesday as investors geared up for key inflation numbers later in the week, while London returned to action after a three-day long weekend.

Chinese social media censors have blocked multiple influencers known for showing off their lavish lifestyles after an official campaign to curb displays of ostentatious wealth online was announced.

Waves wash over abandoned homes in a Mexican village slowly being swallowed by the sea -- a symbol of the climate change effects being felt by the major fossil fuel producer.

Georgian lawmakers geared up on Tuesday to overturn a presidential veto and push through a controversial "foreign influence" bill that opponents say will place onerous restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and derail the country's path to the European Union.

The world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday urged US leader Joe Biden to attend a June peace summit in Switzerland, as he accused Russia's Vladimir Putin of trying to derail the gathering.