Trap laid, Ukraine walked in
BRICS-Dollar challenge
Al-Qaida’s growing ambitions
Saudi shift shakes Israel
Russian ambassador slams EU frozen assets plan for Ukraine
2026 World Cup draw is kind to favorites as Trump takes limelight
WHO chief upbeat on missing piece of pandemic treaty
US vaccine panel upends hepatitis B advice in latest Trump-era shift
Sports
Ancelotti says Brazil have 'difficult' World Cup group with Morocco
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti reflected on a "difficult" group after being paired with surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco at the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday.
Sports
Kriecmayr wins weather-disrupted Beaver Creek super-G
Vincent Kriechmayr won a chaotic alpine World Cup super-G at Beaver Creek on Friday as Swiss star Marco Odermatt settled for fifth and downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen crashed in a race cut short after multiple weather interruptions.
Last news
Culture
Life with Vanessa Paradis was 'bliss', says Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp's life with former French partner Vanessa Paradis and their two children was "bliss", the US actor told AFP in an interview on Thursday.
Boulevard
Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in decades kills at least 75, scores missing
Hong Kong authorities said on Thursday the death toll from the city's worst fire in decades had risen to at least 75, as firefighters scoured torched high-rise buildings in an apartment complex for scores of people listed as missing.
Politics
UK's Farage under pressure over teenage racism allegations
Hard-right British lawmaker Nigel Farage faced growing scrutiny Thursday over allegations he made racist and antisemitic comments while a youngster at an elite English school.
Boulevard
Grieving Hong Kong families search stark photos for fire victims
A middle-aged woman emerged, weeping and clinging to her companion, from a community hall now used as a victim identification station in the shadow of smouldering apartment towers that mark Hong Kong's worst fire in decades.
Sports
France's Dupont set for Toulouse return after lengthy lay-off
France captain Antoine Dupont is set to return for Toulouse this weekend after more than eight months out injured, a source told AFP on Thursday.
Boulevard
Pope urges Turkey to embrace mediator role on first overseas trip
Pope Leo XIV began a four-day visit to Turkey on Thursday, urging Ankara to embrace its role as a mediator in a world gripped by conflict, he said after talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Nature
Survey raises estimate of African forest elephant numbers
DNA pulled from the dung of African forest elephants has given experts a more accurate -- and higher -- population estimate for the elusive animal, but the species remains critically endangered, a study showed Thursday.
Sports
Barca's Fermin Lopez out for two weeks with calf injury
Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Fermin Lopez has been ruled out for the next two weeks with a calf injury, the club announced on Thursday.
Boulevard
Two break out of French jail in 'old-fashioned' bed sheets escape
Two prisoners escaped from a French jail using bed sheets after sawing through the bars of their cell, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Sports
Brignone ski return a 'starting point' before Winter Olympics
Italian alpine skiing World Cup holder Federica Brignone said on Thursday her return to snow was a "starting point" with the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics a little more than two months away.
Boulevard
Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in decades kills at least 65, scores missing
Hong Kong authorities said on Thursday the death toll from the city's worst fire in decades had risen to 65, as firefighters scoured scorched high-rise buildings in an apartment complex for more than 250 people listed as missing.
Things to know
New protections for oceanic whitetip sharks, but not eels
The world's top wildlife trade body voted Thursday to effectively ban all international trade in the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark but rejected a proposal to protect more species of eel.
Boulevard
'Dad, there's a fire': survivors recount deadly Hong Kong blaze
Hong Kong's worst fire in almost 80 years killed at least 65 people in an eight-building apartment complex, with more than 250 people still missing.
Politics
Captured Kenyan runner says he was tricked into Russian army
Kenyan long-distance runner Evans Kibet said he came to Russia for a sporting event but was instead spirited away to a military training camp and sent to fight in Ukraine.
Nature
'Truly severe' floods overwhelm Southeast Asia
Authorities across Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia worked on Thursday to reach residents trapped in floods that have killed dozens of people across the region in recent days.
Politics
Steep fall in UK net migration figures
Net migration to the UK dropped by 69 percent to 204,000 in the year to June, official figures showed on Thursday, in a much-needed boost to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Economy
Singapore AI teddy back on sale after recall over sex chat scare
A plushy, AI-enabled teddy bear recalled after its chatbot was found to engage in sexually explicit conversations and offer instructions on where to find knives is again for sale, AFP found.
Economy
European stocks steady as US shuts for Thanksgiving
European stock markets steadied Thursday after solid gains in Asia, as markets increasingly expect the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next month.
