AFP news

In a Damascus courtyard, Syrian activists brainstormed strategies to ensure their country does not return to authoritarianism, in a scene unimaginable under president Bashar al-Assad's rule.

As Donald Trump's looming return to the White House promises to boost cryptocurrencies, a German stock exchange is on a mission to anchor them firmly in the staid world of traditional finance.

Imran Khan, Pakistan's most popular politician, is facing a 14-year prison term this month in a case his party says is being used to pressure him into silence.

South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol rose from star prosecutor to the presidency in just a few years, but after a series of scandals and a bungled martial law decree, he's become the country's first-ever sitting president to be arrested.

South Korea has endured six weeks of political turmoil since President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and sent soldiers and helicopters to parliament.

Mediators were making a final push Wednesday to seal a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, after a Qatari official involved in the talks expressed hope an agreement could be reached "very soon".

South Korean investigators tried to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, using ladders to enter his residence compound after clashes broke out when his guards blocked the main gate.

Powerful winds on Tuesday threatened to rekindle and whip up major fires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles, killing at last 24 people and changing the face of America's second biggest city -- perhaps forever.

Last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev destroyed his racquet and avoided a huge shock at the Australian Open on Tuesday to join a rampant Taylor Fritz and veteran Gael Monfils in the second round.

Donald Trump's second presidential term promises a return to tariffs as he pressures partners and rivals to tackle everything from migration to drug trafficking, while protecting US industries -- in moves that could trigger new trade wars.

Stock markets mostly rose Tuesday with traders' attention fixed on President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans, earnings updates and upcoming inflation data.

Donald Trump's cabinet nominees go under the microscope in a frenzied week on Capitol Hill starting Tuesday, as US senators hold confirmation hearings that could make or break their political careers.

TikTok on Tuesday labeled as "pure fiction" a report that China is exploring a potential sale of the video-sharing platform's US operations to billionaire Elon Musk as the firm faces an American law requiring imminent Chinese divestment.

CO2 emissions from road transport could peak worldwide this year thanks to rapid growth in electric vehicles and stricter new regulations, a German think tank said Tuesday.

Britain's competition watchdog Tuesday launched an investigation into Google's dominant position in the search engine market and its impacts on consumers and businesses.

Ukraine fired missiles and drones at factories and energy facilities across Russia early on Tuesday, sparking fires hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the frontline, a source in Ukraine's SBU security services said.

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca stunned ninth seed Andrey Rublev in a major Australian Open shock on Tuesday as racquet-smashing 2024 finalist Daniil Medvedev narrowly avoided the same fate.

US President-elect Donald Trump would have been convicted for his alleged effort to overturn the 2020 election result if he hadn't been re-elected four years later, said a report by then special counsel Jack Smith released early Tuesday.

Key mediator Qatar said negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages" on Tuesday, adding that it was hopeful an agreement could be reached "very soon".

NATO countries on the Baltic Sea met in Helsinki on Tuesday, looking to boost security following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables, widely blamed on Russia.

Millions of Hindu pilgrims are gathering in India to bathe in sacred waters for the six-week-long Kumbh Mela festival -- from the very old to babies, cave-dwelling monks to science teachers.

Dubbed a "motorway for cyclists" where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square mile in the world, Spain's Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in recent years.

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles into the sea Tuesday, according to Seoul's military, in what experts said could be a message to US President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration.

Among the charred ruins of Pacific Palisades, Jeff Ridgway walks his dog Abby as if nothing has happened.

Donald Trump has not yet returned to the White House but is already thrusting himself to the front of international stage as he once again shatters diplomatic niceties.

Buckle up: Donald Trump returns to the White House next week for a second term that promises to be even more volatile -- and hard-line -- than his roller-coaster first presidency.

Iran and European powers said they held "frank and constructive" talks on Monday about Tehran's nuclear programme, just a week before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Heavy fighting rocked the Gaza Strip on Monday, leaving dozens of Palestinians and five Israeli soldiers dead, even as the White House said that a Gaza truce and hostage release deal could be finalised this week.

Search teams looking for people killed in devastating Los Angeles blazes moved from house to house Monday, as firefighters girded for hurricane-force winds that could spark further flare-ups.