AFP news

Rafael Nadal on Thursday announced he will retire after the Davis Cup finals in November, ending a career which brought 22 Grand Slam titles, global respect and inspired epic, iconic rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Greek football was in shock Thursday at the death of Panathinaikos and Greece international George Baldock, with tributes uniting even the country's usually hostile rival fans.

Two months into Ukraine's offensive on Russian territory, questions are growing in Ukrainian ranks over the long-term strategy as Russian troops advance steadily in other areas.

Crowds of mourners gathered in India's financial capital Mumbai on Thursday for the funeral of industrialist Ratan Tata, hailed as a "titan" who led one of the country's biggest conglomerates.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos challenged Chinese Premier Li Qiang over recent clashes in the South China Sea at regional summit talks on Thursday as fears grow that conflict could erupt in the disputed waterway.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met UK premier Keir Starmer and Nato chief Mark Rutte in London Thursday, as the Ukrainian leader embarked on a whistle-stop tour of European capitals aimed at securing military aid before next month's crunch US election.

Hundreds of apparent pro-Russian bot accounts on X are pushing US election misinformation and amplifying false narratives about Democratic contender Kamala Harris, a research group said Thursday, calling them "sleeper agents" for having evaded detection for years.

Argentine lawmakers on Wednesday upheld President Javier Milei's veto of funding increases for public universities, handing him a key victory in his months-long standoff with teachers and students.

Singer and designer Pharrell Williams is among the co-chairs of New York's next Met Gala, which will wade into race relations in the context of fashion, the museum announced Wednesday.

Americans David Baker and John Jumper, together with Briton Demis Hassabis, shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for work revealing the secrets of proteins through computing and artificial intelligence.

US star Taylor Swift got a special police escort for her London concerts after an alleged suicide attack plot led to the cancellation of three performances in Vienna.

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a new role as head of football operations at Red Bull, which owns the RB Leipzig, Salzburg and New York clubs, the company said Wednesday.

Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces exchanged fire along the Lebanon-Israel border on Wednesday, ahead of expected talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden.

North Korea's army said on Wednesday it was moving to "permanently shut off and block the southern border" with the South and had informed the US military to prevent an accidental clash.

Hurricane Helene's torrential rain and powerful winds were made about 10 percent more intense due to climate change, according to a study published Wednesday by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group.

Boeing on Tuesday suspended negotiations with its striking workers as it accused the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) of making unreasonable demands and withdrew its offer.

French rugby federation president Florian Grill announced Monday an overhaul of the system of discipline in the France teams after a summer tour of Argentina overshadowed by claims of attempted rape and racism.

China said on Tuesday it would impose anti-dumping measures on brandy imported from the European Union, marking the latest salvo in an escalating trade row between Beijing and Brussels.

Israel ramped up its ground offensive against Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern coast on Tuesday, deploying more troops and urging civilians near the Mediterranean to evacuate.

Bangladesh's interim leader has refused to give a timeframe for elections following the ouster of his autocratic predecessor, saying in an interview published Tuesday that reforms are needed before polls.

Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn said on Tuesday it is building the world's largest production plant for US hardware leader Nvidia's GB200 "superchips" that power artificial intelligence servers.

Kenya's parliament was set to vote on Tuesday on impeaching Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in a political drama that has exposed a rift in the governing party.

The US Supreme Court hears a challenge on Tuesday to federal regulation of "ghost guns" -- firearms sold in easy-to-assemble kits.

China said on Tuesday it was "fully confident" of hitting its growth target this year but held off more stimulus, disappointing markets and fuelling concern about a lack of detail on a raft of measures unveiled last month.

After years of talking up Tesla's prowess on autonomous driving, Elon Musk is set to host Thursday a much-hyped robotaxi event amid a mix of anticipation and skepticism.

Elon Musk is ramping up his public support of Donald Trump, telling Tucker Carlson in a conversation streamed Monday that he is "all in" on the Republican presidential candidate.

The head of the United Nations refugee agency arrived in Lebanon on Saturday on a "solidarity" visit for the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese affected by Israeli bombardment and needing international support.

Top Chinese economic policymakers are expected to flesh out a raft of growth-boosting policies on Tuesday, after the announcement of long-awaited stimulus measures last month sparked a blistering stock market rally.

The Philippines and South Korea committed Monday to deepening maritime cooperation, their presidents said, in the face of China's assertion of its claims over the South China Sea.