WORLD

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to start planning for an "Iron Dome" air defense system for the United States, like the one that Israel has used to intercept thousands of rockets.

Nepali airlines have resumed rescue helicopter flights to the Everest region, an aviation industry official announced Tuesday, following weeks of suspension prompted by protests from locals citing environmental impact and loss of income from trekkers.

Spanish unemployment fell last year to its lowest level since the 2008 global financial crisis as the tourism-driven service sector performed strongly, official data showed on Tuesday.

After major investments in a bid to restore its lost national culinary prestige, France savoured victory Tuesday at the world's most prestigious international cooking competition, the Bocuse d'Or. Paul Marcon, son of the former winner Regis Marcon, clinched the title late on Monday in France's gastronomic capital Lyon, 30 years after his much-garlanded father.

Pakistan criminalised online disinformation on Tuesday, passing legislation dictating punishments of up to three years in jail and prompting journalist protests accusing the government of quashing dissent.

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou drew sharp rebukes including from some of his allies on Tuesday after saying there was a growing feeling that immigrants were "flooding" France.

Flinging her male teammate into the air, performer Lin Xinmeng practises China's world-famous lion dance with a troupe that is shrugging off centuries of patriarchal norms.

Some of the few remaining survivors of Auschwitz returned to the notorious Nazi death camp on Monday as the world marked the 80th anniversary of its liberation.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted for his martial law declaration that plunged the country into political turmoil, with prosecutors accusing him of being a "ringleader of insurrection".

Europe's biggest carmakers will converge on Brussels for talks this week as the EU seeks to chart a way forward for an embattled industry struggling to cope with Chinese competition and climate rules.