AFP news

Media outlets around the world have been left scratching their heads over the future of their fact-checking operations after Meta's shock announcement that it will halt its US programme.

Stock markets mostly retreated and the dollar steadied Friday as traders awaited key US jobs data for signals on the health of the world's largest economy and the outlook for interest rates.

From laptops to EVs, lithium-ion batteries have fueled phenomenal growth in the 21st century, but businesses struggle with a significant downside: increased fire risk.

Australia violated the rights of asylum seekers arbitrarily detained on the island of Nauru, a UN watchdog ruled Thursday, in a warning to other countries intent on outsourcing asylum processing.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, due to be sworn in Friday for a third six-year term after elections he is widely accused of stealing, has been written off many times during a turbulent decade in power.

The weakening of Hezbollah in last year's war with Israel allowed Lebanon's long deadlocked parliament to reach consensus around a president who has the confidence of the international community.

From its founding in 1986, French video game maker Ubisoft has grown into a giant of the sector with operations in 20 countries and an uber popular franchise, "Assassin's Creed".

The last two years exceeded on average a critical warming limit for the first time as global temperatures soar "beyond what modern humans have ever experienced", Europe's climate monitor said Friday.

Research published in The Lancet medical journal on Friday estimates that the death toll in Gaza during the first nine months of the Israel-Hamas war was around 40 percent higher than recorded by the Palestinian territory's health ministry.

With its soldiers trained in France and high-profile endorsements from the French and Ukrainian presidents, the "Anne of Kyiv" brigade was supposed to be a flagship unit for Ukraine's army.

When nature calls, Masana Izawa has followed the same routine for more than 50 years: heading out to the woods in Japan, dropping his pants and doing as bears do.

Denmark's prime minister said Thursday she had reached out to US President-elect Donald Trump following his remarks about taking control of Greenland, which Denmark said were being taken seriously.

Shell-shocked Los Angeles residents on Thursday surveyed the devastation from fast-moving fires that have claimed at least five lives, as officials warned the largest blazes remained totally uncontained.

Opponents of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro took to the streets in their thousands Thursday in a last-ditch protest against his swearing-in for a third six-year term as president.

Mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States have launched a new push to end the Gaza war and secure the release of dozens of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

Jimmy Carter brought a brief moment of national unity to a divided America Thursday as five US presidents gathered for the solemn state funeral of the 39th commander-in-chief in Washington's National Cathedral.

Lebanon's lawmakers on Thursday elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacancy in the position, in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis.

European and Asian stock markets diverged Thursday, with investors tracking the outlook for inflation and US interest rates as Donald Trump's second presidency looms.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Donald Trump's return to the White House would open "a new chapter" and reiterated a call for Western allies to send troops to help "force Russia to peace".

The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, begins in Melbourne on Sunday and promises to be jam-packed with plotlines.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading on Thursday to Rome for talks with European counterparts on bringing stability to Syria in the face of flare-ups with Turkey, capping what is likely his final trip.

Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles jumped more than 40 percent in China last year, as demand for new energy models continues to surge and the sector remains entrenched in a gruelling price war.

US greenhouse gas emissions barely decreased in 2024, leaving the world's largest economy off track to achieve its climate goals, according to an analysis released Thursday, as the incoming Trump administration looks set to double down on fossil fuels.

Battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday in Syria's northern Manbij region, a war monitor said.

Chinese companies have turned out in force again at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, with their prospects overshadowed by the threat of steeper tariffs from incoming US president Donald Trump.

In a vast Bangladeshi factory hall thrumming with sewing machines, garment workers churn out seemingly endless pairs of mountain hiking trousers for customers in Europe and North America.

A Myanmar military drone tracked a car carrying anti-junta forces as it drove through the contested village of Moe Bye.

Giovana Serrao was not home when a fire lit in a neighboring agricultural field got out of control and destroyed her acai palms on the island of Marajo in the Brazilian Amazon.

Opponents of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday decried a worsening crackdown 48 hours before he is to be sworn in on the back of elections he is widely accused of having stolen.