AFP news

Rice prices in Japan last month were almost twice what they were a year earlier, official data showed Friday, as core inflation accelerated in the world's number four economy.

The United States unveiled new port fees on Chinese built and operated ships Thursday, in a bid to boost the domestic shipbuilding industry and curb China's dominance in the sector.

The first researchers fleeing US spending cuts imposed by President Donald Trump will start work at a French university in June, officials said Thursday.

More than a metre (3.3 feet) of snow fell in a few hours in the Alps as a rare spring storm left at least one dead and caused widespread chaos.

More than one million children in Haiti are suffering "critical" food shortages as a result of chronic violence, displacement and restricted access to humanitarian aid, the UN children's agency said Thursday.

Netflix on Thursday reported quarterly earnings slightly better than analysts expected, saying it is staying focused on what it can control as the overall economy is roiled by US President Donald Trump's trade war.

Hamas on Thursday signalled its rejection of Israel's latest truce proposal and called for a "comprehensive" deal to end the 18-month-long war.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he does not hold Volodymyr Zelensky "responsible" for Russia's invasion of his country but continued to criticize the pro-Western Ukrainian leader.

Countries have no choice but to "make the best" of the fragmentation of the global economy by boosting ties with regional and like-minded countries, the head of the International Monetary Fund said in an interview Thursday.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Thursday that a series of Israeli air strikes killed at least 37 people, most of them in encampments for displaced civilians, as Israel pressed its unrelenting military offensive in the Palestinian territory.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang arrived in Beijing on Thursday, state media said, days after the United States curbed sales of its H20 artificial intelligence chips to China.

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi met the head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Mohammad Eslami, on Thursday ahead of a fresh round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets with Donald Trump Thursday in Washington, hoping a personal charm offensive can help convince the US president to cut a more favourable deal on EU tariffs.

Chip developer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Wednesday said it expects new US licensing requirements for semiconductors exported to China to cost it as much as $800 million.

Football fans in China were outraged by Zhejiang FC's decision to go ahead with a league match hours after the death of their Gabon international striker Aaron Boupendza.

Astronomers announced Thursday that they had detected the most promising "hints" of potential life on a planet beyond our solar system, though other scientists expressed scepticism.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday denied in court that his company bought rival services Instagram and WhatsApp to neutralize them, as his testimony in a landmark antitrust case came to a close.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk on Wednesday, telling university students he was a pioneer comparable to legendary Soviet rocket engineer Sergei Korolev.

US President Donald Trump's tariffs will likely push up prices and constrain growth, and could put the Federal Reserve in the unenviable position of having to choose between tackling inflation and unemployment, the central bank's chair said Wednesday.

The United States on Wednesday eliminated a key government agency that tracked foreign disinformation, framing the move as an effort to preserve "free speech."

The uncertainty kicked up by Donald Trump's stop-start tariff rollout will undoubtedly hit growth, the president of the World Bank said Wednesday, ahead of next week's semi-annual meeting of global financial leaders in Washington.

Canada's main party leaders face off Wednesday in a debate that could prove pivotal ahead of this month's election, with Prime Minister Mark Carney's French language skills set to be tested.

When Indonesian executive Heret Frasthio takes his antique 1957 VL Vespa for a ride, its white paint peeling off, the usual fumes and hum of the free-spirited scooters cannot be seen or heard.

US aviation giant Boeing, fresh off a crippling labor dispute and quality control crisis, has now found itself drawn into the escalating trade conflict between Washington and Beijing.

China told Washington on Wednesday to "stop threatening and blackmailing" after US President Donald Trump said it was up to Beijing to come to the negotiating table to discuss ending their trade war.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Iran's enrichment of uranium as part of its nuclear program was "non-negotiable" after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff called for a halt.

US President Donald Trump's aggressive but fast-changing trade policy has foisted difficult questions on carmakers that they have not yet been forced to answer.

Ailing Red Bull arrive on the Red Sea for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah desperate to prevent their 2025 season sinking into mediocrity.

Cod and herring are normally more likely to be on the dinner menu than the negotiating table at European security talks.