AFP news

Chinese defence minister Dong Jun has been placed under investigation for corruption, according to British newspaper the Financial Times.

Ireland-based budget fashion chain Primark has been criticised for its record on workers' rights and the effect of its low-cost, high-volume model on the environment.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year, many home fixtures of Israel's national football team and clubs have been moved to Hungary.

Soaring prices have left a bitter taste in shoppers' mouths at a market in Bangui, as a strike by Cameroonian truckers accusing Russia's infamous Wagner mercenaries of a recent murder cuts off the Central African Republic (CAR).

Liverpool are the only team with a perfect record in this season's Champions League after beating title-holders Real Madrid 2-0 in their heavyweight clash on Wednesday, with last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund among the night's other winners.

Logistical issues meant that thousands of Namibians were still waiting to vote in pivotal presidential and legislative elections late on Wednesday as the polling stations were scheduled to close.

Russia on Wednesday said that it would expel two journalists from Germany's ARD national network in a like for like move after a Russian state broadcaster reported that its journalists had been ordered to leave Berlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a two-day trip aimed at shoring up ties with his Central Asian ally as tensions mount over the Ukraine war.

Paddington, the affable clumsy bear from British children's books, has transformed into an international sensation over the past decade, thanks to a clever film strategy and with the help of the royal family.

Donald Trump on Tuesday named Jamieson Greer his trade representative, a key figure in implementing the president-elect's economic agenda, particularly his plans to use tariffs to raise revenue and help bring more manufacturing to US shores.

India's Adani Group conglomerate said Wednesday it had lost almost $55 billion in a stock market rout since US prosecutors last week accused its founder and other officials of fraud.

The coming year will put incoming US President Donald Trump's geopolitical strategies to the test, as wars rage in the Middle East and Ukraine and tensions rise in Asia.

Besieged by political turmoil, Pakistan's government is turning to draconian internet censorship which threatens to cut the country off from a promising future, experts and citizens say.

Spanish traveller Alberto Blasco Ventas looked out at Ukraine's destroyed Irpin brige, blown up to stop Russian troops in 2022 and now a hotspot for thrill-seeking tourists visiting the country.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Wednesday that Europe has "no time to waste" to boost its defences and competitiveness, as European lawmakers prepared to greenlight her new executive to start work.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as traders tried to gauge the economic outlook after Donald Trump picked a tough-negotiating hawk as his trade envoy the day after saying he would hit China, Canada and Mexico with hefty tariffs.

The wars in the Mideast and Ukraine-Russia have dominated world headlines in 2024 but several other conflicts are ravaging countries and regions.

Long one of the world's top sources of ocean plastic, the Philippines is hoping new legislation requiring big companies to pay for waste solutions will help clean up its act.

Ursula von der Leyen's new European Commission is expected to officially start its work next week, with the European Parliament set to give it the all-clear in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Alcohol-free drinks are becoming ever more popular, especially with health-conscious younger people -- a trend cheered by a small German winery based in a Rhine Valley castle.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect on Wednesday after more than a year of fighting that has killed thousands of people.

The Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens has long made music that sheds light on America's untold stories, and her latest project brings to the fore marginalized groups that built its railroad.

Manchester City's struggles continued as Pep Guardiola's side remarkably blew a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to leave the French club in danger of elimination.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that his government was ready for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, saying an end to the war in Lebanon would allow Israel to focus its attention on Hamas and arch-enemy Iran.

French prosecutors on Tuesday demanded sentences of up to 15 years for the remaining co-defendants in the trial of a man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his wife while she was drugged and unconscious.

Pakistani protesters demanding the release of ex-prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday killed four members of the nation's security forces, the government said, as the crowds defied police and closed in on the capital's centre.

In the wake of ChatGPT's dramatic arrival two years ago, companies are excited about generative AI's possibilities but heading into 2025 with careful deliberation rather than rushing to transform their operations.

Landmine victims from across the world gathered at a conference in Cambodia on Tuesday to protest the United States' decision to give landmines to Ukraine, with Kyiv's delegation expected to report at the meet.

Chinese tech giant Huawei on Tuesday unveiled its first smartphone equipped with a fully homegrown operating system, a key test in the firm's fight to challenge the dominance of Western juggernauts.