By AFPIndonesia welcomed on Tuesday Brazil's announcement that it had become a full member of BRICS, a bloc of developing economies increasingly seen as a counterweight to the West.The Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that Sou...

By AFP/Adam PLOWRIGHTFrance on Tuesday marked 10 years since an Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper that shocked the country and led to fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion.President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Ma...

By AFP/Hossam EzzedineA month into a crackdown by Palestinian security forces on freedom fighters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the streets of Jenin refugee camp are deserted, except for a few residents briefly checking on their homes.Shops are...

By AFP/Abdelhafid DaamacheWith its vivid plumage and sweet trill, the goldfinch has long been revered in Algeria, but the national obsession has also driven illegal hunting, prompting calls to protect the songbird.Amid a persistent demand for the bir...

By AFPSyria's education minister last Thursday sought to minimise curriculum changes announced this week by the new Islamist-led authorities, after activists denounced them as "extremist" and potentially harmful to religious minorities.The amendments...

By UN NewsIsraeli airstrikes continued across Gaza overnight into Monday, while the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that one of its aid convoys in the war-shattered enclave was targeted by Israeli fire on Sunday.The WFP issued a statement on M...

By AFPThe United States announced Monday that it was providing additional sanctions relief on some activities in Syria for the next six months to ease access to basic services following the fall of strongman Bashar al-Assad.The US Treasury said it ha...

By AFPMore than 100 combatants were killed over the last two days in northern Syria in fighting between Turkish-backed groups and Syrian Kurdish forces, a war monitor said on Sunday.Since Friday evening, clashes in several villages around the city of...

By UN NewsHuman suffering in Sudan has reached devastating levels, with over 11.5 million people internally displaced and 3.2 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.Addressing the Security Council on Monday, Edem Wosornu, Director of the Ad...

By AFPGunmen ambushed a Pakistan convoy travelling to bring aid to a region besieged by sectarian fighting on Saturday, local government said, wounding several officials despite a ceasefire announced three days ago.The Kurram region of northwest Paki...

By AFP/Thomas URBAINWhether detecting rising anxiety or managing a full-blown panic attack, the tech industry is offering an array of new tools designed to support mental health.Scores of start-ups will pitch their solutions at this year's Consumer E...

By AFP/Aurélia ENDUS President Joe Biden on Monday banned offshore drilling across an immense area of coastal waters, weeks before Donald Trump takes office pledging to massively increase fossil fuel production.The ban encompasses the entire Atlantic...