President

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced Friday he is running for a fifth term, has over the past two decades built a system of domestic repression and confrontation with the West that is almost certain to guarantee his re-election.

From the rise of the former KGB officer to the Kremlin to his invasion of Ukraine, AFP looks at key moments in the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is bidding to remain in power until 2030.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday made Turkey's ratification of Sweden's stalled NATO membership application conditional on the US Congress "simultaneously" approving Ankara's request for F-16 fighter jets.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to run in presidential elections next March, news agencies reported Friday, allowing the Kremlin leader to extend his decades-long grip on power.

President Xi Jinping said that China's economic recovery is at a "critical stage", state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday, as sluggish domestic activity and property sector problems drag on a post-pandemic rebound.

Author-philanthropist Sudha Murthy visited the new Parliament building on Friday and said that it was "so beautiful".

Russia's success in evading a Western oil price cap is helping drive a recovery in economic growth as President Vladimir Putin prepares to run for re-election, despite the problems caused by labour shortages, inflation and high interest rates.

Hunter Biden was indicted late Thursday on nine counts of tax evasion, the second time this year President Joe Biden's troubled son has been charged by a special counsel investigating his personal and business dealings.

The blast happened in the Providence industrial area in Mahe, the largest island in the Indian Ocean nation, causing huge damage at the site and to surrounding areas, the presidency said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call Thursday it was "critical" to protect civilians as heavy urban combat raged around Gaza's biggest cities, the White House said.

Former US president Donald Trump was back in court on Thursday for his New York civil trial on fraud allegations, once again condemning the process as unfair.

The government on Thursday said it had allocated Rs 1,310 crore to the Ministry of External Affairs for India's G20 presidency and summit.

President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the resignations of Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel and Renuka Singh Saruta from the Union Council of Ministers. They had resigned following their victory in the recent assembly elections.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi accused the West on Thursday of supporting "genocide" by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, at the start of talks in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.

RJD president Lalu Prasad on Thursday dismissed the BJP's claim that its recent victory in assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh has set the tone for its win in next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced Friday he is running for a fifth term, has over the past two decades built a system of domestic repression and confrontation with the West that is almost certain to guarantee his re-election.

From the rise of the former KGB officer to the Kremlin to his invasion of Ukraine, AFP looks at key moments in the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is bidding to remain in power until 2030.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday made Turkey's ratification of Sweden's stalled NATO membership application conditional on the US Congress "simultaneously" approving Ankara's request for F-16 fighter jets.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to run in presidential elections next March, news agencies reported Friday, allowing the Kremlin leader to extend his decades-long grip on power.

President Xi Jinping said that China's economic recovery is at a "critical stage", state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday, as sluggish domestic activity and property sector problems drag on a post-pandemic rebound.

Author-philanthropist Sudha Murthy visited the new Parliament building on Friday and said that it was "so beautiful".

Russia's success in evading a Western oil price cap is helping drive a recovery in economic growth as President Vladimir Putin prepares to run for re-election, despite the problems caused by labour shortages, inflation and high interest rates.

Hunter Biden was indicted late Thursday on nine counts of tax evasion, the second time this year President Joe Biden's troubled son has been charged by a special counsel investigating his personal and business dealings.

The blast happened in the Providence industrial area in Mahe, the largest island in the Indian Ocean nation, causing huge damage at the site and to surrounding areas, the presidency said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call Thursday it was "critical" to protect civilians as heavy urban combat raged around Gaza's biggest cities, the White House said.

Former US president Donald Trump was back in court on Thursday for his New York civil trial on fraud allegations, once again condemning the process as unfair.

The government on Thursday said it had allocated Rs 1,310 crore to the Ministry of External Affairs for India's G20 presidency and summit.

President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the resignations of Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad Singh Patel and Renuka Singh Saruta from the Union Council of Ministers. They had resigned following their victory in the recent assembly elections.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi accused the West on Thursday of supporting "genocide" by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, at the start of talks in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.

RJD president Lalu Prasad on Thursday dismissed the BJP's claim that its recent victory in assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh has set the tone for its win in next year's Lok Sabha elections.