AFP news

Hamas has been the focus of a relentless Israeli onslaught in Gaza but with resilient and diverse finances, it is expected to have a significant war chest at its disposal as the conflict drags on.

On a hillside overlooking cabbage fields outside the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a drone's rotors begin to whir, lifting it over a patch of forest.

Former South African president Jacob Zuma on Saturday drove a new split in the ruling African National Congress, calling for a boycott of the party in a landmark 2024 election.

The Democratic Republic of Congo gears up for elections on Wednesday that could consolidate its democracy or unleash fresh violence as political tensions threaten to boil over.

The American company Blue Origin plans to launch its rocket Big Shepard Monday for the first time since an accident more than a year ago, as the firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos heads back into space.

The chairwoman of major property developer Van Thinh Phat will go on trial in Vietnam, accused with accomplices of embezzling $12.5 billion from a bank "for personal purposes", the official government website said.

Two more major shipping firms, Mediterranean Shipping Company and CMA CGM, said Saturday they were suspending passage through a Red Sea strait vital for global trade after Yemeni rebel attacks in the area.

A Greek art museum this week handed over its halls exclusively to women artists, in a pioneering exhibition titled "What if women ruled the world?"

For two decades, British artist Martin Lever took his inspiration from Asia and his adopted home of Hong Kong.

The family of Gerard Depardieu denounced Sunday an "unprecedented conspiracy" against the French film star, who was charged with rape in 2020 and is facing new scrutiny over sexist comments.

Tiger Woods says he has been encouraged by his performance in two December events, the first competitive golf for the 15-time major winner since April ankle surgery.

Manchester United ended Liverpool's perfect record at Anfield on Sunday, holding the Premier League title chasers to a 0-0 draw after wins for Arsenal and Aston Villa.

Kuwait's emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was defence minister when Iraq invaded the oil-rich country in 1990, was laid to rest Sunday in a low-key funeral, a day after he died aged 86.

North Korea launched another long-range ballistic missile on Monday with a potential capability of striking the United States, Seoul and Tokyo officials said, extending a record-breaking number of weapons tests this year that have been condemned by the West.

Russia's radical conservative turn since it invaded Ukraine is changing life inside the country, with even the long-held right for women to have abortions being questioned.

Manchester United travel to the home of bitter rivals Liverpool this weekend desperate to avoid another humiliation but with all the signs pointing to a tough afternoon at Anfield.

The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana pledged after direct talks on Thursday not to resort to force to settle a long-simmering -- and recently reheated -- territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region, a joint statement said.

US autonomous driving venture Cruise announced Thursday it will eliminate roughly a quarter of its workforce as it slows commercialization to address safety issues.

Hours after the applause and relief that the world had finally reached a landmark climate agreement in Dubai, US special envoy John Kerry admitted that he thought it might never happen.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called Thursday for China to shift from a state-driven approach in economic policy, saying the model can discourage investors.

Several new European and American rockets are set for blast off in 2024, at a time the aerospace industry faces a shortage of launch vehicles fueled by the rise of satellite constellations.

World stock markets attempted Friday to build on the previous day's rally as investors recalibrated their outlook for 2024 after the Federal Reserve held rates but indicated it would cut next year.

Israel pressed its offensive in Gaza on Friday despite mounting international calls for restraint, with key backer the United States saying the war to crush Hamas must not lead to a long-term Israeli occupation of the territory.

Microsoft has seized the websites of a Vietnam-based group it alleges sold millions of fake accounts to cybercriminals who used them for ransomware attacks, identity theft and other scams around the world.

The Netherlands can continue to deliver parts for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel in the Gaza Strip, after a Dutch court on Friday threw out a case brought by a group of human rights organisations.

Consulting giant McKinsey & Company sought to place controversial carbon market schemes favoured by its fossil fuel clients at the heart of the Africa Climate Summit, according to internal documents and sources who talked to AFP. The documents reveal that the firm worked behind the scenes to shape the agenda of September's Nairobi gathering, a key event in the run-up to the UN's COP28 talks in Dubai.

A more precise picture of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel has emerged from social security data, confirming the unprecedented scale of the violence but also challenging some initial testimonies.

Bradley Cooper said transforming into the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein for his new film "Maestro", released on Netflix on December 20, forced him to grow up.

A Russian court began on Thursday hearing the appeal of Oleg Orlov, a veteran human rights campaigner and co-chair of the Nobel-Prize-winning group Memorial, who has been convicted of discrediting Russian forces.