Sports
Ex-Tour champion Thomas appointed as Ineos director of racing
Former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has been appointed as director of racing at Ineos Grenadiers, the British team announced on Thursday.
Sports
Judo brings Russian athletes in from the cold
Russian athletes are free to compete "under their national flag", the International Judo Federation (IJF) said on Thursday lifting the neutral status that had been imposed following the invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.
Sports
Swiss Super-G Olympic champion Gut-Behrami out of Winter Games
Switzerland's Super-G Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami will miss the 2026 Winter Games with a serious knee injury, the Swiss ski federation announced on Thursday.
Sports
Erasmus basks in strength in depth as formidable Boks team named for Wales
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus made nine changes from the team that beat Ireland last week to play Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
Boulevard
Pope lands in Turkey to meet Erdogan on first overseas trip
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on Thursday for a four-day visit where he will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and meet Christian leaders on the first overseas trip of his papacy.
Politics
Turkey court acquits four journalists over Istanbul protests
A Turkish court on Thursday acquitted four journalists, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, who were on trial over mass demonstrations in Istanbul in March, a case that drew condemnation from press freedom watchdogs.
Politics
Streets deserted in G.Bissau capital after military takeover
Streets were nearly deserted Thursday in the capital of Guinea-Bissau, with the announcement of election results thwarted by the military seizing power, arresting the president and closing the borders of the coup-prone west African country.
Economy
Wildlife trade body rejects new eel protections
The world's top wildlife trade body rejected new protections for eels on Thursday in a secret ballot at talks in Uzbekistan.
Culture
EU could hit X with fine before 2025 ends
The European Union could fine Elon Musk's X platform for breaking its digital rules by the end of 2025 -- two years into a probe that has tested the bloc's resolve to police the online space.
Economy
Most Asian markets track latest Wall St rally as rate bets rise
Most Asian markets rose Thursday to extend the week's global rally as traders ramp up bets on a third successive US interest rate cut next month.
Technology
Naively brilliant: Serbia's world-famous village painters
Pavel Hajko never tires of painting roosters. Inside his home studio in Kovacica -- a sleepy town in northern Serbia famous for its style of naive art -- the brightly coloured creatures cover the walls.
Politics
National Guard shooting suspect served alongside US army in Afghanistan: US media
A man suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House was an Afghan national who had served alongside American troops in Afghanistan, US media reported Wednesday, as Washington labelled the incident an "act of terror."
Boulevard
Over 250 missing after Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in decades
Hong Kong firefighters were scouring scorched high-rises Thursday for over 250 people listed as missing, a day after the financial hub's worst blaze in decades killed at least 55 in an apartment complex.
Things to know
Pink elephants march for Thailand's late queen mother
Eleven pink painted elephants marched through Bangkok on Thursday, bowing in unison outside the Grand Palace in a lumbering tribute to the late queen mother.
Sports
Spain's Sebastian Garcia in charge as hail halts Australian PGA
Spain's unheralded Sebastian Garcia held a two-stroke lead with three holes to play when a hailstorm forced an early end to day one of the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane on Thursday.
Politics
Kharkiv's lute-playing publisher champions 'cultural resistance'
With his eyes closed, Oleksandr Savchuk plucks the strings on his bandura, a lute-like Ukrainian folk instrument, as he delivers a gently melancholic performance in the frontline city of Kharkiv.
Sports
Gavaskar calls for 'post-mortem' after India Test debacle
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has called for a "post-mortem" into India Test cricket after their aura of home invincibility was blown away by a second series whitewash in 12 months.
Politics
South Africa slams Trump's G20 ban as punitive
South Africa denounced US President Donald Trump's decision to bar it from the 2026 G20 summit, calling the move punitive and driven by distortions that erode global cooperation.
Sports
Gavaskar calls for 'post-mortem' after India's Test debacle
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has called for a "post-mortem" into India Test cricket after their aura of home invincibility was blown away by a second series whitewash 12 months.
Politics
The Rwanda camp giving a second chance to genocidal enemies
As his comrades died of starvation and thirst around him, Mbale Hafashimana Amos finally decided to flee the Congolese bush for a country he had always been told would butcher him on arrival.
Boulevard
Beer giant Asahi not engaging with hackers after cyberattack
Japanese beer giant Asahi said Thursday it had not received any specific demand from the hackers behind a "sophisticated and cunning" cyberattack that is about to enter its third month.