AFP news

Islamist-led rebels advanced on Syria's fourth-largest city Hama Tuesday, buoyed by their lightning capture of swathes of the north in an offensive that ended four years of relative calm.

Stock markets and oil prices jumped Tuesday, supported by hopes China will unveil fresh measures to boost the world's number two economy.

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened retaliation against governments that challenge the US dollar, vowing "100 percent tariffs" on countries that undercut the US currency.

The US government said Tuesday it was "disappointed" after nations negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic waste failed to reach a deal, blaming a "small group" of countries and producers for blocking progress.

Japan is planning to use AI to police anime and manga pirating websites that the pop-culture powerhouse accuses of costing it billions of dollars in lost revenue every year.

Germany's blue-chip DAX stock index jumped above 20,000 points for the first time Tuesday following gains on US and Asian markets, defying multiple headwinds battering Europe's biggest economy.

Ukraine insisted Tuesday that NATO membership was the only "real guarantee" for its security as foreign ministers from the alliance looked set to rebuff Kyiv's push for an invite ahead of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency.

Meta on Tuesday said fears that artificial intelligence would unleash a torrent of misinformation to deceive voters around the world did not come true as elections played out around the world this year.

China has fully lifted suspensions on Australian red meat, Canberra said Tuesday, dismantling one of the final barriers in a four-year trade war that hammered US$13 billion of exports.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te arrived in the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, after visiting the United States on the first stop of a Pacific tour that has angered Chinese leaders.

With a tape measure around his neck and thimble on his finger, Raniero Mancinelli slides a needle into a black cassock with red piping destined for a Catholic cardinal.

Pakistani politician Azma Bukhari is haunted by a counterfeit image of herself -- a sexualised deepfake video published to discredit her role as one of the nation's few female leaders.

Surrounded by racks of colourful dresses and blazers in China's manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, plus-size clothing brand owner and influencer Amanda Yao is on a mission to promote body positivity.

Israel said it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets in strikes on Lebanon Monday after vowing retaliation for an attack claimed by Hezbollah, the militant group's first since a fragile ceasefire began last week.

Georgian police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of pro-EU demonstrators on Monday, who had rallied in the centre of Tbilisi amid a deepening political crisis in the Black Sea nation.

One of the five stars that used to adorn the facade of the Margarita hotel on the Venezuelan paradise island of the same name has fallen off.

Ukraine needs more weapons and stronger diplomatic backing to reach a "just peace" with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky argued Monday as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv.

France's Michel Barnier faced an abrupt end to his premiership Monday after key opposition parties said they would back a no-confidence motion against his government after only three months in power.

The White House is working on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza but is "not there yet," the US National Security Advisor told NBC on Sunday, with fighting in the conflict raging on as regional leaders meet to discuss the crisis.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases, despite assurances that he would not intervene in his legal troubles.

Paris stocks and the euro fell Monday as a budget standoff in France fuelled concern about the eurozone's second-biggest economy.

New Zealand scientists on Monday began dissecting a whale considered the rarest in the world, a species so elusive that only seven specimens have ever been documented.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Monday described as "very worrisome" the presence of a Russian attack submarine off the country's coast in the disputed South China Sea.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday warned her Chinese counterpart that Beijing's support for Moscow would impact ties and instead urged China to help end the Ukraine conflict.

A coalition of activists in the Philippines lodged an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, accusing her of corruption and misconduct.

A deadly stampede at a football match killed at least 56 people in Guinea's second city N'Zerekore, the junta-controlled government said Monday.

The future of the planet is at stake during hearings at the top United Nations court, a representative for Vanuatu said Monday, opening a historic case that aims to set a legal framework on how countries should tackle climate change.

The Syrian military and its ally Russia conducted deadly joint air raids on areas under Islamist-led rebel control on Monday, as they battle a lightning offensive that has wrested swathes of Syria from government control.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te discussed "China's military threats" toward the island in a call with former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday, drawing a fresh barrage of criticism from Beijing.