AFP news

Lebanese political heavyweights held talks Wednesday a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president, but even with key player Hezbollah weakened by war, there is no guarantee of consensus.

Facing charges of "censorship" from both Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, the EU will need its full legal arsenal -- and political will aplenty -- to stand up to US Big Tech once Donald Trump is back.

"Spider-Man" co-stars Zendaya and Tom Holland are engaged, US media reported Monday, the day after she was spotted wearing a huge diamond ring.

Several dozen Ukrainian soldiers have deserted while training in France, a French army official told AFP on Monday.

The race to be Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's successor kicked off on Tuesday, a day after he resigned amid a looming trade war with the United States and a divisive political climate at home.

Tech leaders continue to fall in line around Donald Trump, with Facebook's announcement that it would end its US fact-checking program the latest victory for the president-elect and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk.

Stock markets diverged and the dollar rose Wednesday after data pointed to a robust US economy, further denting hopes of several more cuts to interest rates in the world's biggest economy.

In a provocative and headline-grabbing Tuesday speech on his territorial ambitions for the United States, incoming US leader Donald Trump was heavy on intimidation but light on details -- leaving many wondering how seriously the comments should be taken.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it expected fourth-quarter profits to fall sharply from the previous quarter and miss forecasts as it struggled to meet robust demand for chips used in artificial intelligence servers.

Open AI CEO Sam Altman denied on Tuesday allegations from his sister Annie Altman, who has filed a complaint accusing him of childhood sexual abuse.

Fighters in southern Syria who helped topple President Bashar al-Assad are reluctant to disarm and disband as ordered by the country's new rulers, their spokesman told AFP. An Islamist-led offensive ripped through Syria from the north and into Damascus on December 8, bringing to a sudden end five decades of rule by the Assad clan.

Visitors to the UK from dozens of countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia, must now pay to enter Britain after a new visa-waiver entry system took effect on Wednesday.

Thousands of rescuers were searching for survivors in freezing conditions Wednesday after a devastating earthquake in China's remote Tibet region killed at least 126 people.

Hundreds of supporters of South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol rallied outside his home on Wednesday in a bid to protect him as investigators prepared a fresh arrest attempt.

Venezuela is on tenterhooks as it braces for pro- and anti-government protests Thursday -- the eve of President Nicolas Maduro's swearing-in for a third term rejected by the opposition and much of the international community as illegitimate.

In the frigid night of China's Qinling mountains, hunters with huge social media followings scour the landscape in pursuit of wild boars menacing local farmers' livelihoods.

In the Brazilian Amazon, workers use metal tubes to sow seedlings in rapid succession, as part of an effort to reforest the jungle with millions of trees.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday announced the arrest of seven foreigners -- including two Americans -- whom he accused of being "mercenaries" trying to prevent him from being sworn-in for another six years in power.

A decade after jihadists ransacked Iraq's famed Nimrud site, archaeologists have been painstakingly putting together its ancient treasures, shattered into tens of thousands of tiny fragments.

Donald Trump threatened military action to secure the Panama Canal and economic force against neighboring Canada in meandering remarks Tuesday that drew firm and frosty responses from the two US allies.

A fast-moving wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked panic, with thousands ordered to evacuate Tuesday as "life threatening" winds whipped the region.

Sudanese paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who has been sanctioned by the United States for genocide, went from feared Darfur militia commander to de facto vice-president before unleashing a devastating war for power.

The first human death from bird flu in the United States has intensified calls for the government to ramp up efforts to stave off the threat of another pandemic -- particularly ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Donald Trump Jr made a private visit to Greenland on Tuesday, just weeks after his father restated his interest in the mineral- and oil-rich Danish autonomous territory, which itself wants independence.

Home appliances that do chores, cars that know your favorite cafe, and robot pets aiming to please are among artficial intelligence-infused offerings at the Consumer Electronics Show opening Tuesday.

European and Asian stock markets mostly rose Tuesday following another tech rally on Wall Street.

McDonald's said Monday it will roll back some of its diversity practices, becoming the latest US organization to rethink its policies following a Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action in university admissions.

A Chinese-owned cargo ship suspected of damaging a subsea telecoms cable off Taiwan has stopped transmitting its location on the high seas, Taiwan's coast guard said Tuesday.

Eurozone inflation rose in December as energy prices slightly ticked up, official data showed Tuesday, which experts said will likely push the European Central Bank to pursue its rate-cutting cycle more cautiously.