AFP news

Nearly 100 pilot whales have died after beaching in Western Australia, wildlife officials said Thursday, following desperate rescue attempts.

China said Thursday it opposed "malicious hype" concerning this week's removal of foreign minister Qin Gang, as it continued to avoid questions about the senior diplomat's disappearance.

Shell and other energy majors posted sliding net profits Thursday after oil and gas prices weakened in the first half.

Tucked amid shell-pocked buildings and roadside tributes to fallen fighters, a less obvious byproduct of wartime is spreading across Yemen's capital: speciality coffee houses serving steaming cups of top-rated pour-over.

Equity markets rose Thursday on hopes that the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate hike will be its last as data indicates inflation is being brought under control and the US economy appears set to avert a recession.

Neckties worn by men were a sign of the Christian cross, a senior Afghan Taliban official said Wednesday, adding they should be eliminated.

Mass protests and strikes rocked Israel this week in the face of the hard-right government's decision to push through a controversial legal reform weakening the powers of the Supreme Court.

US President Joe Biden's son Hunter pleaded not guilty to minor tax offenses Wednesday as a deal with federal prosecutors crumbled in a Delaware court.

Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday spoke in Ankara with the Palestinian president and the head of Hamas in the run-up to a crucial meeting of Palestinian factions set for the weekend.

Lionel Messi's impact for Inter Miami has been clear to see, with three goals and an assist in 120 minutes on the field, but his team-mates say his influence behind the scenes may be just as vital.

Airbus and Boeing both stepped up deliveries of commercial aircraft in the first half of this year, boosting revenue as they strive to ramp up production to meet demand from airlines.

Elon Musk is rebranding his Twitter platform as "X" and wants to create a super-app where users will do all their finances as well as their socialising.

Coca-Cola lifted its full-year earnings targets Wednesday after second-quarter results topped estimates as it described plans to limit additional price hikes to emerging markets with the most intense inflation.

Sara Khadem, the Iranian chess player who fled to Spain after competing in an international tournament without wearing a mandatory hijab, was on Wednesday granted Spanish nationality, a government minister announced.

African migrants pleaded to be saved from a desert zone between Libya and Tunisia on Wednesday, weeks after Tunisian authorities allegedly dumped dozens of them there with nothing.

Internet privacy company Proton announced Wednesday a new VPN Observatory, tracking demand for its services to detect attacks on free speech in countries like Russia and Iran before they hit the headlines.

Major stock markets mostly retreated Wednesday as a China-induced rally gave way to cautious trading ahead of a Federal Reserve policy decision, with fresh data reviving the possibility of more US rate hikes before the end of the year.

Kuwait recorded its first surplus in nine years for the 2022-2023 fiscal year which ended in March, the finance ministry said on Wednesday, crediting last year's surge in oil prices.

Haunted by previous failures in Haiti and worried about getting stuck in a deadly quagmire, the international community is reluctant to answer a UN call for a special intervention force, experts say.

The US Federal Reserve is poised to announce a fresh quarter percentage-point hike to its benchmark lending rate on Wednesday to tackle inflation, while keeping the option open for more such moves in the coming months.

Western nations fear an economic collapse in Tunisia could trigger even greater migrant flows to Europe and have offered financial assistance.

Last year, 11 Dubai restaurants were awarded the Middle East's first Michelin stars, with more joining the prestigious club this year.

The International Monetary Fund has slightly upgraded its outlook for world growth this year on the back of resilient service sector activity in the first quarter and a strong labor market, the lender said Tuesday.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as the previous day's China-induced rally gave way to cautious trading ahead of a Federal Reserve policy decision, with fresh data reviving the possibility of more rate hikes before the end of the year.

China's foreign minister Qin Gang was removed from office on Tuesday, state media reported, after disappearing from the public eye for a month with little explanation from the ruling Communist Party.

Ever since Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a mutiny in Russia last month, questions have been raised over the future of his group in Africa, the cradle of its wealth and notoriety.

Air strikes and artillery barrages from Sudan's warring generals killed at least 16 people in a Khartoum neighbourhood on Tuesday, a neighbourhood group reported.

Shirin booked her bridal makeover weeks ago, but instead of relaxing as beauticians pampered her, everyone in the Kabul salon was on edge, ready to hide the bride should the police appear.

Crisis-hit Lebanon -- which has no president and is ruled by a caretaker government -- will also have to go without a central bank chief from next week, says the country's deputy premier.