AFP news

The unfathomable scale of the world's largest religious festival in India overshadows many nations in size -- and for the economy, its impact is just as dramatic.

New US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived for his first meetings at NATO headquarters Wednesday looking to push European nations over support for Ukraine and ramping up military spending.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to open new fronts in his tariffs war by announcing reciprocal levies on other countries as soon as Tuesday, branding this "the only fair way" to trade.

Animated Chinese blockbuster "Ne Zha 2", based on traditional mythology, has smashed multiple box office records on its way to becoming the country's most successful movie ever.

When President Donald Trump froze nearly all US foreign aid, Cambodia was forced to suspend workers removing dangerous mines from the country -- until China stepped in with the necessary funding.

The Associated Press said Tuesday that its White House reporter was barred from an event with President Donald Trump over the top US news agency's refusal to follow his order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

The feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has become one of the bitterest rivalries in business history, with the Tesla tycoon bidding to buy Altman's OpenAI in an apparent attempt to derail the ChatGPT maker's ascent to becoming one of the world's most important companies.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday wrapped up its executive board meeting, held against the backdrop of the United States -- by far its largest donor -- heading for the exit.

The US Federal Reserve is in a strong position to weather the "highly uncertain" economic outlook, but its inflation fight will take time to win, a senior US central bank official said Tuesday.

The Trump administration's tariff threats and animosity towards electric vehicles are producing a "lot of cost and a lot of chaos" for Ford, the automaker's chief executive said Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump accused the judges blocking his executive orders of committing a "serious violation" Tuesday as his administration veered towards a constitutional clash with the courts over his plans to radically downsize the government.

Pope Francis described Donald Trump's migrant deportations as a "major crisis" Tuesday, prompting a rebuke from the US president's border czar, who told the pontiff to "stick to the Catholic Church".

Spain manager Montse Tome on Monday denied "punishing" Jenni Hermoso by dropping her after ex-football federation chief Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed her at the 2023 Women's World Cup final.

Britain's BP on Tuesday said its annual net profit slumped 97 percent last year, as the struggling oil and gas giant pledged to "fundamentally reset" its strategy.

Gucci owner Kering reported a sharp drop in 2024 earnings on Tuesday, days after parting with its flagship brand's creative director in a bid to revive the struggling fashion house.

North Korea has given Russia 200 long-range artillery pieces, a South Korean defence ministry official told AFP on Tuesday, as Moscow and Pyongyang deepen their military ties.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday to retaliate firmly against US President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol blamed the "malicious" opposition for his decision to declare martial law, telling a court on Tuesday that their refusal to applaud him or shake his hand exposed their plans to "destroy" his government.

Venezuela sent two planes Monday to bring nearly 200 undocumented migrants back from the United States, saying it hoped for a "new beginning" in ties with Washington, which does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president.

World leaders were set to hold formal talks in Paris on Tuesday on artificial intelligence (AI), seeking elusive common ground on a technology subject to a global race for promised economic benefits.

A deluge of disinformation about a flu-like virus called HMPV is stoking anti-China sentiment across Asia and spurring unfounded concerns of renewed lockdowns, despite experts dismissing comparisons with the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago.

Vanuatu's parliament resoundingly elected a former foreign minister as premier Tuesday, less than two months after a deadly earthquake rocked the Pacific nation.

Google on Monday changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" for those using its Maps platform inside the United States, complying with an executive order by President Donald Trump.

YouTube has evolved from a dinner party lark 20 years ago into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake US cable television in paid viewership.

US President Donald Trump set a Saturday deadline for all hostages to be released from Gaza, saying that otherwise "all hell" would break out and he would call for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to be canceled.

Elon Musk is leading an investment group offering $97.4 billion for the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, marking a new front in his war with the ChatGPT-maker, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The union representing staff at the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued the acting head of the agency, as the Trump administration ordered all work at the watchdog to cease on Monday.

US President Donald Trump floated the idea that Ukraine "may be Russian someday", as his Vice President JD Vance gears up to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later this week.

Kendrick Lamar commanded one of the world's most high-profile stages Sunday as the Super Bowl's halftime headliner, yet another feather in the cap of the rap laureate who has ascended to new heights of pop stardom.