AFP news

Equities sank and Treasuries remained under pressure following sharp losses on Wall Street fuelled by US economy fears as Donald Trump tries to push through fresh tax cuts that could balloon the already huge deficit.

A major accident occurred at the launch ceremony for a new North Korean naval destroyer, state media reported Thursday, with leader Kim Jong Un calling the mishap a "criminal act".

When foreign leaders meet with Donald Trump, they are walking a tightrope: They can be welcomed with open arms or be publicly belittled.

For world leaders an invitation to the Oval Office used to be a coveted prize.

President Donald Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday by playing him a video that he claimed proved genocide is being committed against white people, driving farmers to flee to the United States.

Gazans waited desperately for vital supplies on Wednesday after Israel said it let in dozens of UN trucks but faced mounting international pressure to increase the aid flow and abandon its intensified military campaign.

Crude prices rallied Wednesday following a report that US intelligence suggested Israel was planning a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, which would send geopolitical tensions into overdrive and fuel regional conflict fears.

A British team of veteran ex-special forces soldiers summited Everest on Wednesday, expedition organisers said, in a bid to fly from London, climb the highest peak and return home within seven days.

As construction crews using heavy excavators demolished a major highway bridge in Berlin, pensioner Guido, like many Germans, greeted the dusty spectacle with grim satisfaction.

Top finance leaders from the G7 nations gather in Canada starting Tuesday, with concerns including war in Ukraine at the fore while the advanced economies grapple with fallout from US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs.

A day after Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump spoke by phone on Ukraine, showering each other with compliments, Russian home-maker Anastasia had one wish: for Moscow to finish what it started in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Tuesday of delaying peace talks in a bid to pursue its three-year invasion, even as US President Donald Trump pushes for an immediate ceasefire.

Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi makes his first appearance at an international film festival in 15 years at Cannes on Tuesday, with a story about political prisoners trying to get back at their jailers.

Twin Gazan filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser said they never thought the title of their new film "Once Upon A Time In Gaza" would have such heartbreaking resonance.

Rising seas will severely test humanity's resilience in the second half of the 21st century and beyond, even if nations defy the odds and cap global warming at the ambitious 1.5 degrees Celsius target, researchers said Tuesday.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 44 people on Tuesday across the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, where Israel has intensified a military offensive aimed at crushing Hamas.

Most markets rose Tuesday as risk appetite returned following the previous day's US rating-fuelled losses, with sentiment also boosted after China cut interest rates to historic lows.

Just over a week after a ceasefire with India was struck, Pakistan's foreign minister is visiting his country's largest arms supplier, China, with the performance of the weapons they supplied a matter of burning interest for analysts and governments alike.

At first glance, the Instagram profile of Ms Rachel fits the image an influencer who has won millions of devoted subscribers for her sing-songy educational content for toddlers and parenting tips.

Former US president Joe Biden expressed gratitude Monday for an outpouring of "love and support" following his cancer diagnosis, even as some in President Donald Trump's orbit leveled fresh accusations of a health cover-up.

The trial of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro on charges of planning a coup d'etat will open Monday afternoon as the nation's Supreme Court hears from key witnesses, with the far-right politician potentially facing decades in prison.

Young Cameroonian voters hoping for change in this year's elections still face the possibility that 92-year-old President Paul Biya could announce a bid to extend his more than four decades in power.

Talking trees powered by AI, drought-resistant crops and sweet potatoes sprouting among flowers -- the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show is facing the future with a focus on innovation and climate-change adaptation.

With its pristine swimming pool, manicured lawns and lush forest backdrop, Villa Baviera, a German-themed settlement of 122 souls in southern Chile, looks like the perfect holiday getaway.

The French government "at the highest level" covered up a scandal over the treatment of mineral water by food giant Nestle, including the iconic Perrier brand, an investigation by France's upper house of parliament said Monday.

Donald Trump will speak by phone Monday with Russia's Vladimir Putin as part of the US leader's effort to end the grinding war set off by Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Israeli strikes killed at least 22 people in Gaza on Monday, rescuers said, after Israel pledged to let a "basic amount" of food into the territory to avert a hunger crisis.

Asian stocks fell with the dollar Monday after Moody's removed the United States' last gold standard sovereign bond rating, citing the growing debt pile that it warned could balloon further.

US President Donald Trump will hold a phone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin on Monday as part of his long-running effort to end the war set off by Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.