AFP news

At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned a historic Hawaiian town to ashes, officials said Wednesday, as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport.

Shareholders of Finland's Rovio, creator of the Angry Birds franchise, have overwhelmingly accepted Japanese Sega's offer to buy the company, allowing the deal to go through, the Finnish company said Thursday.

Stocks fell Thursday ahead of much-anticipated US inflation data, which comes against a backdrop of renewed concerns that the Federal Reserve could announce another interest rate hike before the end of the year.

Gazing up from K2 Basecamp, Sajid Ali Sadpara sees Earth's second-highest mountain, his father's final resting place, and a blight of litter on the furthest reaches of the natural world.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that the biggest obstacle to millions of refugees returning home is a lack of infrastructure, devastated by more than a decade of civil war.

In central Moscow, retired businessman Igor Inkin is preparing to turn down simple pleasures like dessert as the value of the ruble in his pocket continues to slide.

Seven people were killed in flash floods in southwestern China on Wednesday, as authorities in Beijing tripled the death toll from the capital's heaviest-ever rains.

Even in a country which regularly holds the world record for jailing journalists, the case of Turkish investigative reporter Baris Pehlivan stands out.

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered the first evidence that Mars once had a climate which alternated between wet and dry seasons similar to Earth, a study said on Wednesday, suggesting the red planet may have once had the right conditions to support life.

There is "no evidence" that the growth in using Facebook led to "widespread psychological harm", the largest independent scientific study on the topic concluded Wednesday, contradicting previous analyses and widespread perceptions.

Iraq's rising temperatures and protracted drought are a "wake-up call" for the world, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in Baghdad on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued an executive order aimed at restricting certain American investments in sensitive high-tech areas in China -- a move that could further strain ties between the world's top two economies.

The United States on Wednesday accused Sudan of having threatened to expel the United Nations mission from the war-torn country if the UN envoy, already in Khartoum's crosshairs, speaks before the Security Council on the atrocities of the conflict.

In the scorching summer heat, an Israeli farmer tends to a dripline taking a mix of ground and recycled water to palm trees -- an approach honed for decades in the arid country and now drawing wide interest abroad.

The Saudi Pro League kicks off on Friday amid unprecedented attention on Saudi football following a year of high-profile transfers and growing accusations of "sportswashing".

The United Nations has said it reached agreement with the Syrian government on aid deliveries to rebel-held areas from Turkey, raising concern among relief groups who had wanted Damascus kept out.

European stock markets rebounded on Wednesday as bank shares recovered and after a mixed showing by Asia.

Two weeks after the coup in Niger, France has abandoned its tough tone on the crisis and is now inclining towards diplomatic solutions, with military action seemingly ruled out for now, experts said.

Scientists have identified the maximum mix of heat and humidity a human body can survive.

China on Wednesday reported it had entered deflation for the first time since 2021 -- the latest indicator pointing to a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.

A spate of high-profile visits by US officials to Saudi Arabia underscores how ties have warmed amid talks over a potential deal that would see the Gulf kingdom recognise Israel, analysts say.

Asian markets wavered Wednesday after data showing the first drop in Chinese consumer prices compounded worries about the world's number two economy.

Uncertainty over the future of Kylian Mbappe hangs over French football ahead of the new Ligue 1 season, which starts this weekend.

Australia's biggest lender Commonwealth Bank reported a record annual profit Wednesday as it raked in money from customers forced to pay higher interest rates.

China slipped into deflation as consumer prices contracted last month for the first time in more than two years, official data showed Wednesday, as slowing domestic spending weighs on the country's post-Covid economic recovery.

Two Ukrainian combat drones headed for Moscow were shot down, Russian officials said on Wednesday, the latest in a surge of drone attacks targeting the capital.

Pakistan's parliament was due to be dissolved Wednesday, ushering in a technocrat-led interim government to oversee an election that will not include the country's most popular politician, Imran Khan.

Sports broadcaster ESPN announced Tuesday it has signed a licensing deal with Penn Entertainment to create a branded sportsbook for US audiences that will launch later this year.

Nigeria's president has not ruled out military intervention in neighbouring Niger after its president was ousted in a coup but believes diplomacy is the "best way forward" to resolve the crisis, his spokesman said Tuesday.