AFP news

Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died on Monday aged 88.

Pope Francis, who died Monday aged 88, will go down in history as a radical pontiff, a champion of underdogs who forged a more compassionate Catholic Church while stopping short of overhauling centuries-old dogma.

China on Monday hit out at other countries making trade deals with the United States at Beijing's expense, vowing countermeasures against those who "appease" Washington in the blistering tariff war as its neighbours rush to secure favourable terms from the White House.

Gold prices hit a fresh record Monday while the dollar weakened further and stocks were mixed amid worries about Donald Trump's tariff blitz and bubbling row with the Federal Reserve.

When the Dalai Lama turns 90 in July, the Buddhist monk, who for many exiled Tibetans personifies dreams of a free homeland, will ask if they want a successor.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele offered Venezuela Sunday a trade of 252 Venezuelans deported to his country by the United States for an equal number of political prisoners held by President Nicolas Maduro's regime.

Josh Staph fears the fun-packed shelves of his toy warehouse might start looking joyless in the months ahead, with made-in-China flying discs and model gliders grounded -- like much of his product line -- by Donald Trump's tariffs.

An Israeli military probe into the killing of 15 Palestinian emergency workers in Gaza admitted Sunday that mistakes led to their deaths and that a field commander would be dismissed.

Trent Alexander-Arnold fired Liverpool to the brink of the Premier League title as his late strike sealed a 1-0 win that relegated Leicester after Arsenal's 4-0 rout of Ipswich delayed the leaders' coronation on Sunday.

Chaplain Volodymyr was in the middle of his Easter prayer near the front in Ukraine's Donetsk region when another explosion blasted out, piercing the air despite a 30-hour truce announced by Russia for the holiday.

Pope Francis appeared in front of thousands of Catholic faithful at St Peter's Square on Sunday for Easter, despite the 88-year-old pontiff's frail health that has kept him from most Holy Week events.

Greater military influence in government, reporters under threat and a stuttering economy -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's first six months in power have triggered alarm bells for activists worried about a return to the country's authoritarian roots.

The fate of a US-Israeli hostage who Hamas said had featured in an Israeli truce proposal remains unknown, the group said on Saturday, separately releasing a video of another captive alive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced a surprise Easter truce in Ukraine, set to last until midnight on Sunday in what would be the most significant pause in the fighting throughout the three-year conflict.

Pope Francis is the spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics who preaches for a more open church and empathy for migrants.

Philippines election hopefuls like mayoral candidate Kerwin Espinosa have to ask themselves whether the job is worth taking a bullet.

The United States and Iran are set to resume high-stakes talks Saturday on Tehran's nuclear programme, a week after an initial round of discussions that both sides described as "constructive".

The global economy is likely to avoid a recession despite the hit to growth from US President Donald Trump's tariff rollout, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.

A US judge on Thursday ruled that Google illegally wielded monopoly power in the online ad technology market, in a legal blow that could rattle the tech giant's revenue engine.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States was in talks with China on tariffs, adding that he was confident the world's largest economies could make a deal to end a bitter trade war.

The United States unveiled new port fees on Chinese built and operated ships Thursday, in a bid to boost the domestic shipbuilding industry and curb China's dominance in the sector.

American Senator Chris Van Hollen said Thursday he had met with a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported to his home country by the Trump administration, in a case that has sparked outrage in the United States.

Seated on the pavement outside a bank in central Damascus, Abu Fares's face is worn with exhaustion as he waits to collect a small portion of his pension.

US strikes on a Yemeni fuel port killed at least 58 people, Huthi rebels said Friday, in the deadliest attack of Washington's campaign against the Iran-backed group.

Hamas on Friday urged the international community to exert immediate pressure to end Israel's complete blockade of the Gaza Strip that has been in place since March 2.

After his scene-stealing turn as Ken in the 2023 blockbuster hit "Barbie", Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling is taking on another huge pop culture franchise: the "Star Wars" universe.

Russia said Friday that a 30-day pause on Ukrainian energy site strikes has expired, a step away from peace just as Washington threatened to exit ceasefire efforts if progress was not made soon.

Historians are rethinking the way the Holocaust is being presented in museums as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the last Nazi concentration camps this month.

Tokyo led most Asian markets higher Friday on optimism about a Japan-US trade deal as investors keep tabs on countries' tariff talks with the White House.