AFP news

Papua New Guinea's prime minister has promised to tread carefully with Belt and Road funding from China, telling AFP on Monday he would not be "reckless" with foreign loans.

The Philippines said it had summoned China's envoy on Monday and flagged the possibility of expelling him following the most tense confrontations between the countries' vessels in years at flashpoint reefs in the disputed South China Sea.

Argentina's President Javier Milei took office Sunday with a stark warning to citizens to brace themselves for painful austerity measures as he seeks to cut spending and curb triple-digit inflation, all with empty coffers.

Figurines representing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a devil and Polish protesters were among the unusual characters making an appearance in traditional Nativity scenes in Krakow at the weekend.

The variety of juicy grape that Yuki Nakamura is harvesting as the sun rises over his farm took scientists 33 years to develop and can sell for $100 a bunch in Tokyo department stores.

Markets diverged Monday as investors awaited key US data and a Federal Reserve policy decision after labour figures last week suggested the US central bank was on course to deliver a soft landing for the economy while reining in inflation.

TikTok on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment in GoTo in a deal that would allow the Chinese-owned short video app to restart its online shop in Indonesia.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, on Sunday reinstated far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on the social media platform, a year after vowing never to let him return.

EU member states and lawmakers clinched a deal on Friday on how to draft "historic" rules regulating artificial intelligence models such as ChatGPT -- after 36 hours of negotiations.

"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" -- the unlikely pair of films that dominated the box office and spawned countless internet memes this summer -- are expected to lead the newly revamped Golden Globes when nominations are unveiled Monday.

Led by Beyonce and Taylor Swift, whose "Eras Tour" was the first to bring in more than $1 billion, ticket revenues from the top 100 concert tours of 2023 jumped to a record $9.17 billion, industry magazine Pollstar said Friday.

The landmark word has loomed over Tinseltown since before movies started talking, becoming a symbol of the entire film industry.

Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of NBA superstar LeBron James, made his collegiate basketball debut Sunday less than five months after suffering cardiac arrest during practice.

Manchester City survived a scare at Luton to end their four-match winless run in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory, while Chelsea's problems mounted with a 2-0 defeat at Everton on Sunday.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Washington Tuesday to meet President Joe Biden and plead his case before Republicans balking at sending more money for his fight against Russia, amid warnings aid will run out in weeks.

Several Israeli soldiers were wounded when Hezbollah launched a drone attack from Lebanon on Sunday, both the Israeli army and the militant group said.

Zimbabwe will hold nine by-elections on Saturday with opposition candidates largely absent as President Emmerson Mnangagwa cements his control over the mineral-rich nation.

Arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan said Thursday they would exchange prisoners of war and work towards normalising their relations, in a joint statement hailed by the European Union and the United States as a breakthrough after three decades of conflict over disputed territory.

A Japanese court is due Tuesday to give a verdict in the landmark trial of three ex-soldiers accused of sexual assault in a country where still very few victims come forward.

Hundreds of migrants who cross into the United States from Mexico each day are being herded into open-air camps, where they have no access to food or water.

Hundreds of staff at The Washington Post, one of America's most storied newspapers, walked off the job Thursday in a 24-hour strike after 18 months of contract negotiations failed to secure a deal.

Blanca, an asylum seeker with two daughters, must leave the New York City shelter she has called home for the past year after Christmas to make room for new arrivals.

Israel pressed on with its offensive in and around Gaza's main cities on Friday, more than two months after Hamas's deadly attack sparked a war that has claimed thousands of lives and left the Palestinian territory in ruins.

The UN Security Council meets on Gaza Friday under acute pressure from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and will vote on urging an immediate ceasefire after weeks of ruinous war.

Insured losses from natural catastrophes will pass the $100-billion threshold for the fourth year running in 2023, reinsurance giant Swiss Re said Thursday.

The UK government announced Thursday that the BBC licence fee will rise after a two-year freeze, but the broadcaster indicated the increase would not be enough to ward off further cuts.

Arsenal's grip on the Premier League's top spot will be under threat from their old boss Unai Emery when the leaders travel to surging Aston Villa on Saturday.

Reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm confirmed Thursday he is joining LIV Golf in a deal reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars, sealing a stunning coup for the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit.

Toy giant Lego and videogame leader Epic Games joined forces Thursday to launch "Lego Fortnite" in a bid to grow a platform already used by hundreds of millions of people.