AFP news

After an outcry from Detroit, President Donald Trump has granted one-month tariff exemptions on most auto imports from Canada and Mexico, underscoring the continued clout of US carmakers.

President Donald Trump responded Thursday to growing criticism over unprecedented cuts to the US government overseen by his billionaire advisor Elon Musk, saying they should be carefully targeted.

President Donald Trump boasts he has brought illegal border crossings into the United States to record lows, but experts say the reasons for the drop go beyond his hardline anti-immigration stance.

More than 70 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Syria in fighting between government security forces and militants loyal to deposed ruler Bashar al-Assad, a war monitor said Friday.

Unprecedented direct talks between the US and Hamas are a sign of dysfunction in fraught negotiations to prolong a truce in Gaza, analysts said Thursday.

Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC's plan to invest $100 billion in the United States was a "historic moment" for Taiwan-US ties, the island's President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday.

Christie's first auction of art made by artificial intelligence (AI) ended Wednesday with mixed results, providing scant clues as to the future of the new and controversial medium.

A drill to search for ice. Also aboard Athena is PRIME-1, a NASA instrument carrying a drill to search for ice and other chemicals beneath the lunar surface, paired with a spectrometer to analyze its findings.

Asian stocks climbed on Thursday as investors welcomed US President Donald Trump's auto tariff delay and were expecting China to announce a large stimulus package.

China vowed to fight a trade war with the United States "to the end" on Thursday, as tariffs from Washington buffeted the global economy and threatened to hit Beijing's lagging growth.

Global sea ice cover reached a historic low in February, Europe's climate monitor said Thursday, with temperatures spiking up to 11C above average near the North Pole as the world continued its persistent heat streak.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged "no pause" in pressure on Russia to halt its "terror" after a Russian missile strike on a hotel in his hometown killed four civilians.

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven announced on Thursday a raft of new measures to fend off a takeover by a Canadian rival, including a huge share buyback and an IPO of its US unit.

Hamas said Thursday that Donald Trump's threats would encourage Israel to disregard the fragile ceasefire, after the US president said that unless hostages are freed, the people of Gaza would be "DEAD".

The shock entrance of DeepSeek in the race to develop advanced artificial intelligence has put the world on notice as to China's innovation prowess, a high-ranking Beijing official said Thursday.

The EU promised on Monday to enforce its digital rules and to defend its laws "decisively" if necessary, after US President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on countries that levy digital taxes on US tech firms.

Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer behind the classic "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and one of the most recognizable voices of the 1970s, died Monday at age 88.

A US oil pipeline operator's lawsuit seeking millions of dollars from Greenpeace for allegedly orchestrating a campaign of violence and defamation begins Monday in a North Dakota court, in a case with broad free speech implications.

After a humbling election defeat for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Social Democrats (SPD), the party looked to collect itself on Monday in preparation for a potential new role as the junior partner in a conservative-led government.

Apple said on Monday it will spend more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and hire 20,000 people, with President Donald Trump quickly taking credit for the announcement.

To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: dropping an atomic bomb on the capital Taipei to secure the island's freedom and her victory.

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.

Pope Francis, hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia in both lungs, spent a peaceful night and was "resting" Monday, the Vatican said amidst global concern over the pontiff's health.

A former surgeon is to go on trial in France on Monday charged with raping or sexually assaulting almost 300 former patients, most of them children.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As the lights go out to start the MotoGP season in Thailand on Saturday, the road seems clear for one of the sport's two deposed kings to reclaim their crown - if they do not get in each other's way.