AFP news

Most employees at USAID will be placed on leave or fired by midnight on Sunday, the aid agency said, as President Donald Trump's administration plows ahead in slashing government spending.

Frankfurt equities and the euro rose Monday after conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election, with investors hoping that Europe's largest economy can emerge from recession.

Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Monday it will spend more than $50 billion on artificial intelligence and cloud computing over the next three years, a week after co-founder Jack Ma was seen meeting President Xi Jinping.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, saying he will present "proposals for action" to counter the "Russian threat" in Europe and ensure peace in Ukraine.

Pope Francis, hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia in both lungs, is in a good mood after a peaceful night, the Vatican and a source said Monday, amid global concern over the pontiff's health.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called for "real, lasting peace" this year as European leaders gathered for a summit in Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky hailed his country's "resistance" and "heroism" on Monday on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion as European leaders arrived in Kyiv in a show of solidarity.

Vatican thriller "Conclave" won top prize at an unpredictable Screen Actors Guild Awards gala Sunday, throwing a potential late curveball into the Oscars race just a week before the Academy Awards.

Die-hard South Korean fans cheer and clap as their favourite superheroes strike poses in brightly coloured uniforms to the sounds of a soulful Japanese ballad, a nostalgic throwback to the days of VHS. It has been decades since Japanese superhero series "Choudenshi Bioman" was last on TV, but its epic stories of good versus evil still resonate deeply for these South Korean millennials.

Germany's conservative election winner Friedrich Merz vowed to get to work Monday on the arduous task of building a new coalition government, warning "the world isn't waiting for us".

The quest of millions seeking salvation at the world's largest religious festival has also been a golden opportunity for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to burnish Hindu nationalist credentials.

Germany's conservatives won Sunday's elections, with their leader Friedrich Merz set to become the next chancellor, followed by the far-right AfD in second place after record gains, according to exit polls.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday -- the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion -- that he was ready to quit as Ukraine's president if it meant Kyiv would be admitted to the NATO military alliance.

Mikaela Shiffrin's 100th World Cup victory on Sunday cemented her place as the best alpine skier ever, the American vowing there was more to come in her iconic career.

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and its allies have agreed to form a parallel government, they said Sunday, despite warnings such a move could further fragment the war-ravaged country.

Hamas on Sunday said Israel has gravely endangered a five-week-old Gaza truce by delaying the release of Palestinian prisoners under the deal because of the manner it has freed Israeli hostages.

Pope Francis's ninth night in hospital was peaceful, the Vatican said Sunday, the day after revealing the 88-year-old was in a "critical" condition.

Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black, some waving Hezbollah flags or carrying portraits of the group's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, flocked to his funeral Sunday in a stadium on the outskirts of Beirut.

Hong Kong and Singapore are the front-runners in a push by Asian governments to become cryptocurrency hubs as they look to capitalise on the global resurgence of the sector thanks to the support of US President Donald Trump.

Hong Kong is facing its toughest fiscal test in three decades following a painful run of mammoth deficits, with experts urging the government to make careful cuts as the economy wobbles.

Germany's rocky path towards Sunday's early elections began when the outgoing coalition government collapsed in acrimony on November 6, the very day Donald Trump won re-election to the White House.

London-based model Alexsandrah Gondora understands the power of being in "two places at the same time" thanks to an AI replica of herself: "She's doing the hard work so I don't have to!"

As an openly gay politician who lives with her Sri Lanka-born partner in Switzerland, Alice Weidel was an unusual choice to many to lead Germany's far-right and anti-immigration AfD into Sunday's elections.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was trying to get money back for the billions of dollars sent to support Ukraine's war against Russia.

Germany holds elections on Sunday after its three-party "traffic light" coalition collapsed last year and could soon have a "black-red" government while a "Jamaica" or "blackberry" alliance is less likely.

German voters head to the polls on Sunday, with the conservatives the strong favourites after a campaign rocked by a far-right surge and the dramatic return of US President Donald Trump.

Arsenal's Premier League title bid suffered a huge blow as West Ham earned a shock 1-0 win over the 10-man Gunners, while troubled Manchester United rallied from two goals down in a 2-2 draw at Everton on Saturday.

German politicians made a final scramble for votes Saturday on the eve of key elections in which conservatives hope to win despite the dramatic rise of the far right targeting a record score.

The United States urged UN members to back its "simple, historic" resolution on the Ukraine war, which diplomatic sources said omits mention of Kyiv's territory occupied by Russia.