AFP news

The public deficit in France is at risk of reaching 5.6 percent of GDP this year and even 6.2 percent in 2025, the finance ministry has warned, as a political crisis rumbles on.

Concerns grew Tuesday over the chances of securing a Gaza truce, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected making any "concessions" in stalled talks towards a hostage release deal.

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said Tuesday that 15 of its Airbus A350 jets needed new engine parts after inspecting its entire fleet, which was grounded following a "first of its type" engine component failure.

New Zealand's spy service branded China a "complex intelligence concern" Tuesday and warned the Pacific nation was vulnerable to foreign interference.

US climate envoy John Podesta will visit China this week for talks with counterpart Liu Zhenmin, state media said Tuesday, ahead of the COP29 summit in Baku in November.

Pope Francis arrived in Muslim-majority Indonesia on Tuesday to kick off a four-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific that will be the longest and farthest of the 87-year-old's papacy.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has made her first picks for her top team, with the key economy vice-president job going to Italy's far-right nominee, German newspaper Die Welt reported Tuesday.

Asian markets retreated Tuesday as investors steel themselves for a high-stakes US jobs report at the end of the week while keeping tabs on China after fresh data stoked renewed worries over the world's number two economy.

World number one Jannik Sinner and former champion Daniil Medvedev set up a US Open quarter-final showdown on Monday as both men look to exploit the hole left by the shock exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn went on trial Tuesday for his role in the "dieselgate" scandal, nine years after the saga first plunged the German auto titan into crisis.

Terrified for her safety, Indian actress Sreelekha Mitra remembers pushing chairs and a sofa against her hotel door after she said an award-winning veteran director sexually harassed her.

A Venezuelan court granted an arrest warrant Monday for opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to have rightfully won July elections that authorities awarded to incumbent Nicolas Maduro.

Britain said Monday it would suspend some arms exports to Israel, citing a "clear risk" that they could be used in a serious breach of international humanitarian law.

Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday ratified the decision by one of its judges to suspend Elon Musk's X social network for alleged judicial transgressions.

The British government has said it will probe surge pricing after furious Oasis fans faced huge hikes in ticket prices for the Britpop band's much-anticipated reunion.

Major stock markets mostly fell Monday as more weak Chinese economic data offset optimism over an expected US interest-rate cut.

Electric car sales in Norway took a 94-percent share of the market in August -- a new world record -- statistics showed Monday, as sales in the rest of Europe stagnate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that his army was rapidly advancing in east Ukraine, citing this as proof that Kyiv's cross-border incursion into the Kursk region was failing.

Toddlers should not be allowed to watch screens at all, Sweden told parents on Monday.

Floods and landslides killed 11 people after a fierce tropical storm dumped heavy rain on the Philippines for a second day, officials said Monday.

South Korean police said Monday they had launched an investigation into encrypted messaging platform Telegram for allegedly "abetting" the distribution of so-called deepfake porn, including explicit AI generated images of teenagers.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday urged parties to avoid collaborating with the far right, after the AfD made record gains in two regional polls and his own coalition suffered a heavy defeat a year before a general election.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday intensified efforts to find a new prime minister after almost two months of deadlock following inconclusive legislative elections, hosting two former presidents and two potential candidates.

China rolled out the red carpet on Monday for leaders from across Africa, seeking to deepen ties with the resource-rich continent it has furnished with billions in loans for infrastructure and development.

Coco Gauff joined Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on the US Open scrap-heap Sunday as the defending champion crashed out to Emma Navarro in a blizzard of mistakes as China's Zheng Qinwen won a record-setting 2:15 a.m. finish.

A Beluga whale whose strange harness sparked suspicions it was trained by Russia for spying purposes has been found dead in Norway, according to an NGO which tracks his movements.

Poland on Sunday marked 85 years since the outbreak of World War II during annual commemoration ceremony held at dawn to remember Nazi Germany's first attacks that triggered the deadly conflict.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday presented the final report of his government, defending his legacy a month before turning power over to his successor -- along with a congressional supermajority and a highly controversial judicial reform plan.

As many as 10,000 hotel workers were on strike across the United States on Sunday, at the height of a long holiday weekend in which millions of Americans were expected to travel.