AFP news

With less than 24 hours before President Donald Trump's deadline to impose sweeping tariffs on the three biggest US trading partners -- Canada, Mexico and China -- the global economy is bracing for impact.

Jan 31, 2025

Germany's conservative opposition leader was set Friday to again seek far-right support in parliament on the flashpoint issue of immigration, after his first effort sparked widespread condemnation and street protests.

Jan 31, 2025

Screeching off East Africa's only ice rink, the skates of Kenya's Ice Lions scatter frozen chips of ice as they celebrate their first title win in the capital Nairobi.

Jan 31, 2025

Hayan Hadid was 18 when soldiers arrested him in his pyjamas and took him for execution in Syria's Hama in 1982, during one of the darkest chapters of the Assad clan's rule.

Jan 31, 2025

The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 moved south as it closed in on a key military airport in DR Congo, with queues of young men volunteering to defend a provincial capital on Friday.

Jan 31, 2025

Data watchdogs in South Korea and Ireland said Friday they would ask Chinese AI startup DeepSeek to clarify how it manages users' personal information, as governments from around the world turned a spotlight on the service.

Jan 31, 2025

A national park in Thailand has not one but three reasons to celebrate after confirming a rare Bengal tiger is raising a trio of cubs in the protected area.

Jan 31, 2025

Sudan's paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, in a rare video address on Friday, acknowledged setbacks in the capital Khartoum but vowed to expel the army from the city again.

Jan 31, 2025

Istanbul's powerful opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, condemned on Friday what he described as "judicial harassment" targeting him, as thousands of supporters demanded justice outside the court.

Jan 31, 2025

Israel will cut ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Thursday following accusations it provided cover for Hamas militants, a move likely to hamper delivery of its vital services after 15 months of war in Gaza.

Jan 30, 2025

The EU promised Thursday an "action plan" to help the bloc's beleaguered auto sector as it held talks with industry leaders who have sounded the alarm over emissions fines and Chinese competition.

Jan 30, 2025

The French economy grew 1.1 percent in 2024 but shrank in the fourth quarter as a political crisis gripped the country, weakening a boost from the Paris Olympic Games, official data showed Thursday.

Jan 30, 2025

Britain's vehicle production slid below one million units last year as the sector transitions to electric cars, an industry body said Thursday as it warned over US President Donald Trump's tariff threats.

Jan 30, 2025

A record 92.3 million passengers travelled through Dubai's international airport last year, its operator said on Thursday, underlining the Gulf city's economic boom.

Jan 30, 2025

President Ferdinand Marcos said Thursday his government will remove a US missile system from the Philippines if Beijing ends its "aggressive and coercive behaviour" in the contested South China Sea and ceases claiming Filipino territory.

Jan 30, 2025

An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who repeatedly burned the Koran in 2023, sparking outrage in Muslim countries, has been shot dead south of Stockholm, investigators said Thursday, with Sweden's prime minister suggesting "a foreign power" might have been involved.

Jan 30, 2025

Zakaria Zubeidi, a former leader of a Palestinian militant group jailed for attacks that killed several Israelis, is to be released Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Jan 30, 2025

Eurozone growth slowed to a halt in the fourth quarter last year, dragged by contractions in major powers Germany and France which were held back by economic headwinds and political instability.

Jan 30, 2025

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said discussions with a Qatari delegation in Damascus Thursday included reconstruction in the war-torn country, during the first visit by a head of state since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Jan 30, 2025

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was at risk Wednesday of losing the little tacit opposition support he relies on in parliament after suggesting that immigrants were "flooding" France.

Jan 29, 2025

US export controls on high-tech chips may have inadvertently fuelled the success of start-up DeepSeek's AI chatbot, sparking fears in Washington there could be little it can do to stop China in the push for global dominance in AI. The firm, based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, has stunned investors and industry insiders with its R1 programme, which can match its American competitors seemingly at a fraction of the cost.

Jan 29, 2025

Taiwan will consider supporting its domestic industry the government said Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump warned he will soon place tariffs on overseas-made semiconductor chips.

Jan 29, 2025

The Spanish economy expanded 3.2 percent last year thanks to buoyant exports and consumption that have made it one of the fastest-growing developed countries, official data showed on Wednesday.

Jan 29, 2025

Hollywood star Renee Zellweger on Wednesday will mark the return of Bridget Jones -- the Chardonnay-swigging, calorie-counting hapless 1990s singleton -- at the world premiere of the franchise's upcoming film "Mad About the Boy".

Jan 29, 2025

After three interest rate cuts in a row, the US Federal Reserve is expected to take a breather on Wednesday and signal it will remain on pause until the data changes, despite pressure to cut from President Donald Trump.

Jan 29, 2025

Tesla is set to report earnings Wednesday for the first time since President Donald Trump -- a close ally of CEO Elon Musk -- returned to the White House.

Jan 29, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr faces a pivotal Senate hearing Wednesday where he will be grilled on his history of promoting vaccine misinformation and plans to upend US science agencies as he bids to become President Donald Trump's health secretary.

Jan 29, 2025

Journeying across India for the pinnacle celebration of the Hindu calendar, Laxmi and her family were sleeping by the roadside Wednesday as they waited to cleanse themselves in the sacred Ganges river.

Jan 29, 2025

With around six million dollars and a stockpile of chips acquired before Washington banned their export to China, startup DeepSeek has produced what Chinese tech titans couldn't -- a world-class AI chatbot.

Jan 29, 2025