AFP news

Automakers received temporary reprieve Wednesday from US President Donald Trump's tariffs targeting Canada and Mexico, as concerns mounted over consumer impacts and talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yielded no immediate breakthrough.

Ukraine said on Wednesday it planned to hold new talks with the United States after Washington suspended its intelligence sharing, delivering a fresh blow to Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion.

Israel's new military chief Eyal Zamir said his country's mission to defeat Hamas remained unfinished as he took office Wednesday, with uncertainty hanging over the fragile Gaza ceasefire.

China set an ambitious annual growth target of around five percent on Wednesday, vowing to make domestic demand its main economic driver as an escalating trade war with the United States hit exports.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky has told him Kyiv was ready for talks with Russia and the finalization of a US minerals deal, days after the pair's explosive White House meeting.

Germany is set to rearm in a way not seen since World War II after likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would vastly increase defence spending.

Apple said on Monday it will spend more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and hire 20,000 people, with President Donald Trump quickly taking credit for the announcement.

After a humbling election defeat for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrats (SPD), the party looked to collect itself on Monday in preparation for a potential new role as the junior partner in a conservative-led government.

US President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of right-wing podcaster Dan Bongino as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a break with tradition that puts yet another loyalist in a key law enforcement position.

Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer behind the classic "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and one of the most recognizable voices of the 1970s, died Monday at age 88.

The EU promised on Monday to enforce its digital rules and to defend its laws "decisively" if necessary, after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on countries that levy digital taxes on US tech firms.

Israel said on Sunday its troops would remain for many months in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, after tens of thousands of Palestinians living there have been displaced by an intensifying military operation.

Most employees at USAID will be placed on leave or fired by midnight on Sunday, the aid agency said, as President Donald Trump's administration plows ahead in slashing government spending.

Frankfurt equities and the euro rose Monday after conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election, with investors hoping that Europe's largest economy can emerge from recession.

Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Monday it will spend more than $50 billion on artificial intelligence and cloud computing over the next three years, a week after co-founder Jack Ma was seen meeting President Xi Jinping.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, saying he will present "proposals for action" to counter the "Russian threat" in Europe and ensure peace in Ukraine.

Pope Francis, hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia in both lungs, is in a good mood after a peaceful night, the Vatican and a source said Monday, amid global concern over the pontiff's health.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called for "real, lasting peace" this year as European leaders gathered for a summit in Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his country's "resistance" and "heroism" on Monday on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion as European leaders arrived in Kyiv in a show of solidarity.

Vatican thriller "Conclave" won top prize at an unpredictable Screen Actors Guild Awards gala Sunday, throwing a potential late curveball into the Oscars race just a week before the Academy Awards.

Die-hard South Korean fans cheer and clap as their favourite superheroes strike poses in brightly coloured uniforms to the sounds of a soulful Japanese ballad, a nostalgic throwback to the days of VHS. It has been decades since Japanese superhero series "Choudenshi Bioman" was last on TV, but its epic stories of good versus evil still resonate deeply for these South Korean millennials.

Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz vowed to get to work Monday on the arduous task of building a new coalition government, warning "the world isn't waiting for us".

The quest of millions seeking salvation at the world's largest religious festival has also been a golden opportunity for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to burnish Hindu nationalist credentials.

Germany's conservatives won Sunday's elections, with their leader Friedrich Merz set to become the next chancellor, followed by the far-right AfD in second place after record gains, according to exit polls.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday -- the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion -- that he was ready to quit as Ukraine's president if it meant Kyiv would be admitted to the NATO military alliance.

Mikaela Shiffrin's 100th World Cup victory on Sunday cemented her place as the best alpine skier ever, the American vowing there was more to come in her iconic career.

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and its allies have agreed to form a parallel government, they said Sunday, despite warnings such a move could further fragment the war-ravaged country.

Hamas on Sunday said Israel has gravely endangered a five-week-old Gaza truce by delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners under the deal because of the manner it has freed Israeli hostages.

Pope Francis's ninth night in hospital was peaceful, the Vatican said Sunday, the day after revealing the 88-year-old was in a "critical" condition.