AFP news

Zhao Xintong's historic World Snooker Championship title is set to spur the game to even greater heights in China and sparked predictions the country could come to dominate the sport.

A formidable set of cards that includes granting access to its vast market and an ability to withstand economic pain will allow Beijing to play hardball in upcoming trade talks with the United States in Geneva, analysts say.

World leaders welcomed the election on Thursday of Robert Francis Prevost, who as Pope Leo XIV, becomes the first leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics from the United States.

US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled a "historic" trade agreement Thursday, Trump's first deal with any country since he unleashed a blitz of sweeping global tariffs.

US Catholics flocked to churches across the country in a celebratory mood to mark the "excitement" of the first-ever American pontiff following Thursday's election of Pope Leo, who worshippers hoped would bring back lapsed believers.

Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV on Thursday after cardinals from around the globe chose him as the first American leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

The "breakthrough" US-UK trade deal announced Thursday by President Donald Trump is the first agreement to be unveiled since he slapped steep tariffs on allies and adversaries alike on April 2.

Chinese-made weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates have been identified with Sudan's paramilitaries, Amnesty International said Thursday, as drone attacks prompted civilians to flee the army-held aid hub of Port Sudan.

Stock markets and the dollar rose Thursday as US President Donald Trump touted plans to unveil a "major trade deal" with Britain, boosting hopes for other countries' tariff negotiations.

A rare New Zealand snail has been filmed for the first time squeezing an egg from its neck, delighting scientists trying to save the critically endangered meat-eating mollusc.

Faced with fresh flight safety problems at a major US airport, the Trump administration is set Thursday to unveil a modernized air traffic control system.

Japanese auto giant Toyota forecast on Thursday a 35 percent year-on-year drop in net profit for the current financial year, citing Donald Trump's vehicle tariffs among other factors.

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo forecast Thursday that it would sell 15 million units of its hotly awaited Switch 2 console in the current financial year but warned US tariffs could hit its bottom line.

An Australian woman accused of triple murder sent her children to the movies before serving up a toxic mushroom lunch that killed her guests, a court heard on Thursday.

Dubai's Emirates Group, which includes the Middle East's biggest airline, announced on Thursday gross annual profit of $6.2 billion, its third record in three years.

First responders in Gaza said Thursday that their operations were at a near standstill, more than two months into a full Israeli blockade that has left food and fuel in severe shortage.

Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt conceded the loss of his own parliamentary seat Thursday, blaming a flood of votes that swept to the triumphant Labor Party.

China's Xi Jinping was in Moscow on Thursday for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin's grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia's army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce.

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged gunfire overnight in Kashmir, New Delhi said Thursday, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades.

Iraqi Mohammed Jalal lost 10 years of his life seeking asylum in Germany, without success.

Anticipation gripped the Catholic world Thursday as the cardinals tasked with choosing a new pope prepared to retreat behind the heavy doors of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel for their second day of voting.

Merwil Gutierrez, 19, was among 200 Venezuelans controversially deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in March without due process or any criminal charges, says his father who has heard nothing for weeks.

Donald Trump's proposal to put 100 percent tariffs on foreign movies left many filmmakers scratching their heads.

Pakistan has warned it will "avenge" those killed by Indian air strikes that New Delhi said were in response to an attack in Kashmir, signalling an imminent escalation in the worst violence in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Hamas insisted Wednesday on a "comprehensive" agreement to end its war with Israel, as rescuers said Israeli bombardment of Gaza killed at least 26 people amid a growing humanitarian catastrophe.

A woman who died after eating a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms told a doctor it tasted "delicious", a court heard Wednesday, as her Australian host faced triple murder charges.

The Kremlin was forced Wednesday to say it was taking "all necessary measures" to ensure the safety of foreign leaders set to attend its flagship May 9 parade after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across the country, disrupting hundreds of flights.

Standing in the rubble of used to be his home, Palestinian farmer Haitham Dababseh cleared stones to make space for a tent after Israeli army bulldozers destroyed his village in the occupied West Bank.

The cardinal leading the last mass before a conclave to elect a new pope urged his peers Wednesday to choose someone able to protect the Catholic Church's unity and lead a "difficult and complex" point in history.